Design Flaw vs Pilot Error
This is part one of a little series where we will explore some interesting issues about our positional vs practical goodness before God and man. I understand this may be a little detailed for some but I think it is well worth exploring.
When a plane crashes we generally run to one of two places (setting aside outside forces such as terrorism or weather)…we want to know if there was a design or manufacturing defect in the airplane or was it simply pilot error. Mechanical failure in itself does not necessarily suggest an inadequate design either. If the investigation reveals only pilot error then we can conclude that the plane was not designed to fail mid air or crash land. If the crash was due to pilot error we can then say that if the plane was flown as designed it probably would not have crashed, taking into view the exceptions noted. This does force us to put a great amount of faith in the design of the aircraft, that it was thoroughly researched and tested with all we know about physics and aeronautics withstanding.
Looking at the human condition even after salvation & regeneration…why does sin remain in us?….leftover from the fall? Did the fall damage & Jesus could not fully restore until heaven? So goes some modern anthropology & soteriology…statements like “we cannot NOT sin….sin is a part of the body…sin is inherent in my humanity and Christ only expunged the effects or consequences of sin…the body is equal to “sinful flesh” or flesh in Paul…the body is a vessel of sin until our transformation…sin is inevitable in fallen creatures that is why we have confession”…attempts to do away with sin is misguided “perfectionism”.
A fundamental question then is what was restored or potentially restored from the fall by being “in Christ”? Was it simply a legal transaction that changed our eternal outcomes, or was it supposed to alter our very lives and practices? Is the fact that we still sin part of what God intended or allowed as fallen creatures? If so, why bother with sanctification or any attempts at holiness or spiritual disciplines? Again, if you follow most pulpit theologians they will tell you something akin to “instant perfection comes with meeting Jesus face to face so no need to worry about that stuff here…we are fallen creatures doing what we do, but one day all that will change”. This is what is commonly understood as our standing in Christ today.
We will explore these ideas against what the bible says as we unfold this study in the next post…stay tuned.
whodathunkit 