Once, when his daughter, Tara, asked if he ever had an imaginary friend, singer Johnny Cash responded like this: "Yes," he told her. "Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight." (from "The Man Named Cash" by Steve Turner, page 17)
Probably without knowing it, Cash was expressing good Lutheran theology, namely that we are Simul justus et peccator - Simultaneously justified and a sinner.
To be "justified" is to be declared "not guilty." In God's courtroom, God declares you and me and all who believe "not guilty" for the sake of Jesus who died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin and to give us His righteousness which makes us clean and whole before God the Father.
Still, we know that in this life we sin. We think evil thoughts...say evil things...do evil stuff. Like David, we too can say: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. (Psalm 51:3)
It seems like such a contradiction, right? If I'm a sinner, then how can I be a saint?
That's where the power of the Gospel comes in.
It is God's good news of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Christ that God justifies the sinner. Christ makes us righteous. Through repentance and faith, we are made new in Christ. The Holy Spirit, working through the means of grace, gives us a new mind and heart, one that does the will of God because of Jesus.
Still, we struggle. We see that old, sinful nature rear its ugly head constantly. As Johnny Cash said, "They fight." That's why our baptism is so important. At the baptismal font, we were buried with Christ in His death. Our old Adam, our sinful nature must die. Then, with Christ, we were raised to new life. Now we are free to live - free to love God and to love our neighbor. We don't have to work at or earn God's favor or blessing. We have already been declared "not guilty." We can now live the new life in Christ that we've received through the grace of God.
I understand this Simul justus et peccator stuff. George is the nice one. Spicer causes all the trouble. Luther got it. Johnny Cash got it too.
Let this be another day that you live in the new life you received at your baptism. For the sake of Jesus, you are justified before God - "not guilty" of sin and freed from the sentence of eternal death. Eternal life is yours - through Christ!
