Why are we still sinful and unholy because Adam and Eve were pure and blameless before they sinned and Jesus has now repaired our connection with God?
Because of [Jesus’ work for us on the Cross], the individual who trusts in Jesus Christ (a Christian) is already holy and righteous in God’s eyes! But according to Romans 8:23, we still have to wait for our bodies’ ultimate redemption, at which point we will be perfected and lead entirely virtuous lives.
Sinful nature
Every person on the planet has what is known as a guilty nature, having sinned together with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). In other words, everyone has been tarnished by Adam’s transgression. They are born guilty before God (Psalm 51:5) and sin like Adam did (Ephesians 2:1–3). Thus, according to Romans 3:10, nobody is holy or righteous before God. According to Romans 3:19–20, everyone is subject to God’s wrath and judgment. However, a person’s life is drastically altered when they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Paul utilizes Abraham as an example in Romans 4 to highlight a crucial idea: people are considered righteous not by their deeds but by their faith in God, who pardons sinners (Romans 4:5).
This indicates that the one who [takes God at His word] and trusts God will be declared virtuous. How is it possible to make the unjust person righteous? God crucified Jesus and put all of my guilt and iniquity on him. Jesus had to bear God’s wrath for my sin as he hung on the cross. For all my wrongdoing, he faced God’s wrath (1 Peter 3:18). Furthermore, Jesus may bestow His righteousness upon me because He is the only man who is genuinely righteous, having lived a perfectly blameless and submissive life before God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
We are now truly righteous before God as a result of this “swap”—Jesus putting on his righteousness and handing us his wickedness. Paul states, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,” in Romans 5:1. Being justified (become righteous) is a thing of the past.
Living in two ages
Why then do Christians continue to sin if they have been justified? The Christian lives in [two ‘ages,’] is the response. These two eras are referred to as “the age to come” or “in Christ” and “the present age” or “in Adam.” Death and sin are the slaves of those who are “in Adam.” However, those who are “in Christ” are now free and enjoy eternal life (Romans 5:12–21).
These two ages do, however, overlap. In other words, the Christian is both a citizen of the future age and a part of the current one. For this reason, sin and its consequences continue to exist in our lives. That’s the reason we still battle with sin even after being justified (as Paul anticipates Christians to do, Romans 6:11–14; Galatians 5:16–18).
Members of the age to come
Thankfully, however, this “present age” will ultimately be abolished at the return of Christ. At that point, Christians will only belong to “the age to come,” when we will be free from the grip of sin. and in a place devoid of decay and death (Revelation 11:15; 21:1-4). But until that day, we ache and yearn for our ultimate salvation. We ourselves, who bear the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption as sons and the redemption of our bodies, as Paul states in Romans 8:23.
