Why do my pre-conversion sins still haunt me? That's the question today. Here's the email. "Hello Pastor John, my name is Rico and I have a question about past sins resurfacing. Before I was saved a little over a year and a half ago, I was pretty badly addicted to drugs.

I met the Lord Jesus and literally all the desires to pursue drugs went away until about April of this year. I've fallen a few times, but God has been very gracious and merciful to me in carrying me through these rough times. So I guess what I'm asking is, how does this come about?

I thought I was done with that part of my life for good. Why are my pre-conversion sin patterns coming back now?" Rico, let me give a short description of what the Bible teaches about what has already happened to you as a born-again believer in Jesus and what has not yet happened to you.

And this will give you some biblical ways of thinking about what you are actually experiencing. Let's put this description of the already of your life and the not yet of your life into the larger biblical description of what Christ has already done in the world and what he has not yet done in the world.

When Christ came into the world, you know this, he preached the kingdom of God. And in that preaching, he said two things. Number one, the kingdom is here. It's here right now. "Behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst," Luke 17:21. "I am the king. My rule has arrived.

I am showing in my miracles, in my teaching, in my perfections, in my love, in my death for sinners, in my resurrection. I am showing my kingdom, my rule, my saving reign is here. The long-hoped-for, waited-for kingdom has come." That's the first thing, crucial thing, essential thing for Christianity to say.

Here's the second thing he said. "My kingdom is coming and is not yet here." Luke 22, 18, "I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." What? I thought you said it had come. Why are you saying it's coming? It's coming, but not yet.

So in the big picture of history, the kingdom of God has already come in the person and work of Jesus, and yet, how should we say it, not yet fully come, completely come, not yet come with the fullest consummation. I remember reading one time in George Ladd, one of my New Testament professors years ago, he said, "The mystery of the kingdom is fulfillment without consummation." Fulfillment without consummation.

That captures the tension. Yes, yes, the kingdom has come. Time is fulfilled. It is here. Repent. The king has come. But the consummation, so many things left that are not yet done that the kingdom promised to do. And that tension, Rico, affects virtually every part of the Christian life, including your struggle with past sins, including drugs.

So how does this work itself out in the life of individual Christians? Here are just a few biblical descriptions of this already not yet reality in the Christian life. First, Colossians, Colossians 1, 3 and 4, God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Wow. Already done, already transferred out of darkness into the kingdom of the Son. Glorious. That's awesome. And then verse 3 says, "You have died. Your life is hidden with Christ in God." It's over. I mean, you've already passed beyond death. You are secure and hidden with Christ in God.

But now comes verse 5 of Colossians 3 with this imperative that suggests something is very not complete. It says, "Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you—sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry." And we could add drugs. That needs to be done, Rico. It needs to be done.

You are in heaven with Christ. Now fight the sins of earth. You have died. Therefore put to death old habits. And notice the "therefore." The battle with sins that are not yet destroyed is because of the already being dead with Christ and being seated at his right hand. That's number one.

Here's another picture of it in Romans 6. Here's verse 6. "We know that our old self was crucified with Christ." So death. We're done. It's over. We've died. Verse 11, "So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God." Because something is not yet complete. You've got something to do with this.

So again, the command to complete this, finish this, bring your life into accord with your deadness, is based on the fact that you're already dead. Here's the third picture of it later on in Romans 6. Verse 11 says, "Let not sin reign in your mortal body." That's the "not yet." And now the "already" of verse 14.

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you're not under law, but under grace." Don't let sin reign because it won't reign. There's the Christian way of life. Here's a fourth picture of it. 1 Corinthians 5, 7, talking about getting sexual sin out of the Church and out of our lives.

It says, "Cleanse out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump." So it's picturing the Church and the Christian life as a lump of dough and leaven as sin penetrating the lump. It says, "Cleanse out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened." So again, the command about getting out the leaven is based on the fact that there's not any leaven.

There's the glorious "already, not yet" mystery as it applies to the Christian life. We are becoming what we are. Here's one more, Ephesians 4, 24, "Put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." So put on what already has been created. So your new self has been created.

It's the work of God. You're not forging a new self in Christ. You're not. You're not forging a new self in Christ. God made that. He created that. It's already created, but you must put it on, own it, wear it, become in practice what you are in Christ. So, Rico, your ongoing struggle with sin is nothing new.

You already are new in Christ, and you are not yet perfected. You are dead and must put sin to death. You are raised with Christ, and you must seek the things that are above. You are a new self, and you must put on the new self. You are unleavened, and you must cleanse out the old leaven.

Sin will not be king in your life, and you must not let sin have dominion. And so here's the key. Every imperative, every command, every exhortation, every admonition given to a Christian should be passionately pursued, obeyed on the basis of what's already true about us in Christ. We are commanded to become what we are, become in life what we are in Christ.

So what you are experiencing is the reality of what Paul calls in Romans 7:20, "Indwelling sin," remaining in dwelling sin, the not yet of sanctification. And you are now to put that sin to death because you have already died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. So, Rico, may God take this biblical picture of salvation deep into your life and give you a great freedom.

Amen. That's a great episode for us all to take with us into our battles with personal sin. Thank you, Pastor John, and thank you for the great question, Rico. I really appreciate that. If you have a question for Pastor John, send it to us at DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn. And thank you for listening along.

Be sure to subscribe to Ask Pastor John in your favorite podcast app or in YouTube. So how do I recharge my spiritual battery? Where can I find the renewal of my spiritual energies to face another week of temptations and trials? That's the question coming up next time, and it has a very practical bent to it.

I'm your host, Tony Reinke. We'll see you next time on Wednesday. © The Bess Markels Podcast 2016 © The Bess Markels Podcast 2016