A falha em reconhecer a plena extensão da pecaminosidade e tolice da condição dos incrédulos é ultimamente um resultado da própria depravação humana. Ela é uma inclinação derivada de uma teologia humanística, isto é, de uma alta visão do eu e uma baixa visão da graça. Nós nos ensforçamos ao máximo para descrever a depravação absoluta dos incrédulos, usando os temos bíblicos vívidos que podemos encontrar, não porque derivams uma satisfação pessoal de insultá-los. Mas fazemos isto porque, reconhecendo a verdade sobre a depravação dos incrédulos, estamos ao mesmo tempo magnificando a graça de Deus que salva tais pecadores depravados, tais criaturas estúpidas e pecadoras.
When God saves a non-Christian, it is not like he is changing a pair of dirty socks for him. It is much more than that. It is as if he is turning a piece of dung into a handsome prince, or changing a dumb mule into a college professor. This is why we must recognize the full extent of the wicked and stupid nature of the unbelievers, and then affirm that Christians have been redeemed from this kind of life at great cost, even by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Only from this perspective do we then fully recognize the extent of the trouble that we were in, and the extent of the grace and power that rescued us out of it.
Then, it is by standing upon this understanding of redemption that we can properly appreciate the admonition of Peter: "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." Because of where you were and where God has now taken you, the worst thing that you can do is to profess the faith and then fail to think and behave like a believer. Once you have started, you must go all the way. You must fully invest yourself into this new life.
This is the way to not only survive but to thrive as a Christian in a world that is hostile to the things of God. Do not have a taste and then walk away. Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good, abide in him, and desire the spiritual milk of the word – pure and unadulterated biblical teaching – so that you may grow in the faith, become strong in your stand, and become useful for his kingdom.
We find the same teaching in Paul. Like Peter, he first affirms that the non-Christians suffer from severe moral corruption and mental retardation, and that the Christians have been saved from this pitiful state. Then, from this he draws the conclusion that we must now put away the ignorance and the wickedness of the past, but move forward with Christ to grow in true knowledge and holiness.
There is a full example of this line of thinking in Ephesians 4:17-25. Notice the close correspondence between this passage and what we have read from Peter:
Assim, eu lhes digo, e no Senhor insisto, que não vivam mais como os gentios, que vivem na inutilidade dos seus pensamentos. Eles estão obscurecidos no entendimento e separados da vida de Deus por causa da ignorância em que estão, devido ao endurecimento do seu coração. Tendo perdido toda a sensibilidade, eles se entregaram à depravação, cometendo com avidez toda espécie de impureza.
Todavia, não foi isso que vocês aprenderam de Cristo. De fato, vocês ouviram falar dele, e nele foram ensinados de acordo com a verdade que está em Jesus. Quanto à antiga maneira de viver, vocês foram ensinados a despir-se do velho homem, que se corrompe por desejos enganosos, a serem renovados no modo de pensar e a revestir-se do novo homem, criado para ser semelhante a Deus em justiça e em santidade provenientes da verdade. Portanto, cada um de vocês deve abandonar a mentira e falar a verdade ao seu próximo, pois todos somos membros de um mesmo corpo.
Paul has the same low view of non-Christians. He offers an elaborate description of the unbelievers' moral and mental deficiencies. He says that their thinking is futile (v. 17), their understanding darkened (v. 18a), and that they are ignorant (v. 18b). Their hearts are hardened (v. 18b), so that they have lost all sensitivity, and they are given over to sensuality, indulgence, and lusts (v. 19).
As Christians, once we were also like these people, but Christ has changed everything for us (v. 20-21). And on this basis, the apostle exhorts us to holy living, to put behind past transgressions and ignorance, and to move forward in our faith. This includes putting on a new mind and a new self (v. 23-24), and fully investing ourselves into building up the body of Christ (v. 25).
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