The story is told of a man complaining to his psychiatrist about continuous nightmares, first of being an indian Tee-Pee then of being a pup tent over and over, driving him crazy. “Relax”, said the doctor, “You’re just two tents (too tense)”.
Verb tense, however, has nothing to do with nerves — it’s what tells us when action happens.
Notice the two verb tenses in Pauls’ words to the Corinthians — after giving a whole list of the kinds of people who won’t make it to heaven he adds,
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. – 1st Corinthians 6:11
English combines two tenses, the past tense (washed, sanctified, justified) with the present tense (are), to express action that began at some point in past but hasn’t quit.
Why is that important? I wasn’t only forgiven for what I did, I was, but I am still being forgiven, still being changed, still cleansed — and someone like me needs that.
— fritz@langang.com
Patrikin - Kinship through The Father 