Sin = Enslavement; Jesus Breaks Sins and Gives Life

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. for the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts." (Romans 6:8-12)

In Christianity, we hear of the free gift of Christ very often. Here in Romans 6, Paul details to us what exactly Christ has done for us. Christ sacrificed Himself for the death that we should have died because of our sins, and being God His death has the power to cover all our sins. In addition, only the death of a perfect man under the law could serve as that sacrifice as a sinful man would already deserve death on his own faults. Christ's resurrection of Himself on the third day evidences that death's power has been overcome by Christ's sacrifice. If we believe in Him AND become His follower, then His death is extended to us because we die to our old selves, and are renewed in Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin - but are now slaves to righteousness.

This message isn't a simple one - and although I've been a Christian for a few years now, I also had to struggle with the above paragraph to try to break it down to something simple for me to write...and I only think that I half succeeded.

The part of Romans 6 that has really struck me though is the concept of Lordship. We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.

Sin attracts us because we want to be free to do whatever we want to do. Our society tends to live by the motto: "If it feels good, do it". Well, sin always feels good at first. There is a rush of doing something that even our souls know is illicit. We are going against God and rebelling feels good.

But as we do our sin more and more, something terrible happens. The enjoyment level falls but the craving to keep doing it increases. Soon we are slowly consumed by the need to sin more and more, while the only enjoyment comes from thinking and doing more perverse ways of sinning. We fall into a deeper and deeper cycle and addiction. Sin, which seemed so attractive and free, has ensnared us.

As we become enslaved to sin, the enjoyment of life decreases. It is difficult to live because we need to sin. We are not free any longer and we have given over our souls to sin.

But Christ is the light that saves us because He alone can break the power of sin. Yes, by accepting Him, we become His followers and His children. But, being our Creator, He knows the optimum ways in which we need to live. He has given us guidelines through His Word to direct us in the ways that will be beneficial to us - ways to maximize our enjoyment and our freedom. But one of the first things that He does for us when we become Christians is that He breaks the shackles of sin, and provides us with a way out of those sins. For some people it is a dramatic turnaround. For others like myself, it is a gradual working and changing of my life more and more towards His ways.

It is such a paradox that although Christ gives us commandments which seem to be so constrictive, our true freedom, peace and happiness is derived from those boundaries. It is like a rule that we can't eat a poison berry. Yes, the berry may taste sweet and delicious, but the poison will ultimately kill us. While eating the berry may seem like freedom, the death that it leads to is the anti-thesis.

Lord Jesus, today You have allowed me to think once again about all that You've done for me in my life. I know that I need to renew my understanding from time to time in order to keep strong in my faith - especially because I have such a short term memory and we are bombarded with messages to sin and live with the world on a daily basis. But, when I recall Your power to break sins, I have to sit and marvel at all the changes You've made in my life. While I am not perfect, You have given me new life, and I am so grateful for it all. I am free in ways I have never known and I have peace and joy deeper than I ever could have imagined. Thank You Jesus. In Your name I pray, AMEN.

We Measure Up Only In Christ

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:19-20)

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:23-26)

In reading Romans 3 today, Paul reminds me that it is not enough to be good. If we were to judge ourselves strictly by the law of God, and all the commandments, we would fail because we are prone to evil and sin. Similarly, to boast and measure ourselves by the level of our perceived righteousness is prideful and futile at the same time. We will never fully measure up to every letter of the law. However, the law exposes us to the weaknesses of ourselves and shows us our sins.

It is that this point that many people will give up on God. There is an overwhelming guilt because of our sins, and we don't know if we can ever become the type of person that can please God.

However, there is Jesus. Yes, Paul reminds us of our sinful natures, but at the same time, He also reminds us that when Jesus came, He shed His blood in lieu of us. Although by our sins we deserved to die, Jesus died for us and absorbed our sins. There is no effort needed on our part except to have faith in Jesus.

There are challenges to that as well, of course. We are not only called to believe in Jesus, for even the demons believe in Christ but they willfully reject and despise Him. Instead, we are called to follow Him wherever He asks us to go and do whatever the Holy Spirit is asking us to do. That is not an easy task. But, our goal is not to be comfortable, but instead we must desire and choose to become more like Him daily.

Lord Jesus, I know that I can do better, and I know that I am not a perfect person who does not sin on occasion. It isn't my desire, it isn't my want, but instead it is my weakness. I am so glad for Your Holy Spirit, that You came and not only died for my sins, but gave me a helper to overcome so many bad habits and sins that had plagued me for so many years. I am changed because of You, but I am hardly perfect. That's okay, because I know that You did the hard work and served as a replacement for my punishment. Thank You Lord. I am blessed beyond words. May I always be willing to lay aside my current life and embrace whatever plans You have for me in the next steps. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Remembering God's Grace To Overcome Temptation

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools..." (Rom 1:20-22)

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)

How do we know God? Paul tells us that we know Him intrinsically in our hearts via the power of our own creation as well as the creation that is all around us. The sheer wonderment of the world is our proof and evidence of the invisible attributes of the God we are to worship and obey.

The penalty of the rejection of God - foolish because we are already given ample evidence of His existence - is to be left to a debased mind...wallowing in a list of miserable sins. The picture that Paul provides is of a person who is a selfish sociopath, uncaring of others, narcissistic, and one who enjoy scheming, inventing and doing evil.

It is a stark reminder for me of my life before I gave my life to Christ. Outwardly, I was a normal guy, with a good group of friends and a budding career, but inside I felt so empty. Charity and charitable acts seemed like a waste of time and resources, and I was a bit of a sociopath too.

I knew of God, being blessed to have been forced to attend Sunday School as a kid, but I wanted to live the life that was glamorized on TV. I thought the TV life was the type of life that I should have, and as reality never measured up to the media, I was deeply unhappy.

I remember the day that I decided that my way of living life wasn't working. I remember giving my life over to the Lord. It was the most informal prayer I've ever done. I simply said, "Lord, I am tired of trying to do things my way and failing. I'm going to try it Your way from now on." There were no tears, no fanfare.

And the Lord has been faithful to gently show me that He loved me, that He was real, and gave my heart joy, fullness and the capacity to love.

I know that it can seem like the ways of God seem harsh and restricting. It seems like the freedom to sin is the greatest thing in the world - and like an illicit narcotic, it is fun to sin at first. Everyone is laughing and egging you on. It feels good to be accepted, especially when everyone is participating in the same stuff. But, because the fun is so short-lived and empty, it soon becomes a drag...an addiction that needs to be fed over and over again to feel alive.

The reason I write this today is for myself. I needed to remember my old life and to remember the deep emptiness that came out of that life. I needed to remember how far God has removed me from all that over the past 12 years or so. I am deeply contented today, and I cannot count the blessing that have come my way, in good times and bad.

I needed to remember because life has been hectic recently, and there are times in weak moments that I am tempted by my flesh and wicked heart to remember sinful thoughts. It is easy to see the fun in sin, but difficult to remember the depths of destruction and emptiness it can bring.

I would not trade my life for any other, and I have to remember to be vigilant by recalling how destructive and empty my life was before the Lord...knowing that I never want to go there ever again.

Lord Jesus, You have been so good to me. I cannot conceive of a life that is lived without You. Truly, you have saved me from myself and the life that I lived before. Truly, you have done wonders in my life that I could never repay. Thank You for loving me, Your creation, the way that You do. May I live every moment and second in worship for what You are and all that You have done. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

A Heart That Is Ready For The Master

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food, in due season? ... Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servants says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mt 24:45-51)

We don't know the "when" of Jesus' second coming. Like all things of God, there is a purpose for that because if men knew when to "be good" and "have a come to Jesus moment", they would live selfishly until that very moment. It would be part of our sin nature to say, "I know exactly when the Lord will come back (or when I'll die) and so I don't have to care about how the Lord asked me to act until the very moment of his return."

God knows that our sin natures and ability to fall for rational lies are so strong that we are prone to do the minimum - just enough to scoot by. Take premartial sex - it is only human nature, especially when it comes to something with such a strong allure, to want to try and find where "the line" is and not cross it. That's how Christians get into trouble however because they are trying to follow a rule that gets revised to a worse and worse level until all lines are crossed.

Yes, the Bible has rules and commandments. However, it isn't done for the sake of the rules. It is a lifestyle of abiding in the Lord that is the real emphasis. To have a relationship with Him and to walk alongside the Lord in what He wants to do in and through each and every one of us.

Why? Because that is Heaven - that is the original plan. For us to be with God and living in a manner which is optimum for us - according to the instruction manual that was written by our Creator.

I think this Word is a great reminder for me. In a fast food world, soundbites such as one commandment here or there are easy to digest, but they don't provide a whole picture. Jesus doesn't want us to be rule followers, prone to failing time and time again in our quest to be good while having sin-filled minds. Instead He wants to abide with us and transform us completely from the inside-out. Our thinking, our natures and then down to our actions.

Such a person will stand during times of temptation because they will not be focused on their own struggles, but instead will have the strength of the Holy Spirit within them - a strength that trusts in the Lord through tribulation and desires to follow rather than to simply "get by".

Lord Jesus, I desire to be that kind of believer. One that abides with You and leans on the strength of the Holy Spirit to direct me. If I simply follow You and step where You step, I will not misstep. My deepest desire is to be faithful to You. Sometimes that desire gets covered up by the emotions, problems, fears, and wants of the moment. But as I spend time with You, those extraneous things are brushed off and my heart becomes true. Thank You for allowing me to walk with You. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Perils of Isolationism

"A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.

A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart." (Prov 18:1-2)

Our heart - we are told by society to "follow our hearts". It is a common theme. Even Christians sometimes rationalize decisions as a "burning of the heart".

The Lord is really illuminating the wisdom of Jer 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?". This verse really struck me because the world and even the church at times asks us to follow our heart and our desires.

The verses in Proverbs however, shows the foolish effects of doing exactly that type of thing. When a man pulls back from the body and isolates themselves they are primarily stewing in their own intellect and their own ideas of the world. God's Word becomes less and less meaningful and is supplanted by that man's sin nature because unless we work to maintain our faith, our faith will atrophy and backslide. Left unchecked, it will lead to apostasy.

Sin is sometimes (but not necessarily) a key part of this trend. One of my favorite Christian singer-songwriters abruptly left the industry several years ago to my great dismay. I loved her voice, her music and her songs. After effectively disappearing, she has recently resurfaced with a brand new non-Christian album. The reason for this is because she has been in a same sex relationship and has been living isolated from the church. Essentially, she didn't want to follow the scriptures against homosexuality and ceased fighting against this sin. She mentioned that life is better now because she no longer considers homosexuality a sin to be struggled against. She no longer sings most of her old songs - songs which were about Jesus and redemption. In her case, the desires of her heart were more important than following scripture and she has isolated herself from the church and from any contrary advice to her personal opinion.

That is precisely why we need to have the body of Christ. The Word of God is not convenient. It isn't something that is easy to follow and that is precisely why Jesus said that "narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Mt 7:14) Our sin nature rails against the Word. Speaking personally as a man, left unchecked my own desire to fornicate would run rampant. As men, we are tasked to rein in our physical desires by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not impossible because men do it everyday.

The job of Scripture is to convict us. It is supposed to hurt. Hebrews 4:12 likens Scripture to surgery - it is living and active, sharper than any doubled edged sword it penetrates to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the attitudes and thoughts of the heart. The Word judges us and helps us to see our areas of improvement. It humbles us, but at the same time it strengthens us to become better, living a life of goodness.

We are not to run away from the conviction of God. Yes, we might feel bad and it might be difficult to overcome the specific sin that we are prone to commit, but if we isolate ourselves we are only headed down the path of ultimate destruction. We may feel good that the weight of the struggle is done, but we are no longer walking with the Lord. We will turn to find that we are only walking with ourselves - the voices of wisdom from the Lord have been shut out.

There is one perspective shift that is necessary to make however, and personally I realize that it is quite useful. Traditionally, it has been the church's position that we need to focus on the fight against sin, but I think that makes it a negative thought process. It makes it seems as if we are missing out on something. Instead - I believe we are called to walk in God's path. We must choose to forego sin and to follow Him. We are no longer losing the chance to sin, but we are replacing those actions with righteous behavior and the goodness of the Lord's ways. We have not lost, but we have replaced.

Lord Jesus, I never really knew how twisted our thinking is in our modern world. We stand in direct opposition to You because we desire the easy route where we no longer fight our sin natures, but instead cave in to our personal desires. Sometimes it is a struggle, but let us not consume ourselves with our sins, but instead choose to walk in obedience to You. Let us fill our minds with thoughts of goodness and righteousness and let our behaviors match that intention. Help me to replace any sinful desires with Your good ways. In Jesus' name, AMEN.