April 27, 2014 POTENTIAL FOR SHIPWRECK
There are several passages of scripture that if misunderstood will lead to shipwreck to the new creations we are in Christ. Romans chapter 7 and 8 is a potential place for “hitting the reefs” and having shipwreck. In Romans 7:14-15 Paul says: “For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” Chapter 7 is basically describing life in the flesh. In Romans 7:24-8:2 (there is no chapter break in the original) we see the transition from life in the flesh to life in the spirit. “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (As I understand it, if in the days of Paul a person committed murder, the punishment was to have the corpse tied to his body and eventually, disease would be his death of the one who committed the murder-that’s what Paul is referring to when he says “the body of this death”.) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death,” As you read chapter 8 of Romans you will see the warnings for believers who live in the “flesh” and not walk in the spirit. Verse 8 says that “those who live in the flesh cannot please God”. As I said in my last posting, there is no blending of the flesh and the spirit; either we are living in the flesh or we are living in the spirit at any given time. The message of the New Covenant is that the power of sin has been broken for those who have been born again. We no longer have to live in bondage to sin. Yes, we may sin, but we can live without sin. The scripture teaches that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father…see 1 John 2:1. Note that John said if we sin. We have heard for so long that we are “sinners” and that there is no good in us-and that is true of us before we were adopted into God’s family. It may be a leap for us to move to an awareness of the fact that we are no longer “sinners” but sons and daughters of God who have been made new, with new hearts and new minds. As said above, we may sin because we choose to sin, but our true identity is not that of “sinner”. Don’t misunderstand, I am not saying that we live in sinless perfection-it’s just that we are no longer in bondage to sin-praise the Lord. We are now free to think the right thoughts, we are free to express love, we are free to walk in the good works that the Lord has for us, we are free to forgive, we are free to be givers, we are free to encourage one another, we are free not to judge and we are free to express the life of Jesus in us. The Gospel is indeed good news for those who have ears to hear! Decide today to pursue this wonderful Gospel.
Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as for as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed