Law of Sin or Law of God

This morning I am continuing my study of the word “body” and was brought to Romans 7. Paul is writing on the law and sin and I am struck by it as he writes in verse 7.

“⁷What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” – Romans 7:7 (ESV)

It is true that I would not know that sin was even a thing if it had not been pointed out to me. I would have just been able to continue through through this world doing whatever I wanted, as would you, with no thought as to consequences or that anything was even wrong or “wrong”.

But, I was introduced to sin being sin. The LORD gave us the commandments to identify the basic sins and that they should be avoided in this world. As it was introduced, I now know and there is where the struggle lies, knowing and having to avoid, or not.

But Paul points out that there is a way to avoid sin and that is to live a life under God. And we can look at it this way, there is the law of God and the law of sin. The law of God is good and that is what is found in my inner self. This law of sin is of the flesh, or the body, the outer self.

“¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” – Romans 7:18-20 (ESV)

Notice the words of Paul. Sin is a part of the flesh, the body. It is the law of God where we should want to do things and that is found in our inner self, not the body.

“²¹So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²²For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,” – Romans 7:21-22 (ESV)

I have to remember to do what is in the inner self and avoid that which is found in the body, sin. I have to rely on the one who can keep me from the sin and that is the LORD, in all of His greatness. I have obey the law of God.

“²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” – Romans 7:25 (ESV)

What are your views as relates to the law of God and the law of sin? Are you following the body into sin as you are now aware? What if you were to look to your inner self, away from the body and into the law of God as He delivers you from sin?

Sin and the Mortal Body

It is easy to speak of sin and the body when we are speaking metaphorically. Jesus died so that my sins have been atoned. This gives me the sense that I can still sin and that is okay as that sin has already been taken care of by Jesus. Well, I am writing this morning to declare that not to be the case.

“¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ¹³Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” – Romans 6:12-13 (ESV)

Yes, my sin has been atoned through the death and resurrection of Jesus in my place. Yes, even if/when I sin, those have also already been forgiven. Still, that does not give me carte blanche to just go around sinning without consequence. I am still responsible for following the teaching of God and the example of Jesus. I still have to work to avoid sin. As Paul notes above that we should “not present your member to sin”, I have to remember not o subject my mortal body to sin.

I am not immune to consequences. When I do wrong, I am still responsible to pay for those wrongs. Just as in this world, when I break the law of man, I pay the price for the breaking of that law. With sin it is the same. If I subject myself to committing of sin, I am forgiven for that sin thanks to the blood of Christ, yet I am still responsible for the punishment that comes with the committing of that sin. When I lie and get caught, I am forgiven for lying, yet I am held to the truth as a consequence.

The best approach, as Paul indicates I to not subject myself to sin. I have to work to avoid the conscious committing of sin. I have to stay away, where I can, from sin, and subject myself to righteousness. My writing in the mornings is an example of me avoiding sin and subjecting myself to God and His will in my life. I am filling myself with the study of His Word and as a result am more easily able to avoid the temptations of sin that are all around.

It is great to be a follower of Christ and saved by His grace and free from the burden of sin. I am so relieved to know that my sins, past, present, and future are forgiven. This relief of sin allows me to progress forward, knowing that whatever I do, I am loved and accepted by God into His kingdom. Yet, I have to still do my part and work to avoid sin where I can. I have to remember to not subject myself to the consequences of sin where I am aware. I have to fill myself and my body with the Word, work, and will of God so that sin is rooted out.

What is your approach to sin? Are you progressing as though you have carte blanche to do as you please? What if you worked to avoid sin and instead filled yourself with the Word, work and will of God?

Body of Sin Dies

I am a sinner and that is as true today as it was before I accepted Christ as my Savior. I will continue sinning for the rest of my mortal life. I cannot escape sin as I am surrounded by it and the evil one continues to bombard me with the temptations of sin at every instance. Yet, even that I am a sinner, I have experienced the death of sin with Christ.

“⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” – Romans 6:6 (ESV)

With my acceptance of Christ as my Savior, I have experience death with my old body and have a new self filled with Christ. Sin is the thing that died in my body. I was given new life where I know of the sin that was holding me back and I have a path forward to stay away from that sin and experience life with Christ that is new and full of redemption.

Notice that I have not and will not claim that sin is gone. I am, as noted in my first sentence here, a sinner. I will always be subject to sin, and the evil one will continue attacking me with temptations of sin. The thing is, I now have my eyes open to the sin and have the Holy Spirit with me to guide me from the sin that is presented. I have a path out away from the sin. All I have to do is keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and where I will still be attacked by sin, I have the way to pass right by it.

I have to remember that the way out is through and that way through is with focus on Christ who took my sin upon Himself to make my way easier. Jesus took the road of death for me so that I would not have to take it myself. I am still subject to the sin all around me, yet I have the way through it with my eyes fixed on Him. My body of sin was washed clean and given the newness that was only available from Christ who took on my sin to give me freedom from it.

What is in your body? Are you allowing the sin in your life to rule over you? What if you accepted Christ as your Savior, allowed your body of sin to die, and were to focus on Jesus to allow yourself to go through the sin even as it fully surrounds you?

Fill your Body with Light

This morning I shifted my study to the word “body”, and the first passage reminds me to fill my body with light.

“²²The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” – Matthew 6:22-23 (ESV)

In this world today, it is easy to get sucked into the darkness. There are so many outlets that will draw me in that I have to make a conscious effort to avoid them. The internet, social media, news networks, TV and film are all breeding grounds for darkness. Notice all that I have listed above and how they enter our body, through the eyes. It is through the eyes that we are influenced. After all, seeing is believing, right?

It is no wonder that Jesus warns us of that which is infiltrating our bodies through our eyes. I see these two verses as the warning to stick close to the Word of God and avoid the darkness that is working around us. I have to be sure to focus on the good and Godly and avoid the bad and evil where I can.

I have worked hard to keep my focus on the LORD and avoid the idle times in my day. It is in those times of idle that I will find myself engaging in the breeding grounds for darkness. When I am idle, I look for something to “entertain” me and that leads me to the items I listed above, because they are easy engage.

It is so much better, although more difficult, to engage in the LORD as opposed to the societal influences that are perpetrated in the world. I have to remember, when idle, engage in the LORD through His Word. I have to grab my Bible and read. I have to get on my knees and pray. I have to engage in those activities and fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Where these are just great opportunities to learn and study God and bring glory to Him, they are also the way to keep light entering my body through my eyes and allowing me the chance to avoid the darkness.

I have to fill my body with light and that is done through the study of God’s Word and keeping active in His work as I avoid the darkness that surrounds me. I have to do as I am right now in studying and writing relating to the Word of God and that keeps me from the darkness and bringing glory to Him and light to me.

What are you allowing into your body through your eyes? Are you allowing yourself to be influenced by all that you see when you are active and/or idle? What if you focused your attention at all times on the Word of God and doing His work and avoiding the influence from the world and the darkness that is presented?

Take the Bread Always

I am so glad the church we are members that we observe the LORD’s Supper each week. At the end of each service on Sundays, regardless of who brings the message, we share in the taking of the bread and cup. The weekly reminder that we are not alone and have our brothers and sisters in Christ as one body as we undertake the next week of what comes from this world.

Growing up it was customary to observe the LORD’s Supper once a quarter and for the longest time, I believed that was the way it was supposed to be. I had fallen into legalism and process and procedure as opposed to the worship of Christ and following His Word.

“²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26 (ESV)

There it is from Jesus Himself. We are to proclaim Him at all times. It only makes sense that we should observe Him at all times. Too often, I do believe that we fall into the habit of things and are not living in the moment as the LORD has outlined for us to do. I have to remember that the LORD is here always and I have to acknowledge Him as such. I have to observe His place in my life daily and always to ensure that I am working to be in line with His will for my life and the world around me. In order for that to happen, I have to remember the next two verses in the passage that are vital to the whole.

“²⁷Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” – 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 (ESV)

When I look at the above verses, I am compelled to read them in reverse order, 28 then 27. I have to remember that yes, I take of the bread daily and always, yet I do need to first examine myself and “come clean” with the LORD before taking. I have to ensure that I have given all of me to the LORD and remember that I am here to do His will and not my own. I am of the body of Christ and therefore am here for His workmanship.

It is easy to fall into the traps of doing things because that is the way they are done. I see it too often in the corporate world. I have to remember that the important thing is really to ensure that I am doing things with the LORD’s Will in mind and not my own. The way for that to be done is to daily and always examine myself and the direction I am going and only when I have remembered and committed to doing the Will of God, I take of the body of Christ and proceed with His work and movement toward the end result of Christ which is the spreading of the gospel.

What is your approach to the taking of the body of Christ? Are you falling into the process and/or procedure that you are told? What if you were to take of the body of Christ daily and always to remind you, as in scripture, of the way of the LORD?

One Bread for One Body

“²³For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (ESV)

In the above I have written as relates to the taking of the Lord’s Supper. I have only referenced the taking of the bread (as I am studying the word “bread”), although the taking of the cup also applies here. Notice that the bread starts as one part and is broken into being parts of the whole. I have to remember that the bread of Christ is one just as we the body of Christ are one.

“¹⁶The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” – 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (ESV)

I believe that it is easy to forget that we are one body of Christ and that we are all working to the same goal of spreading the gospel for the LORD and bringing glory to Him. We are one in doing so. We may be only single parts carrying out the work of Christ, yet we are working toward the same.

It is my responsibility to work with, not against my brothers and sisters in Christ. I have to help them to carry out the will of God and pick them up when they are weak and celebrate them when they are strong. I have to be a part of the whole and come together as one in the fight against the evil one.

We are one in Christ!!!

What is your view of those around you? Are you separate from others and going it alone? What if we progressed as we should as one body of Christ in our work toward fulfilling His will in this world and the next?

Break Bread with Believers

“⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” – Acts 2:42 (ESV)

This morning I was reminded of the need to break bread with fellow believers. Yes, Jesus ate with sinners as we should as well, but, Jesus also ate and was in regular constant fellowship with His disciples, friends, and family, all of whom were believers and followers of His.

I find it interesting, and I am one of those, that we tend to fellowship with other believers in the church atmosphere. Yes, we may get together with other believers outside of church, yet to me there seems to be a camaraderie in Christ that may be missing. It seems to me that there is less work being done for the glory of God when we get together, and more of the get together and enjoy the world. Shouldn’t we be getting together for the advancement of the gospel.

“⁴³And awed came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.⁴⁴And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:43-47 (ESV)

It may just be me in thinking that we are more focused on ourselves and our joy and not on the advancement of the gospel. That is okay as I am here to learn and apply that learning to my own life and not judge others. I would be remiss if I did not say what I see and question.

No, not every interaction with others should begin and end with the gospel. But why could it not. I do believe that I should be wearing my salvation on my sleeve for everyone to see. There should not be a question as to my relationship with Christ and how that relationship impacts me and those around me. Every time I give my mission statement to others, I am hesitant to give the last few words, “as an example of Christ’s Love.” Yet, even in hesitation, I give them anyway to demonstrate where my mission comes from.

I have to remember that fellowship is great, yet fellowship with fellow believers is even greater. As Luke writes in the verses above, we should be in fellowship with others, not just as we go to church, but always and use that fellowship to demonstrate the glory of God and in advancement of His Kingdom in Heaven.

Who is it that you spend the vast majority of your time with? Are you looking to be with the sinners always? What if you focused on your relationship with God and were in fellowship with other believers as you continue to advance the gospel together?

Why do We Always Expect Things Literal

As a man, I expect that things are as they are stated. I tend to believe things to be the way they are there should be no interpretation. I should simply be able to get on with things and know that they are so. This is not lost in the LORD and He knows that He has to explain things so that I am able to understand.

I think of the whole Jesus is the bread of life thing. There was the woman at the well as well as the people of Capernaum as I read this morning in John. I think of the amount of time that Jesus spent explaining to others so that they would understand and then look at myself and see the same in me to a degree. Jesus spoke with the woman at the well and gave her the ins and outs of who He was and she believed. He spoke in the synagogue at Capernaum and the people eventually understood. He did not shy away from telling those who needed to know.

For me, I still read and work to understand God’s Word daily. I am here right now, reading the same verses and passages that I did a time ago. I want to know how to not be so literal. I want to understand and not just gather the information. I have to work through the literal and into that which God wants me to know and then carry that understanding to others who are in need of understanding themselves.

“²⁵When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ ²⁶Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.’ ³⁵Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” – John 6:25-27 & 35 (ESV)

I have to get past the guessing and “read” what it is that God would have me know. I have to listen and not just hear. I have to dig for that which He would have me know and not just expect that it will be learned by my shear exposure.

Jesus is the bread of life in that He provides all that I could ever need. And that is the key, “need”. Too often I believe that it is hard to understand as I am seeking what I want and not what is needed. It is the wants and desires that get in the way of the understanding in that I am seeking my will and not the will of God. God’s will is in the provision for needs and I have to remember to be content with that. When I am, God will bless me with more at His discretion and not my own. I need that which will give me the chance to survive and do the will of God and not that which gets me fattened on the desires of the world. Jesus is the bread of “life”, not the bread of monetary gain.

Yes, God will provide actual bread as He did for the Israelite people in the wilderness. When we look at it for what it was, God only provided for the immediate need and not for the storehouses. He provided life as long as it was needed according to His plan.

I have to remember to look past the literal and understand the bread that God is providing in the moment. I have to look to understand that when God provides, He does so for my needs, regardless of what those might be at the time. He does not generally provide for my gains to be more monetarily, but for my gains in His kingdom to come.

What are your views of the bread of life? Are you looking to literal bread that God provides and how somehow that is going to sustain you throughout your life? What if you looked to God to provide for your immediate needs and that as the bread of life, He meets those needs where they are?

God Provides the Bread We Need

When Jesus teaches us to pray as in Luke’s account, He adds the idea of asking for needs.

“³Give us each day our daily bread,…⁵And he said to them, ‘Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him”;’” — Luke 11:3 & 5 (ESV)

Clearly, we should be asking for our needs to be met, and notice as Jesus says, ask for the “daily bread” and not enough to store up for later. I have to remember that God will provide that which is needed in the moment and I will then move on to the next moment where I will rely on God to provide in that moment. In verses 5-6 above, Jesus is showing that we should ask when we need. As noted in the rest of the lesson in this passage, the friend will provide what he can regardless of the time or circumstance.

“¹³If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13 (ESV)

Now, if a friend will provide the basic need in the moment, what more will God provide. As God is more vested in me than just my friend and God is with me always. I have to remember that when there is a need I have, I should ask God to fill it. I have to remember that God will not allow for me to go without my needs and will fill them in the moment, every time.

“²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” – Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV)

Knowing that I have all that I need and will always have all that I need, gives me the chance to simply get on with things. When I find myself in need, I simply need to ask and allow God to fill the need. I have to remember that His filling of my need may not be what I “want” rather He will fill it with what I “need”. I have to remember contentment in all that God provides and be fully grateful for those provisions.

What are your expectations of fulfillment of you needs? Are you just expecting God to give you all you want for now and the future? What if you remembered that you need to ask for your needs to be met and that will be in the moment and not for the storing up for later?

Jesus was Man and Relied on God

This morning I am reading Luke’s account of Jesus and His temptations in the wilderness by the devil. Where the events are the same, the take brought more to my thinking. Matthew recounted the event that Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and where Luke follows the timing, he uses a different take.

“¹And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ²for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.” – Luke 4:1-2 (ESV)

Luke indicates that Jesus was “hungry”. I don’t know about you, but if I had been fasting for 40 days, I would certainly be hungry. I believe that here Luke really tells us of the humanity of Jesus, and he shows more to the state Jesus was in to be tempted by the devil. I know that it would have been difficult for me to not use my God given power to feed myself.

Jesus is shown to be fully man here. And He demonstrates His full reliance on the Father for with His statement to the devil when tempted with turning stone into bread.

“³The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ ⁴And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”’” – Luke 4:3-4 (ESV)

And this is where Luke ends that temptation in recall to you and me. This to me is important in that Jesus leaves it here. He allows the devil to stew in the statement and get on with things. Jesus allowed God to just protect Him from the evil. The devil I am sure was like, “what, no preaching at me” and I can see him to start with the frustration of knowing that he did not have much of a chance after that.

The lesson for me that I am taking away is that I can just keep things simple and allow God to do His work in my life and protect me from all that comes my way. The devil is going to come after me and do so when I am the weakest. I have to do as Jesus did and rely on God, knowing that He will not let me perish to the devil. He will allow me to be tempted and only awaits for my reliance on Him and He will deal with it on my behalf, just as He did with Jesus there in the wilderness.

I am man and Jesus was as well. I have the example of how to proceed in this world. I have to rely on God and keep things simple on my end. The Father will not let me perish and will guard me against the evil that comes.

What approach are you taking? Are you out there doing more than you need to do in the fight against the evil one? What if you just kept it simple and relied on God to do the work to protect and fight against the evil one?