Take Two" Romans 7, Proverbs 14

Chapter 7 is a chapter I find myself quoting from often. Believers are always concerned with their relationship to the Law. Many want to know EXACTLY what their requirements are...to be righteous with God. Often times, we become confused because we mix the expectation of obedience with JUSTIFICATION.

In vv.1-6 Paul explains that we are not to be part of "both" systems. (Paul is not saying that the Law was a sufficient system of being made righteous before God. He is simply pointing out the obvious-- you can't be both under the Law and under Grace at the same time.) If we as believers ALSO try to become righteous with God by keeping the Law...then we are as "adulterers."

Some ask me at times, "what does one have to believe to be saved?" One must believe that God, through Christ, accomplished Salvation on His own, and that the free gift of Salvation is offered to us without any respect to our efforts. Our trust in our relationship to God must be in Christ's finished work alone...with no strings attached. If we have to do something to be worthy of our Salvation...or do something to keep/maintain our Salvation...then we have (in some form) a "works based/ Law centered" understanding of Salvation-- and that is not the biblical record of what it is to be saved.

The Law serves really to show us how inept we are at being able to make ourselves righteous before God (vv.7-13).

Another aspect of our Salvation is the reality of the ongoing struggle to live out our faith in Christ. In other words, we would like it to be true that once we become believers...we would no longer struggle with sin or our desire to sin. Reality is though...that we struggle constantly. We have made a decision and declaration of our "will" to follow God (v.18), but the living out aspect of the decision is very difficult.

This creates "doubt" in the life of the believer. Many ask, "Am I not saved? How can I still want to sin if I have a new nature in Christ...have died to sin...and have chosen to follow Him?"

Paul addresses this and notes that in his own life, he constantly battled between the two natures. The sin nature (that which is in us from birth that seeks to be self-sufficient and self-gratifying) draws us toward things that are not of God...yet we have decided in our mind that we do not wish or choose to live that way. We want to become closer to God. The more we learn of what it means to be close to God...the stronger the pull of our sin nature seems to be.

Sometimes we yield to our sin nature. We give into it...thus rejecting our commitment to God. This produces guilt, defeat, discouragement, despair....what shall we do (v.24)?

We recognize that this is reality. We recognize that we will continue to struggle this way all of our lives. We also recognize that our relationship with God is not based on our perfect obedience to God, but is based on the finished work of God.

In essence, we are bowling with those cool little bumpers in the gutters. The ball (our lives) may wobble back and forth across the alley...but we will never end up in the gutter because God has already insured for us...that we will make it all the way to the end of the alley. (Not to press this imperfect analogy too far, but...) We never set out to hit the bumpers...because we want a strike. So we aim down the middle and the closer we are to the first pin...the greater the reward (knocked down pins) will be for us...to the Glory fo God.

Proverbs 14:14 is the takeaway today. "The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied with his." What struck me about this verse are the contrasts. I had to read it a couple of times to get it. The backslider (one who was there but has turned back...not necessarily intentionally) is contrasted against the man who is good. We should never become desenstized to the seriousness of a backslidden condition. It is never good to be in a position where we have slidden back or moved away from our "white hot" commitment to God. The second contrast is the condition of each of these: The backslider in his heart (not necessarily in his outward actions-- he could be a LIFE Group leader or a deacon, or a pastor) is filled...but the good man is satisfied. Sin never satisfies. It may amass great possessions, but they will never satisfy.

Grace,