Take Two: Romans 8, Proverbs 15

The constant battle between our flesh and spirit leads to a lot of conflict inside of us. So much so, that Paul said in v.24, "who will set me free...?" Jesus Christ my Lord! V.1 begins to talk about that freedom that Christ provides.

There is now NO CONDEMNATION. As the war between our natures rages on (and continues to do so until we leave this world), we find ourselves often times ACCUSED by the enemy who challenges our security in Christ. He (the enemy) points out daily the things we do that miss the mark. He (the enemy) then "lobs" in the question, "How could a saved person act that way? Surely God has not really saved you."

But, our salvation (justification) is not based on what we do daily; rather, it is based on what Christ did at Calvary and what we did when we received God's free gift (6:23). God does not get mad when we sin and take away our Salvation when we sin; rather, when we were in sin, Christ died for us (5:8). So, we are to give our lives over to walking by the Spirit, agreeing with God that our security in Him is not based on our actions, but based on His grace.

Now, some (even from Paul's time) encounter this idea and think, "well since I am saved, I can live any way that I wish. Not so. A truly saved person sets his mind on the Spirit (vv.5-8). Does he still sin from time to time? Yes. But, He does not intentionally and willfully set his mind on living in sin. That man has set his mind on the flesh (self-satisfaction/self-gratification).

One cannot say (and cite the Bible as his authority) that he is saved (justified) and still live in the flesh. There is no tolerance in the Spirit life for a man to live in active disobedience of God. What is active disobedience? It is knowing what to do according to God...and choosing to do something else.

We are called to daily PUT TO DEATH the deeds of the flesh (vv.12-13). In other words, while we are being led of the Spirit, we WILL encounter things in our lives that must be repented of. We are to put those things to death daily (ongoing and progressive). We cannot say, "Well, that is just how I am." Maybe you are...but Christ is not! If you are His...then you are under obligation to walk according to His instruction. Without such...there is no hope....but living according to this obligation yields great hope (vv.15-24). Our hope is not based on our conduct...it is based on our relationship (v.15). Our conduct is based on our relationship (v.13).

Is the Spirit life easy? No. It is like birth pains (v.18-24) and it does not subside on this side of heaven. It is a constant and intense process of changing to become as we were created to be...the Image of Christ (v.28-30).

Can we make it? Can we actually survive the birth pains and overcome? Yes...because God is for us (v.31-39). He not only enables us to survive...but in Him, we are more than conquerors. We greatly overcome (v.37).

Proverbs 15:18 is the takeaway today: "A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but the slow to anger calms a dispute." Someone once said that it is not so much what happens to you, but how you respond to it that makes all the difference. I tend to agree. "Stuff" happens and it will continue to do so all of our lives. Sometimes what happens gets a little close to us personally. We want to react. Our response at this moment may in fact...determine how big the issue becomes. An example:

Someone left me a "love note" in the offering plate on Sunday. They wrote (without leaving their name) that the problem with the tight finances in our church was not the economy or the battle between fear and faith (as I had been preaching; rather, it was that I was stealing from the sheep that which was theirs by taking a salary and that I should not be a hypocrite. Now anyone who knows how we operate as a church or understands the Scriptures...knows that this is not true. In fact, I was somewhat offended at the very implication that I was taking what belonged to someone else for my own benefit. Immediately...in my mind....I began to think of all of the ways I could react publicly to shame this person and in doing so "hurt" them as I was feeling hurt at the moment. But...I did not. I sat back and decided to let my "flesh" cool down. Rather than respond with anger and my temper, I began to look for an explnation. I looked back on the events of the previous weeks and concluded that this person was obviously speaking without actual knowledge of what was going on at the church. They were probably struggling with their own finances. They were likely hurting in their own way and chose to lash out at me. This "pause" in the situation allowed me to respond...rather than react. Rather than lash back at them...I was able to see more clearly and calm the situation rather than exasperate it. This is the thrust of what the proverb means.

Grace,