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12/13/2007 12:07:06 |
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Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Aaron and Jeoffrey, Mark Schultz, Matthew West, Chris Tomlin, Elvis Presley, The Doors and Country Music
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I understand exactly what the Apostle Paul means when he says, “You used to be slaves to sin.” But I didn’t understand it until I was born again. Salvation gave me a whole different perspective about the life I used to live.
The truth is I can’t believe some of the things I did, not to mention some of the things I said. It never registered with me that the lifestyle I had chosen was nothing more than a life of sin. In fact, I never gave it a second thought. I saw nothing wrong with how I was living. That is, not until I asked Jesus to come live in my heart.
Sin is natural for the unbeliever. Just like taking a breath, it’s not something I thought about. I was programmed to do it and did not have the moral compass to point me in the right direction.
But I have that compass now. Sin is no longer the natural thing for me to do because just as the Paul promised, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
That‘s an important point for the Christian to understand. It is no longer natural for us to sin. That’s why Numbers 15:30 says, “But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the Lord.” To put it more bluntly, you cannot think of your body as a temple for the Holy Spirit and also believe that sin is the natural thing to do.
The Bible makes it clear that Christians can and will sin. But when we do sin, an alarm is supposed to go off and we are expected to do something about it. In other words, habitual sin is no longer a choice for us. The Apostle John put it this way: “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)
If you’re continuing to commit the same old sins, day in and day out, something is terribly wrong. Habitual sin is evidence of rebellion and rebellion will affect the quality of your relationship with Christ. Paul realized that when he said, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2) Paul knew and taught that continued sin would adversely affect our faith, the very thing that makes a relationship with God possible.
If you stop and think about it, sin and unbelief are closely related because sin takes the air right out of our faith, and the loss of faith will inevitably distance us from God. Hebrews 3:12-14 bears this out. The writer warns us against unbelief, which will lead to a departure from the living God, and mentions the deceitfulness of sin as the cause of unbelief. He reminds us that we are Christians only if we “hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first”.
So what’s the answer? How do we escape the destruction that sin brings to life? Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:16) In other words, when the Holy Spirit convicts you about something you’re doing, stop doing it. Ask the Lord to help you with it. Seek his forgiveness and allow Him to help you change. Ezekiel said is this way: “Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.” (Ezekiel 18:30) M. Ruffin
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Since starting seminary, I seem to be reading every book ever written.
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The End Is Near
Matthew 24:45-46 NIV: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns."
It is probably a good thing that most of us do not spend our days standing on street corners, proclaiming certain doom, while dauntingly donning signs warning: "THE END IS NEAR!" Such images often stir a myriad of thoughts and feelings within us that may include anger, resentment, apathy, or perhaps even a sort of embarrassment. But what should be more embarrassing to us: someone who disturbingly declares his or her beliefs, or we who believe but remain quiet and show little evidence of our belief? Do we believe God´s prophesies? Do we believe our Master will return? If so, how should that effect the way we live in the here and now? Though it may not be God´s desire for us to set up shop as a prophet of doom, we can be certain He would have us to live in a way that supports what we say we believe. Not that we should be fearful of the coming end–but that we should be prepared–always watching and anxiously awaiting for Jesus to come again.
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Studying God’s Word, Spending time with my wife and kids, Carolina Panthers, Old Dominion Athletics, New York Yankees, Playing Golf and Basketball
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