What does sin look like?

I realize that yesterday I threw out some ideas that may take a little while to process inwardly and I want to help by clarifying what sin looks like as a Christian. When someone says “sin” our minds tend to gravitate towards the obvious ones like murder or rape, things you would go to jail for but as children of God, i.e. people who have had God’s light shine on their lives, sin could be something as little as if you hear God’s Holy Spirit nudge you to speak a word of encouragement to someone and you don’t for fear you may get it wrong. The closer you get to God the more your life is exposed to His light, the more His light shines on your life the more little things begin to show up that require repentance. By this process we become more like Jesus, God is molding us to be His instruments but we can never become complacent about these things, to do so would mean we stop growing spiritually. At the same time we cannot allow ourselves to become discouraged because of sin. Paul said in chapter 8:1-2 “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Know this, we will inevitably fail because we are human but God’s fully aware of who we are and what we are capable of He only asks that we love Him above all else and obey but obedience does not require perfection. For we serve a God who knows our thoughts and knows if our hearts are for Him. 8:5 “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” As we move closer to the people God intended for us to be we better understand the love of the Father, so much so that we now call Him “Abba, Father.” Verse 17 “And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.” In this life we will know the good, the bad, the highs, and the lows but through it all we shall remain in Him who died for our debt and who was resurrected for our freedom. Though we cannot fulfill the law because we are human God has made a way that we might not be separated from Him, it is through His grace that we stand redeemed and as His redeemed we are His trophies of grace. God’s light shines through us so that the world may know that no longer must they follow the road to destruction and death but God has made a way into eternal life! (Romans chapter 8 NLT)

Romans 7

Though I have read Romans 7 before it is interesting how the full affect doesn’t hit you until God wants to speak to you through it (true for all scripture). I’ve often heard about how the world is turned off because they see the church as a place full of hypocrites and for the most part I would agree; as Christians we have no stronger testimony than to live what we believe but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The disconnect for me is this – if I am a follower of Christ Jesus and I am dead to sin through the death, burial, and resurrection of my Lord then why do I still struggle. Notice I didn’t say tempted, for even Christ was tempted. No I struggle as Paul talks about here in verse 14 “So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.” He is not talking about what he used to be like; instead he is talking about the present (read verse 15). The difference now that we have accepted Christ is that we recognize sin for what it is, thus proving that the law is good. Paul says that being saved from our sins does not keep us from being human nor does it void out our sinful nature. What, how can this be! Paul came to this conclusion when he wanted to do right, he inevitably would do what was wrong and like Paul I love God’s law with all my heart. What I have not understood is what Paul talks about next. Verse 23 “But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.” Read chapter seven and remember chapter six, verse fifteen “Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!” Though these words came from Paul’s lips we must keep in mind this is God’s Word and this message was not simply how Paul felt or what he was going through but was a divine message from the Creator of all life sent to all of His children, for we all struggle. If you don’t struggle with sin as a child of God then either you are dead physically or you were never alive spiritually. Without understanding this principle that Paul talks about I would allow my sin to derail me and therefore break the continuity of the harvest of “good deeds” God was doing within me, which Paul talks about in verse four. In review God gave us the law so that we might know our own short-comings and therefore understand our need for a Savior but the law was twisted by the enemy of God to stir up evil desires. Once we came to Christ Jesus we were no longer judged by the law but loved by God’s grace. That meant many things, one we now are able to produce a harvest of good deeds for our Lord but it also means we are still human and the nature of sin still is within us. It also meant there would now be a war raging within us between what we know is right and what sin would have us do. Therefore, not only did we need Christ before being saved but we need Him more and more every day! If we love Christ Jesus the war will not die down but instead rage all the more but if we ever get complacent about our sin then we have turned from Him and need Him all the more.

Romans chapter 7

I have read Romans 7 several times now. There is something there I don't want to miss or cut it short because of time; I will post soon.

My Past

Don’t bury, hide, or ignore the past; come to terms with it. It is the past that makes you who you are today. For so long I thought it was my past that held me back from being who I really wanted to be and until I saw it through God’s eyes it did but with the right perspective pain is turned into compassion, fear brings about courage, and shyness is exchanged for holy boldness! The very area in your life that was attacked when you were young will be the way God’s glory is made known to others through your life today if you can just face your past and know God’s purpose does not make itself evident in the individual moments but it is a life-long process. For God is working a work in you for you are His trophy!