The enemy within


 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.Romans 7:15-20NASB
            This is a difficult reality; you can see the difficulty as Paul tries to explain the reality of the Christian’s internal struggle. We are now able to desire righteousness, doing right, but we are not entirely free of the impulse to do wrong. There is a new nature in Christ, but still an old nature of sin. These two war against each other constantly. There is an enemy in each of us, the most intimate of enemies ever, present inside ourselves working against our new inclination and desires. It never learns any good lesson, never moves beyond the primal instinct of selfishness and instant gratification. It is deeply rooted in us, more deeply than we know.
            Some take hold of the language of the flesh and locate this sin nature, this old man, the contrary will wholly in the physical form; but this is not the Christian idea. It was Plato who taught that the physical was the host of evil and corruption, the Bible paints a far grimmer picture. The sin which remains exist all throughout us, in the body and in the soul so that it is not enough to conquer the body alone, or the soul; but both must be brought into subjection.
            We have to exercise discipline and self-control as it is written in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, and also in 2 Corinthian 10:5.  This is an ongoing process with us we have to grow-up in our new nature as we had to grow-up in the old nature. Just as we had to learn lessons about the old life, we must learn lessons of the new life. Just as we had to build-up our earthly bodies, and minds, we must rebuild the body and mind in light of the new world we now live for. This is an arduous process because we are not simply learning as for the first time, but very often we must unlearn and re-learn. The world and the Enemy work against us in this trying to reinforce, and maintain the old ways of thinking and behaving. Their work will be easy for them if we fail to confront the enemy within.
            It is one thing to fall to sin, and to get up and realize what has happened and repent and go on. It is another to completely give into sin, excusing it as natural or even as good and remaining unrepentant. If the will is to do good and not evil than the work of redemption is ongoing. At times we need others to help us see our sins. But if the will to do right and avoid evil is not present, if when confronted by sin we do not repent; then there is a serious problem. The struggle against sin will continue until we die or are called Home. The key word is struggle.
Prayer
Lord have mercy on we wretched sinners.
Song
Weary of Earth, myself, and sin

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Last Conversation with Grandad

  The Last Conversation with Granddad; A Eulogy for Marshall Helms             There is so much that needs to be done, and so precious little time. There are some here who need comfort, and some who need assurance, and some who need encouragement, and some who need to be admonished. Yes, there is much to do, and precious little time. So, let us pray. Father, the task before me is overwhelming, and I have no strength for it. Abide with me please that in my weakness Your strength might be perfectly evidence, and Your word might go forth today to accomplish all Your good and perfect will. I ask it for the sake of Your glory, In the name of Jesus. Amen.             It has been rightly said that it is not wrong to mourn. Indeed, in Matthew 5 our Lord says those who mourn are blessed for they will be comforted. We mourn death because it is unnatural. It discomforts us bec...
Read more

Against work addiction

  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2 ESV             When work becomes anxious toil, something has gone wrong. Something has gone wrong in our society when it comes to work. Several decades ago, Wayne Oats coined a new word, “Workaholic” to describe addiction to work.   The description Oats came up resonates with the psalmist describes. Anxious toiling, long hours, and little if any enjoyment of the work itself or the fruits of the toil. Addiction is another word for slavery, and it is easy to be enslaved by the anxiety over our work for it drives to work more, and that increases our anxiety while also burning through psychological energies.             Not only is workaholism addiction/slavery, it is idolatry for if we stop to think about it the workaholic ...
Read more

Up and ahead

              Sometimes we are blindsided by a sudden shift in life. We thought we were on stable ground, and then someone starts shouting at us in a routine meeting, or tells us we don’t have a job anymore on a Monday morning, or a loved one leaves on Friday evening with no plans to return. We are left with broken piece of something that once made a kind of sense to us. We knew, and now we do not know.             Where is God? We can’t see Him anymore. We cannot understand where He went to, or what he was thinking. We trusted Him, didn’t we? Now look where we are… It is the better part of wisdom to be quiet when these calamities come to visit and to wait. It is the one wise thing Job’s friend did, when first they saw the plight of the miserable man, they only wept with him.             When later they decided to...
Read more