Sin & Hopelessness, TQFD 25.01.2008

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

- Romans 7.18-24

There are brothers and sisters who speak of living a victorious life, a deeper life, and many of those can give marvelous testimony of the work God has done in their lives through their coming to Christ. However there are some who fall victim to what is commonly referred to as works righteousness. They accept the gospel and believe in Jesus but then either because of poor teaching or their own misunderstanding of Scripture, the come to believe that they must go on to live sinless lives merely in the strength of their own willpower and determination. Many of these people find that the joy of salvation becomes a heavy yoke as they struggle to achieve and maintain some idea of sinlessness in their lives. And it doesn't take long before the weight of their burden fosters an attitude of judgmentalism in their view of themselves and others. Verses like 1 John 5.4 come to be understood that only those who demonstrate sinless perfection are true overcomers. This theology can and sadly does inflict untold amounts of pain as those who hold to it come to see their responsibility to point out the shortcomings of others (perhaps to keep attention, maybe even their own, away from themselves).

Yet where this kind of misunderstanding often inflicts the greatest suffering is within those who are sincerely trying to become like Jesus and who yet still struggle with serious issues of sin in their lives. For example: The alcoholic or drug addict or compulsive gambler who manages periods of sobriety and whose walk with God and life are moving toward Christ but who then suffer the setback of one or more relapse binges; the person who is addicted to pornography (or other sexual activity) and who after a period of clean time finds themselves suddenly gripped with an overwhelming compulsion and acts on it; the person with an eating disorder who finds themselves once again caught-up in the madness of binging and purging. And there are others.

The confusion, guilt and remorse these people experience afterward often leaves them doubting their faith and their salvation. If the person is under spiritual attack they may find accusatory thoughts racing through their mind, e.g., "The Bible says 'Christians can do all things through Christ' that proves you're no Christian, you can't even stop __________." Even without demonic attack these events are often devastating for the individual and often their family. For such people it is easy to fall into a sense hopelessness and despair. Some not only doubt their faith, they give up on it. Some having reached the end of their rope, take their own lives. If you have never experienced such a sense of hopelessness, you can never know how insidiously logical and appealing the thought of death can be.

I do not claim to know to what of his own actions Paul was referring to when he penned the above verse in Romans. And there are some who insist that he was speaking of his life before he came to Christ. I believe (along with many others) that he penned it because at some level he had experience this kind of frustration personally, as a Christian, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit wanted to give those who would come after him hope.

And he makes clear that while being a follower of Christ we delight in whatis right but also know the failure of sin continuing to manifest itself in our lives. As a bumper sticker reads, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." Paul recognises his dilemma and rightly realises that without help, he is doomed. He makes this plain with his question in verse 24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" But then he goes on to answer his question with in Romans 7.25-8.2, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."

When we come to Christ and accept Him as Saviour and Lord of our lives it does not mean that we are instantaneously transformed into sinless perfection. It means that our lives have been placed in His, to have been covered by His blood, that is, His sacrifice on the cross. Throughout our lives we will struggle with issues of sin. For some of us there will be habitual sin that we may fight against for months or even years. For some of us final victory over that kind of sin may only come when we are in heaven. But the fact that we fall does not mean we were not or are not Christ's, it simply means that we are not yet perfected. If sinless perfection in this life were possible then what John wrote in 1.8-2.2 of his first epistle makes no sense and was a waste of paper and ink. Paul and John are writing to the Church, that is, to believers. They are writing to teach, to strengthen, and to encourage. John says He cleanses us from "all unrighteousness", not some, not only until you muck up again, but all. Paul puts it this way, "that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ."

Beloved, the world may call you a hypocrite, sadly some brothers and sisters may do the same, the devil and your own thoughts may accuse you. But we are not saved by the world, nor by the judgements of other believers, nor by the accusations of our minds, and certainly not by the devil. We are saved by grace through our faith in Christ. That faith is a gift. That we can depend upon it we have His word (John 6.39- 40). That it is awesome and in a sense terrifying can be seen by the exhortation in Philippians to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (2.12-13) for as Paul had said earlier in the same letter, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (1:6). Until that time we walk, sometimes we run, sometimes we stumble and fall; but as long as we repent because we find that we love the Lord and earnestly desire to be like Him and with Him, then we need never lose hope that our goal is lost.

Toda raba!

God always gives us what we need and never more than we can handle; therefore the task ahead of you is never greater than the power behind you. So be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (Ephesians 6.10) for He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13.5).

Jude 20-22

Quote

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."

- 1 John 1.8-2:2

2 Timothy 4.1-2

May God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that we may make His way known on earth, and His salvation known among all peoples (Psalm 67.1-2). Amen.

God Bless, God-speed, and dread nought for He is with thee!

Tags: despair, sin, confession, forgiveness, hopelessness,

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Sin & Hopelessness, TQFD 25.01.2008