Saturday, January 17, 2009

Finally.. My aha moment!

I've finally got the link between Rom7 and Rom8..

Ok for those of you who have got it already I thank God that you are mature and deeply rooted, but take this as maybe a revision? or maybe comment on it if you think something else is missing or wrong..

You only understand what Paul is writing in Rom7:7-25 if you have truly experienced it; the things you do not want to do, you do and the things you want to do you do not.. I'll tell you what led to me experiencing this..

Friday 16/01/09 I was late for my parade.. cos we fall-ed in at 0530 and I was still sleeping in bunk.. so on the bus I was like Jesus when I've fallen soooo badly I really need you abundance of grace now to restore me.. well I went back to camp and got punished.. punishment is a consequence not that there's no grace for the situation.. there was a lot 'cos this offense warrants at least 2/3 days extra duties.. so I had to remain in camp for the whole day and couldn't secure early.. so I got the chance to share with this friend of mine, who I'm believing to get saved, say amen, the difference between sinful nature and flesh.. he understood 'cos he's been attending another church just waiting for a time to get saved.. which I also believe will be 23rd Jan Friday our Chinese new year service!

so the flesh is the part of us that is compelled to sin.. our sinful nature was what we were before we died to sin and became alive to Christ.. now you have a Christ-nature / God-nature..

so let's look at Rom 7:21-8:1


So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.


It's different when you remove all the numbers 'cos I don't think Paul intended his letter to have numbers segregating each sentence..

so it says my God-nature wills to do good but I see my flesh compelled to do evil.. and he says who will deliver me from this flesh: the Lord Jesus Christ.. not what, but who.. so if you look at indwelling sin, it's like cancer in our body.. but we are not the cancer.. so because i am not the cancer, I am not condemned.. because I did not sin, but the cancer in me.. it's a shallow way of putting it, but to say it this way because I am not the sinner I will not be condemned by God.. because I have been made alive and free from the law of sin and death..

how to battle the cancer is another thing, but the link between Rom7 and 8 is not how to battle with the cancer, but who you are when you see the cancer manifesting.. (the eradication of the cancer is like 8:9 and further when it says you are dead to your flesh and alive in Christ, oh yes and Rom 8:3-8 is why you are no longer condemned also explains 7:25-8:1)

because I used to condemn myself even after sitting under Pastor's ministry long enough.. i used to condemn myself as: I'm a Christian and Jesus set me free from sin how come I'm still sinning.. And then I feel bad about my sin.. yes I confess: thank you Jesus you are my righteousness and I've been washed, forgiven, but the self-condemnation creeps in silently.. until I realised finally it is NOT me who has sinned, but my flesh and I should not be saying I am a Christian and I sin, but the indwelling sin that is manifesting..

I hope you get it cause I realised I've been condemning myself enough stealthily without my knowledge..

Be Blessed and see you all in church! Shalom

1 comment:

Wu Xin said...

Yes i totally agree with you Joel. Even tho we see the sin in ourselves when we sin, Praise the Lord, for because of Jesus' blood, God doesn't see any sin in us :) Hallelujah!