O’ Wretched Man That I Am

Have you ever been broken to the very depths of our soul when, through some innocuous situation, you are faced with the reality that you just aren’t as cool and collected and in control as you would like to believe? You realize too late that in our flesh nothing good exists. (Ro 7:18) You know this shouldn’t be news for both scripture and experience have taught you, but it is nonetheless a bitter pill to swallow. In our flesh, our Adamic nature, we are weak. Sin we assumed to have defeated and left behind us has only taken a temporary hiatus; it’s not dead!

This may be likened to an inexperienced ocean swimmer who successfully negotiates a wave or two; his confidence growing with each successful encounter with the waves. He looks at the in-coming swells and perceives them to be the same as the last; he says to himself; "I’ll take these on the same way as the others." What he fails to see is the riptide that lurks just below the surface in the deeper waters; something an experienced swimmer would know.

He foolishly proclaims victory over the sea based on a few successes and plunges headlong and unsuspectingly deeper. As the next wave passes and he sets his feet to stand, the bottom vanishes and he is swept away in a riptide of pride; arrogance swirls and twists him seaward and overconfidence pounds him against the ocean floor. “What was I thinking?” “Will I escape?” “Will anyone help me?” Thrashing to keep his head above water, praying for a gulp of air, he toils hopelessly drug further and further away.

This is the picture of a man who thinks he has sin under his control, who has confidence in himself and his past victories. Confidence in our aptitude and fitness to take sin on has drowned many a powerful man. No wonder the Apostle Paul avowed; “Have no confidence in the flesh . . . “. (Phil 3:3)

This is my predicament and yours; we are never free of the desires of the flesh because sin indwells us (Ro 7:14, 23). Oh yes, there are many times, perhaps even prolonged times, that we take pleasure in victory and lay our fears aside assuming that we have sin under control, but there exists a constant riptide ready to pull us under and sweep us away. Jesus cautioned Peter about this type of sincerity and positive mental attitude; ”And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you; that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV) I wonder if Peter grasped the part about; "when you have returned. . ."

Peter had been feeling pretty good about himself; he and the other disciples were arguing about which one on them was the greatest? This of course preceded Jesus’ washing of their feet and outing His betrayer. (The perfect time for losers to argue about greatness-just before discovering what real greatness is: more on this in another post.) Imagine the conversations that must have taken place in what they assumed was just out of Jesus’ earshot (Remember, He knows what we think and the words that we are about to speak even before we say them-Ps 139:2-4; Jer 17:10; Amos 4:13; Matt 9:4; Mk 2:8; Jn 21:17; Heb 4:13; Rev 2:23). Each disciple probably rehearsed all the wonderful things they believed they had accomplished for the kingdom of GOD since they began to follow Jesus. Peter may have come out on top (at least in his own estimation-I would have, if I had been in his sandals) even if only for the moment; after all, he was the only one who properly identified Jesus as the Christ (Matt 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-20), and he was part of the inner circle; Peter, James, and John.

Ever been sifted like wheat? Ever think like Peter? Ever believe you had it all together only to realize that you were living on past victories? If you are like me, the chances are you got toasted and left the scene like the seven son’s of Sceva.

“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:13-17 NKJV) Emphasis mine.

We must always be on the lookout; attacks will come-there is a demonic riptide just under the surface of the waves. In his first Epistle, Peter shares some of his acquired wisdom; nothing like the molding of experience to fashion us into prepared warriors.

“All of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober (serious); be vigilant (cautious, observant); because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:5-11 NKJV) Emphases mine.

When the opportunity to sin presents itself in our lives, if we can see it coming, and if we choose, we can take it head on. (There are a lot of ‘ifs’ in that statement. Know that sin thrives on our stipulations, conditions, and proviso’s; I call it the ‘but’ factor-no pun intended.) Since it is up to each of us to deal with sin, and since GOD has provided every means by which we may defeat it through Him, what remains is for us is to do something about it. “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Phil 2:13 NKJV) So it goes with the sins that meet us head-on.

Sin, however, doesn’t usually play fair and attacks where and when we are lax, complacent, or overconfident. Like the riptide, it lies just below the surface ready to sweep away the unsuspecting. Remember what Jesus told Peter; “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38 NKJV) When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, a big part of the prayer was "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (or the evil one) Matt. 6:13 Remember too, the ocean, waves you can see but a powerful undertow that can’t be seen except by the experienced eye.

A case in point: I had the great pleasure of hearing Pastor Tonye Holydae from Calvary Chapel Shoreline in Morro Bay California teach on sexual purity; his topic “Accountability”, his text, from the Book of 2nd Samuel chapter 10 was dynamite. (Pastor Tonye’s teaching can be accessed through www.visionccp.org Purity Conference 2008.)

In the book of II Samuel chapter 10, the author describes a battle that was to take place between the forces of Israel and the ‘children of Ammon’ and their hired mercenaries the Syrians. (2 Sam 10:6-16) In the encounter, the Israeli soldiers were outnumbered and faced with a fight on two fronts; before and behind. (Things haven’t changed for the Israeli’s!) Joab, King David’s general, mustered his strongest forces against the Syrians who were in the fields behind him, and the balance of his army, under the command of his brother Abishai, facing the city of the Ammonites. Joab knew that the fiercest battle would come from the forces that lay behind him. (Like the undertow, what we don't see is often more dangerous than what we do see.) The Ammonites hoped to draw Israel into an all consuming combat in the front and then route them with the Syrians from behind.

Listen to Joab’s words to Abishai: “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.” (2 Sam 10:11 NKJV) Abishai was watching Joab’s and Israel’s back. They had covenanted together with the Lord their GOD to come to the aide of the other should either have need; they were both fighting against the same enemy. Wherever the one was weak and in need of support they would immediately turn from what they were about to help the other; their purpose, while assisting each other, was to serve the GOD of Israel and David their king.

What a beautiful picture of love and responsibility. Joab knew that he could trust his brother to come to his aide because he knew Abishai was reliable and trustworthy; that he would keep his word to him and to their GOD. Abishai knew that he could trust his brother Joab to do his duty and uphold his covenant with him and the Lord. Both knew GOD and both knew their accountability to one another. Neither was afraid of what might happen if they were called upon to rescue the other.

We all need someone that is an accountability warrior; someone who will watch our back; swim with us in troubled waters or warn us when we are in over our heads. We all need someone who is willing to ask tough questions; someone who isn’t afraid of us and cares more about our life in Christ than about making us happy. If you don’t have someone like this, pray and ask the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ to provide such a one for you. If you are married, your spouse is the best accountability partner that you can possibly have, and YES! You can tell them everything. (Author and Pastor Stew Weber does a powerful job in this area in his book Tender Warrior.)

By the way, never swim in the ocean alone; always have a faithful friend, an accountability partner watching out for you. Swim with someone who is smarter than you and an experienced swimmer; someone who is willing to save you if you are in trouble and you them. Find someone who is strong enough and willing to carry you when you are wounded. Swim with someone that will tell you when you are getting too deep and too far from the shore and the protection of the Lifeguard.

Jesus is our Lifeguard. He is on the beach and in His tower ready to come to your aide. He has His binoculars on you all the time. When you cry out to Him He will rescue you in your time of need. He is trained for this: He has all the equipment necessary to save your life from drowning and He hears your cry from under the deepest waves.

Pray with me:
"Lord Jesus, You are the lifeguard of my life that I need at all times. I need you and I want you to be the center of my life. Help me to know when I have wandered too far from shore before it's too late and I'm taken away in a riptide of unfaithfulness and ungodliness. Open my eyes to the riptide of sin that lurks just below the surface."
Amen

Sold to Sin

Our personal experience is living proof that we all struggle with sin. For those who assume they do not, or think that they have it under control (but really don’t), read the Epistle of I John with a focus on Chapter 1 verses 8-10; here the beloved Apostle states:

“If we say that 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 that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.” (KJV)

So there you have it, according to the Word of GOD, we all sin (you and I and everyone else on the planet-always have, and always will), and if we say that we don’t, we call the Word of GOD (Jesus; John 1:1-3, 10-14) a liar, and the truth is not in us. John was not the first, nor the only writer to share this insight; both the New Testament and the Old Testament confirm this premise.

Join with me as we look at another Apostle’s take on our not-so-divine nature.

In his Epistle to the Romans the Apostle Paul uses the term ‘sin’ (hamartia-missing the mark) forty-eight times (only fourteen times in all of his other writings); “For all have sinned (missed the mark) and come short of the glory of GOD.” (Ro 3:23; 5:12) Paul understood clearly that he and we have a problem and that problem exists in everyone. He was convinced that sin is not only an evil we commit, but a power that holds us in bondage to it; he calls us “slaves of sin” (Ro 6:17, 20). He repeats his slave imagery, “sold under sin”, emphasizing what may escape us in the twenty-first century (Ro 7:14). This portrait of hopelessness was not lost on first century readers who were intimately familiar with the practice of slavery and indentured service. His metaphor paints a vivid picture of man, freedoms lost, sold on the slave block to his new master-sin. In the same way a slave was sold to a master (without choice) and under the power and authority of the master (without choice) so he who is a slave to sin is sold to, and bound by it.

The Apostle speaks of himself as one who is “brought into captivity to the law of sin” (Ro 7:23). Here he likens himself to a captured prisoner of war, in this case taken captive by the law of sin and held in its grasp. Albeit strange to interject law here, Paul desires to contrast the law (principle ) of sin that holds the unbeliever captive and the holy Law of GOD that should instead be master. He is emphasizing the dichotomy between sins right to rule over GOD’s creation and GOD’s right to rule.

Sin has no justification in controlling those who are made in the image of GOD, but has nonetheless taken control through our flesh (the Adamic nature). With our flesh Paul says we serve the law of sin, but with our mind we serve the law of GOD. (Ro 7:25) The persistent campaign that rages within us is war between the law (principle) of sin bound in our flesh and the law (holy commandments) of GOD, recognized and embraced in our mind. Paul’s description of this conflict is an account of unregenerate man i.e., Paul before his Damascus Road meeting with the Lord (Acts 9). It is a picture of man attempting to live life based on good morals and ethical values (the Jew attempting to live by the Law).

Paul’s battle with sin rages out of control in every unregenerate person; it is nondiscriminatory and cannot be won on our own terms in our own strength. On one hand with our mind we recognize the necessity of virtue and moral character wishing and willing to incorporate these into our lives while on the other, in the flesh, we are greeted with a piercing salvo of corrupt evil desires that demand satisfaction. Wanting to do well, but unable in the weakness of our flesh (Ro 8:3) to carry it out what is righteous and good, we fall headlong into sins grasp performing the opposite. Here’s what the Apostle says about that dilemma:

“For I know that in me (that is in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing: but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of GOD after the inward man. But I see a law in my members, warring against the law of my mind. . .” (Ro 7:18-22)

We must not misunderstand his inspiration, he is not inferring that he or we are not responsible for our actions; on the contrary (Gal 6:7,8), his point is that man’s failure to put in motion what he wishes to do is an example of an outside influence at play in our lives. There is another actor in this drama; indwelling sin. Paul concludes that because of our Adamic nature, sin is resident in all of us (Ro 5:12; I Cor 15:21, 22) attempting to control what we do; this understanding causes him to cry out: “O’ wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Ro 7:24)

You might say “OK, I get it; I’m convinced, everybody sins. This isn’t news, just look around at our society. But, I call myself a Christian and I can relate to Paul’ illustration; that’s me! I know the kind of person I am and I have tried repeatedly to change but to no avail; I’m that man trying my best to do things GOD’s way and continually failing miserably. I persist in doing what I have always done even though I don’t want to, and it doesn’t get better, it gets worse when I realize that living like this means that I really do not know the One I call Lord.” O’ pitiful excuse for a man that I am, what can I do? Is there not a way out of this anathematic predicament? Yes!

Paul answers our plea; “I thank GOD through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of GOD; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Ro 7:25) The answer lies in Jesus Christ; He is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father unless it is through Him (Jn 14:6). He and He alone has defeated the Adamic nature, the outside influence, and the actor in the drama of life lived in the flesh. Without Christ there is no way. Without Christ there is no truth. Without Christ there is no life.

So the answer to our dilemma is calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save us. If you have already asked the Lord Jesus into your life, accepting Him as Savior, but are living life outside of His strength; living on your own, having life your way, it’s time to make a change. If you haven’t given your life to Christ, it’s time to make a change. Pray this prayer with me:

Dear Lord Jesus Christ. O’ merciful and righteous Savior, I need you in my life now. I need you to take this burden (name the problem or problems that you are having) from me. I cannot continue in this and I cannot break the bondage it has on my life. Jesus, I want to be free. I’m a sinner, and I need you desperately. Forgive me of my sin. Show me the way out. Come into my life and save me! I believe You are the Son of GOD and have died for my sins and the sins of the world.
Thank you for Your mercy and Your grace-In Jesus name-Amen.

Now that you have prayed, confessed your sin, and repented (turned away from your old way to GOD’s way), it’s time to take action and action comes in the form of accepting GOD’s forgiveness coupled with obedient living in holiness. Focus your attention on reading the Word of GOD. I suggest you begin with the Gospel of John, the fourth book of the New Testament. Find a fellowship (place of worship) where the Bible is taught from Genesis to Revelation and get involved. Make yourself accountable to a Believer who will ask tough questions and give you Biblical answers to yours. Clean up your house, apartment, room or wherever you live; I mean get rid of all the stuff that prevents you from living a holy life in Christ. This includes books, magazines, Internet, movies, friends (Yes them to), jobs, anything that does not draw you nearer to your Savior. Be like those who practiced magic in Ephesus who when they came to know Christ brought all of their books together and burned them in front of everyone as a testimony of their faith in Christ. They were not interested in how much they were worth, they just wanted to be rid of what had caused them to miss GOD’s standard. (Acts 19:17-20)

Live in the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. See my next post for living a holy life in Christ-"Dead Man Walking".

I welcome your response, questions, and comments; In Him-Bob Ruckman