14 We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a creature of the flesh [carnal, unspiritual], having been sold into slavery under [the control of] sin.
15 For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns].
So many people believe that this flesh is what we are to place our trust in? We all act like Paul acted. Why would anyone want to believe that they must first do anything on our own for our Father to be able to then act in their life’s? Why do people believe that we ever have any part to play on our own, when we are never left alone? We can do nothing without Jesus, but because of Him we are used to produce much fruit, John 15:5.
16 Now if I do [habitually] what is contrary to my desire, [that means that] I acknowledge and agree that the Law is good (morally excellent) and that I take sides with it.
17 However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me and has possession of me.
The people of Israel called Jesus good and He asked them why they said such a thing? He told them very plainly that His flesh was not good. The flesh of God Himself confessed that He was not good. How can we ever be good enough then?
And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [ essentially and perfectly morally] good? There is no one [ essentially and perfectly morally] good--except God alone. Mark 10:18
As we have studied so often before in these postings: our Father made all flesh to be disobedient.
For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike]. Romans 11:32
18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]
Our flesh can do nothing right. Our flesh on its own is incapable of performing anything correctly. Without Christ our flesh fails at each and everything that it ever tries. The Law is a set of rules that tells the flesh what to do on its own. Yet the flesh is absolutely incapable of doing what the Law tells it to do. Our Father made the flesh to be that way. He did this so that He could send Jesus and then have mercy on all men regardless of what they have done.
Catch what our Father tells us in Romans 11:32: He tells us “all men alike!” Through Jesus, our Father has mercy on all of us. If it was up to our flesh to accept this Truth, we would fail. But thank God that all men are now sold into being a slave of Jesus Christ. We were all slaves of sin, but now we are Jesus’ possessions. He bought us and He now owns all of us, whether we accept this Truth or not. Jesus is responsible for each and every one of us to have eternal life.
[Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. John 17:2
Jesus now has power over all flesh and our Father glorified Him so that He will give eternal life to all flesh. There are a lot of people who try and place laws on us. Laws like where to worship, when to worship, and how to dress when we worship. They try to tell us what to eat and tons and tons of other man made rules. Jesus did away with all laws except love. All laws are now dead for us; they have to be dead, so that sin can now be dead. It all has to be grace, which means that it all has to be our Father’s power working through us. We cannot boast and we cannot condemn because it is always our Father’s power being greater in us.
No comments:
Post a Comment