Sin.
So I was just listening to http://www.sermonaudio.com (an awesome place for really great sermons by many, many speakers) and I found some stuff by Matt Chandler (DWC speaker). Interestingly enough, I clicked on a sermon that I had just heard him give at Dallas Winter Conference, but i'm glad I listened to it again.
The title of it was something like "Still struggling". Very fitting because I think this adresses something major in my life, as well as, I'm sure many Christians around me as well.
Matt Chandler told his church congregation (which is friggin' huge) to write there doubts down on a peice of paper and send them with the offering. You want to know the biggest doubt for almost all of them... If I am a Christian then why do I still struggle so much with sin?
So I think this question is VERY pertinent! If this is most Christians main doubt, what kind of solution is provided? Are we too keep struggling..? maybe we would be better off going our own way.
Still struggling with sin. Basically what he says is taken mostly from Romans 6. Where Paul talks about us being DEAD to sin. In Christ we are no longer living, but dead to sin. Well then WHY do we keep sinning? Why do we keep struggling? If were dead to sin, why does it feel so very much alive in us???
This doesn't make make sense to me. Does it make sense to you guys!? Isn't the whole purpose of Christ dying to forgive us and free us from sin. So if we truly accepted Him into our hearts, wouldn't that mean we would no longer be under the rule of sin? If it truly is "for freedom that Christ has set us free", free from that bondage, sin, guilt, etc, etc.. then whhHHHYY don't I feel free?
I want to say that as my words because I think that very often expresses how I truly feel. I don't feel free.
Hmm... so what exactly are we to do? I want to know the solution. This is what Matt Chandler addresses, so what I write is what he talks about. Almost all of this is taking from Romans 6 (and maybe some 2 Cor).
(WHAT HE SAYS..)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Through Christ (placing our trust in Him) we are justified. Meaning as soon as we make the decision to put our faith in Christ that he died for our sins, we have right standing with Him. And this doesn't have anything to do with our EFFORT or what we've done (in the past). It doesn't have to do with following certain rules like no sex, drugs, or whatnot. God makes us RIGHT by his blood. Because He paid the penalty for our sins. That makes sense to me...
Sanctification now is different. This involves the GRACE OF GOD in our effort--in our movement. This doesn't mean sitting still and waiting for God to move because uhh.. we are uhh.. justified. No, this is a call to action.
So Paul says again, that we are dead to sin, and alive to Christ. There is this great victory that has been won. Christ died for our sins. Hurrah, soldier. So now, pick up your guns and fight.
But often we buy into the thought of well I'm sinning, this must be where God wants me right now. Because he is sovereign over all of us. I've boughten into that one before.
But what Paul says in 1 Timothy is "train yourselves in righteousness". It doesn't say wait for God to instill it in you. Train. Sweat. Work. Fight. This will not happen with you sitting around (fits in with my problem with initiative).
Romans 6:19
"..for just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness.." What he is saying to do is with the same vigor we often use to sin, you can now use that energy for good. It's the differenec in.. I'm going to loose some sleep tonight so I can look at internet pornography and I'm going to loose some sleep tonight so I can get into the Word and pray, and seek God.
What he says to answer the question of sin, and why we keep sinning, and what to do to get out of it is.. take that energy we once used to sin and use it to do good. We are justified now. We are set free. But we do have to fight. We can't sit and wait. For that sin lurks under our couches.. waiting for us while we watch television. Waiting for us in our inactivity.
We must train ourselves. We must fight sin. And we don't have to be a spiritual elite. Jesus came to save the lowest of the low. We don't have to have the Torrah memorized. God can do amazing things with the most common or even bad people (Peter, Paul, etc..).
So this training in righteousness is seaded in action. We must work. We must not wait around. Being justified isn't going to make us righteous. God can not work in us if we are motionless, waiting for Him to come rescue us. We must work in God's grace to seek righteous things. That is where our energy should lie.
Sean
The title of it was something like "Still struggling". Very fitting because I think this adresses something major in my life, as well as, I'm sure many Christians around me as well.
Matt Chandler told his church congregation (which is friggin' huge) to write there doubts down on a peice of paper and send them with the offering. You want to know the biggest doubt for almost all of them... If I am a Christian then why do I still struggle so much with sin?
So I think this question is VERY pertinent! If this is most Christians main doubt, what kind of solution is provided? Are we too keep struggling..? maybe we would be better off going our own way.
Still struggling with sin. Basically what he says is taken mostly from Romans 6. Where Paul talks about us being DEAD to sin. In Christ we are no longer living, but dead to sin. Well then WHY do we keep sinning? Why do we keep struggling? If were dead to sin, why does it feel so very much alive in us???
This doesn't make make sense to me. Does it make sense to you guys!? Isn't the whole purpose of Christ dying to forgive us and free us from sin. So if we truly accepted Him into our hearts, wouldn't that mean we would no longer be under the rule of sin? If it truly is "for freedom that Christ has set us free", free from that bondage, sin, guilt, etc, etc.. then whhHHHYY don't I feel free?
I want to say that as my words because I think that very often expresses how I truly feel. I don't feel free.
Hmm... so what exactly are we to do? I want to know the solution. This is what Matt Chandler addresses, so what I write is what he talks about. Almost all of this is taking from Romans 6 (and maybe some 2 Cor).
(WHAT HE SAYS..)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Through Christ (placing our trust in Him) we are justified. Meaning as soon as we make the decision to put our faith in Christ that he died for our sins, we have right standing with Him. And this doesn't have anything to do with our EFFORT or what we've done (in the past). It doesn't have to do with following certain rules like no sex, drugs, or whatnot. God makes us RIGHT by his blood. Because He paid the penalty for our sins. That makes sense to me...
Sanctification now is different. This involves the GRACE OF GOD in our effort--in our movement. This doesn't mean sitting still and waiting for God to move because uhh.. we are uhh.. justified. No, this is a call to action.
So Paul says again, that we are dead to sin, and alive to Christ. There is this great victory that has been won. Christ died for our sins. Hurrah, soldier. So now, pick up your guns and fight.
But often we buy into the thought of well I'm sinning, this must be where God wants me right now. Because he is sovereign over all of us. I've boughten into that one before.
But what Paul says in 1 Timothy is "train yourselves in righteousness". It doesn't say wait for God to instill it in you. Train. Sweat. Work. Fight. This will not happen with you sitting around (fits in with my problem with initiative).
Romans 6:19
"..for just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness.." What he is saying to do is with the same vigor we often use to sin, you can now use that energy for good. It's the differenec in.. I'm going to loose some sleep tonight so I can look at internet pornography and I'm going to loose some sleep tonight so I can get into the Word and pray, and seek God.
What he says to answer the question of sin, and why we keep sinning, and what to do to get out of it is.. take that energy we once used to sin and use it to do good. We are justified now. We are set free. But we do have to fight. We can't sit and wait. For that sin lurks under our couches.. waiting for us while we watch television. Waiting for us in our inactivity.
We must train ourselves. We must fight sin. And we don't have to be a spiritual elite. Jesus came to save the lowest of the low. We don't have to have the Torrah memorized. God can do amazing things with the most common or even bad people (Peter, Paul, etc..).
So this training in righteousness is seaded in action. We must work. We must not wait around. Being justified isn't going to make us righteous. God can not work in us if we are motionless, waiting for Him to come rescue us. We must work in God's grace to seek righteous things. That is where our energy should lie.
Sean
