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The Thing I Hate, I Do.

" I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:15-20) 

The Apostle Paul wrote this to the Romans, and he expresses a common theme that is experienced by Christians throughout the world. Our struggle is with sin and until we are finally and fully in God's Presence, we will have to battle our sinful natures. The apostle expresses that the thing he wants to do, really the thing the spirit is leading him to do, he cannot do because he is still in the flesh. He declares that it is not really him that is doing it, but sin that dwells in him. As Christians, we live in the body, and the physical body gives us all kinds of trouble. 

The goal or path on the Christian life is to subdue the flesh. We should not consistently be living to feed and cherish our flesh. The body isn't bad, but eventually it must come fully under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We live by faith, and we are not fully human without a body, but I think the bible is telling us we should not walk after the flesh. The world looks at a Christian who is just like them in scorn. Yes we all fall, and salvation is a gift, but our sanctification is voluntary. God leaves it up to us to seek Him. To live in the Presence of God you must have faith, it is not a mystery, you must live a holy life, not perfectly, but progressively. 

We shouldn't be going backwards, but when we find ourselves with no desire to be holy, we can lose our faith and give up on God completely. When you find yourself with no faith, you cannot fully claim to still be saved. You are like the world, you can still pray to God but you better be praying He gives you your faith back. Faith isn't passive, sometimes people think that faith should be automatic, but as the book of James says "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). 

To truly be a Christian means more than just reading your bible, or going to church or small group. Those things help build your faith, but if you have no faith, you will not go to Heaven. To be saved you must die saved (in faith, Hebrews 11:13). Also you must be currently living in faith, for the righteous live by faith, (Galatians 3:11). This is what it means to be justified by faith. It's your initial saving faith true, but it means your current faith as well, if not there then you are currently not justified. This is what it means to be justified by faith alone.

You faith should be making you holy, kinder, and more intelligent in how to live your life for God and other people. This is Mike.


   

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