The Problem of Sin - Part 2

Well, the good news is that I wasn't late for work yesterday! The rest of the good news is that I'm off today and I can make this entry as long as I want to! So, let's dive back into Romans 3 and re-examine the text...

"As it is written, 'THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.
THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING, THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS;
WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS; THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.
THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES." -Romans 3:10-18

Again... the stress and importance of this entire section of Romans is the realization of our hopelessness without a Savior. Steps 1 and 2 of the Alcoholics Anonymous "12 Steps" program state:
1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behavior; that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

I find it interesting that a program that is designed to free people from addictions states that we are powerless over the things which have beaten us down... You see, the understanding of the need for outside assistance is universal. God Himself said, "It is not good for the man to be alone..." You see, we were created with a "relational gravitation." All I mean by that is this... we were created with a desire for community with others. In our fallen state, however, we turn inward for help and the solution to our problems. God's original design was for us to turn to Him with all of our fears, doubts, problems, pains, struggles, etc... So, the first step in overcoming the sins with which we struggle is, "To realize that we can't overcome our sins!" We can't beat them! This, in turn, leads us into step 2...

"We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." Finally! The answer to all of our problems! Jesus is the ONLY power we have! He says in Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Are you weary of your problems? Does sin own you on such a regular basis that you simply don't have the strength to fight it anymore? This is the place where you can admit "I need help!" It's when we are at the end of ourselves that we can finally realize that someone with greater power than us is our only option for restoration! This is the place where we must fall to our knees and say, "Jesus, You are my only good! Please, help me! I need You to rescue me from myself!"

Albert Einstein said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." This is true of us, as well. We try to overcome our failures in our own strength... I don't know about you, but this usually just leaves me feeling defeated when I fail again... it leads to depression, anger, self-pity... it's not a good place to find yourself. We expect different results from the same attempts at "being good" on our own. When does the insanity end???

It ends when we realize that sin is too big of an issue for us to deal with on our own! When we realize that Christ is the only One who can heal us... that's the first step towards freedom from the bondage which holds every man and woman captive.

So, we are unable to bring any righteousness of our own before God as an acceptable offering of atonement for our sins... We see that there are none who seek God and none of us does good. We are a crooked, broken mess! We have NOTHING to offer to God! This is the understanding to which we must come before we are ready to move into the good news of Christ's redemptive work on our behalf.

We're going to be getting into more of chapter 3 tomorrow, most likely, but THIS is the thought for today.... the only point I wish to convey. Dig deep! Think long and hard about this concept... we have nothing to offer God and we cannot do good, based on what we've read in Romans 3. So, apart from Christ, where do we stand in the sight of our Creator and Lord? Secondly, have you come to the place where you can say, "I need Christ to change me! I cannot do this on my own!"? Do you believe that Christ can restore you to sanity? If you're not sure if Christ can restore you, I'll help you out a little bit... Of course He can! There is nothing which you have done that Christ cannot redeem you from! There is no trouble which plagues you that Christ cannot replace with His peace! There is no sin which outweighs the blood of Christ!

Well... more of that at a later time!

Grace and Peace, broken sinners in need of a Savior! It's nice to have you here beside me... there is comfort in the realization that you're not the only one with struggles.

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .