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O Wretched Man That I Am!
Romans 7:15-24 (Paul describes the misery of obeying flesh & disobeying God)
Christians are known by the world as having multiple personalities:
· If we are honest, then we admit that we’d like to do certain things.
· If we are sincere, then we withhold from doing them.
· The world doesn’t understand “deferred gratification.”
· The world doesn’t respect behavior based upon principles.
· Even we find ourselves talking to ourselves over many things:
· Justifying the wrong
· Identifying the sin
Our dilemma: How did we get INTO this situation and how do we get OUT?
Romans 8:22-23 (The earth itself is groaning for release from this quandary)
IN THE BEGINNING
(INNOCENCE) Man had no internal desire to sin, but could readily please God.
We are free moral agents, but sin was not internal (angels free? Christ free).
IN THE UNSAVED PRESENT
(CONSCIENCE) Man has internal desire to sin, and cannot please God in flesh)
We are free moral agents, but all righteousness are as filthy rags. All good must be done “in Christ.” We are not free to do good, but we are free to choose Christ, and that takes us to the next stage of “spiritual evolution.”
IN THE SAVED PRESENT
(HOLY GHOST) Man physically still has the internal desire to sin, but an internal spiritual power has been implanted that produces ability to do good.
Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.
IN THE FUTURE REDEEMED
The body will be resurrected to match the resurrected spirit, thus we will no longer have any desire to sin, but will even be INCAPABLE of sin as well! Free moral agents? Perhaps, but with knowledge and experience that cannot be discounted. Probably not, having been conformed into His image with the promise of ever being in His presence, I feel that will be replaced with something even greater.
