Many Christians are sincere about breaking free from sinful habits and bondages, but they don’t have the revelation on how to succeed in it.
“But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead. I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death; for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.” (Romans 7:8-11 WEB)
Sin in the flesh is an opportunist who lies dormant in wait for the chance to rebel against what is good.
The more you tell it to do right, the stronger it will rebel by going on a rampage of wrongdoing.
This is why the strength of sin is the Law.
It is like dealing with a rebellious child who just finds pleasure in doing the opposite of what you tell him to do.
Your “I must not” and “Don’t do this” rules make sin in the flesh really bloodthirsty.
These rules, laws, and commandments have good intention, which is to produce a beneficial result by abstaining from unedifying activities, but it is a counter-effective method for the sinful flesh.
I suddenly understand why the apostle Paul wrote the following shocking statement;
““All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are expedient. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12 WEB)
“What? You mean it is lawful for me to sin as much as I want??”
Yes, it is, and God will never be angry with you or punish you for it because Jesus was already punished for your sins at the cross. This truth befuddles a legalistic person’s mind.
But ironically, when you say that all things are lawful, sin in the flesh remains “dead”, having no opportunity to rise up and go crazy.
People have good intentions of stopping sinful acts by creating laws, rules, and commandments, but they do not know that these only serve to empower sin in the flesh.
Take a moment to say this now: “All things are lawful for me!” When you say this, you will notice that you have no desire to sin, because sin remains dead when there is no law to stir it up.
That is not all that Paul said. He also said that even though all things are lawful to us born-again believers, not all things are expedient (profitable or beneficial).
Without sin in the flesh influencing our thoughts and desires, we can choose the best way to invest our time and focus. The most expedient choice would be to keep our eyes on Jesus and receive God’s word into our hearts.
Instead of choosing to be brought under the power of sin which brings nothing but death, I will choose to be brought under the power of the Holy Spirit to enjoy fullness of joy and peace!
This teaching is part of our new Patreon Bible Study series called [ Revelations of Grace from “Romans” ]. Romans is such a great book, full of important revelations about grace. For people who are new to reading the Bible, I always recommend starting with John and Romans.
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