Sinner I choose not to be

“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Romans 6:11-18

“14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; or to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” Romans 7:14-20

This life is a constant battle between powers and principalities.  Satan is seeking to tear down all that he can, while God seeks to redeem as many as will hear his voice and obey.  We are born as sinners from the womb, and must be reborn as Christians through the spirit.   The first half of the book of Romans is an exposition of the sinfulness of all men.  You could use this as justification of the old preacher’s statement, “You must preach them lost (sinners), before you can preach them saved.”  It was not a well-respected message among the Jews, and especially the Pharisees, who saw themselves as great or perfect.    Often we find ourselves the same way.

It is extremely difficult for people to find sin in their own life.  When we find the slightest wrong of our own, our nature is to look at all those around us to justify why we are not as sinful as they.  Soon we believe we are great people; and we either do not look for sin in ourselves any longer, or simply overlook it.  This is where scripture enters, and presents the law to us.  If a surface view of the Ten Commandments isn’t enough to convince you of the sin present in your life; it also presents 600+ other laws for you to follow.  But even this was not enough for the Pharisees who felt they had followed them all, but then Jesus expounds the commandments to show that it isn’t just physical obedience, but our minds also. 

It is very likely you have already realized the sinfulness in your life since you read this, but the scripture also shows us that the ‘law’ of grace is even greater at freeing man than the law was to condemn him.  If after being saved from your sinfulness by God, you still have sin running rampant, the law and scriptures then will help you cut the sin out (Hebrews 4:12).  You would not hesitate with cancer, sin is far worse.