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Romans 7:17-20

But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Encouraging Words

So, what is encouraging about this corundum that Paul presents about his (our) struggle with sin? The encouragement comes from what the Eastern Orthodox church has taught for over 2000 years. Sin is what we do, it is not what we are or our nature. Here is a note about this passage from the Orthodox Study Bible:

“Man is not sinful by nature. The Orthodox Church rejects any teaching that man has a “sin nature” or that man’s nature is depraved to the core. This passage clearly shows that sin is something distinct from our nature. Because we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), there is an indelible goodness in our nature that can never be undone. While we can become immersed in sin, we know that it is still not part of our nature, but a foreign force that dwells in us. Thus, sin is what we do, not what we are.”

Once this truth. is embraced our whole outlook on life shifts as we begin to see our lives as people created in the image of God, as diamonds covered with the filth of our sinful actions waiting to be washed clean by the blood of our precious Lord. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 21:1-3

My son, have you sinned?
No longer add to them, but pray about your former sins.
Flee from sin as you would from the presence of a snake,
For if you approach it, it will bite you;
Its teeth are like lion’s teeth, destroying the souls of men.
All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword,
For there is no healing from its wound.

Personal challenge

Just as I have the free will to choose to sin, so do I have the ability to choose not to sin. Sirach reminds us that if we have sinned, which we all do, we need to quickly confess our sin, repent of our wrongdoing and flee from that which draws us to sin more. The longer that we wait to do this, the more set that sin becomes within us and the harder it is to flee. We are so blessed to have the Holy Spirit available to help us through these challenges. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Encouraging Words

There are two small words in this verse that sum up the entire essence of works versus grace. These words are “wages” and “gift”. Wages are the payment that I am owed for something that I have done. Death is what I earn through the sin that I have committed. This death is both physical and spiritual. And it doesn’t matter if I have committed 1 sin or billions or if it is very small or massive. Sin is sin and it perm­anently separates me from God. A gift is something that the giver chooses to bestow on me whether I deserve it or not. I cannot earn a gift. It is the grace of the given that bestows the gift upon me. God, in His infinite mercy, has given me the gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the Good News. Glory be to God!

Sirach 20:5-7

There is a man who is silent but is found to be wise,
And there is a man who is hateful because he talks too much.
There is a man who is silent because he has no answer,
And there is a man who is silent because he knows when to speak.
A wise man will keep silent until it is the right time to speak,
But an arrogant and undiscerning man will speak out of turn.

Personal Challenge

I guess this is another way of saying, “Silence is golden.” There is wisdom to be found in being silent, to listen more than we speak, and to listen before we speak. I know that my personal challenge is to let the other person finish before I speak. When this passage states that a wise man will keep silent until it is the right time to speak, but an arrogant and undiscerning man will speak out of turn cuts deep to the core of this issue. To love my neighbor means to put them first, to let them speak and complete their thoughts, to listen with the intent to understand the other, and speak lovingly when it is my turn. For all whom I have spoken over in my haste to be heard, please forgive me. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Romans 6:11-12

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Personal Challenge

Many of the verses leading up to this passage inform us of all the work that Jesus has done to save us from the consequences of our sin. Now, Paul starts turning the spotlight on us and begins to point out those things that we can start doing with respect to sin in our lives. He reminds us that since we have been baptized into Christ that by faith in Him we can identify ourselves as dead to sin. Sin no longer has reign over us because Jesus has defeated sin. If we continue to sin, which we usually do, it is because we continue to submit our will to the lusts, the passions, of our mortal body. From baptism on we are continually working on fortifying our will to obey God and trying to diminish our will to defy God. The Christian life is a continual struggle to follow in the footsteps of our Lord. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 18:18-20

Before you speak, learn,
And before you get sick, take care of your health.
Before you make a judgment, examine yourself closely,
And in the hour of visitation you will find atonement.
Before you become sick, humble yourself;
And at the time of sinning, prove your conversion.

Personal Challenge

Once again, Sirach provides some powerful words of wisdom that apply to both our everyday living as well as preparation for eternity. Learn before you speak. This is so contrary to our modern, self-focused Way of thinking. Oh, how many times I would have avoided a conflict by applying this truth. Take care of yourself and humble yourself and you will avoid sickness. The first one makes sense, but what does humbling ourselves have to do with avoiding sickness? The act of humbling ourselves puts others first. By doing this We eliminate stress on our bodies and our health by always trying to be first. Examine yourself closely before making a judgment and you will find atonement. Jesus proclaimed this by saying, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Usually, the act of self-appraisal reminds us that we are in no position to judge another. Great words of wisdom. Now comes the hard part, applying them. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 5:20-21

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Encouraging Words

“Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more”. What a blessing it is to know that no matter how much I sin, no matter how big or small that sin is, God’s grace will outweigh that sin. God loves me that much and then infinitely more. Sin is what brings me to death, both physical and spiritual, but Gods’ grace removes the spiritual death and covers me through eternity. It is not anything related to what I do, but all related to what God has done continues to do and will do forevermore. Glory be

to God.

Sirach 18:4-6

Who will measure His majestic power with a number,
And who will add to this measure
While describing His mercies?
There is no one who can add or subtract,
And there is no who can search out the wonders of the Lord.
When a man completes his search, then he starts over;
And when he stops, he will still be perplexed.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get caught up in the pursuit of knowledge about God. We truly are a gnostic form of society today. For many, knowledge is power. For many, their identity is found in their knowledge, or the number of acronyms behind their name. However, knowing God is so much different than all of this. God does not want us to know about Him. He wants us to know Him. That is what all of the wisdom writings of the Old Testament teach. Wisdom is personified in Jesus. To know wisdom we must know Jesus. To know Jesus is to know God. The challenge for us finite and limited human beings is that the more we think we know God the more we realize that we do not know Him. His greatness is beyond all that we could ever comprehend and yet He tells us that He dwells within us. The mind is certainly blown apart when it tries to know God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!