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I find it interesting that an article attempting to challenge theology never mentions scripture once.

Romans 2 tells us that it is God’s goodness / kindness / mercy (depending on the translation) that leads man to repentance. Yet this article seems to assume it is fear of God’s wrath that leads a man to repentance.

Romans chapter 7 describes the turmoil of the saints who are unable to walk free of sin. “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good’

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of sin?”

For the longest time I quoted that last verse to myself reminding me that Paul suffered this same struggle. What I left off was the final part of the verse: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

In this same chapter, Paul comes up with what looks like the greatest cop-out in history, greater than “the devil made me do it”. Paul says it’s not me who is sinning, it is sin that dwells in me. It makes you want to sarcastically say, “Yeah, right”. But it’s truth.

This truth, and the one that says there are two laws at war within me (the law of my body and the law of my mind) is the basis for Romans 8. “There is THEREFORE (because of these two truths) now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For (”because”) the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Romans 8 describes the freedom from sin that is available to the believer. But it is predicated on those two truths we have to recognize from chapter 7. And those truths are further predicated on the truths about who we are in Christ.

The problem every Christian faces is that after salvation we have this desire to walk in God’s commandments. (BTW, that is not the same thing as being under the law). And we grit our teeth and try to walk free from sin. But that’s not possible. Because trying to do this on our own IS submitting to the Law again. But it’s all we know. We are starting out as babes when we are born again. Our experience is all based on dealing with things in the flesh.

The problem goes back to Genesis. That tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a tree of doing it on my own. It’s an assumption that if I know in my conscience what is good and what is evil, I don’t need God. I can be good on my own. How’s that working for you? It sure didn’t work for me, even as a believer.

He who is of the flesh has his mind set on the things of the flesh. He who is of the spirit has his mind set on the things of the spirit.

The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.

This is the believer’s rest from the book of Hebrews. This is the heritage of the believer. It’s not anything we can make happen. It is a thing God does.

Sometimes it’s a sudden thing (sudden, after a long, losing battle dealing with sin in our lives), for others it’s a process. But it often takes us coming to the end of ourselves and crying out to Him to deliver us from this body of sin.

This is the grace of God in the life of the believer.

My dad was stationed in Gitmo from 1960 through 63 and I was a dependent there. I went to William T. Sampson high school.

But, I didn’t write to talk about Gitmo. Your post is an eloquent statement of faith. It’s difficult for people to accept a free gift. They always think they must return the favor. But, there is nothing that we can do on our own. Nothing, except place our faith and trust in God. He gives us the Holy Spirit as a guide, and his spirit gently prods us for correction.

Paul wrote to Timothy that we should study to show ourselves approved. When we spend time with the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit speaks through those words and brings us into the proper place where we should be. We are told to gather together, and that is so that we can share our faith and subject ourselves to our new family. Scripture tells us that if we see an error in someone’s faith or testimony, that we are to go to him/her and confront them. If they don’t receive it, we take some back up, because the Holy Spirit will do the talking for us and through us.

God is so gracious and generous and loving. He made his plan before the foundations of the earth. We look around us and see desolation in our culture, but God is still gracious and generous and loving enough to have died for us as the penalty for our sin. Sin is not a plural. Sin encompasses the human side which is at enmity with God. It is only through the indwelling Holy Spirit that we can boldly approach the throne and say “thank you Lord, for saving a wretch like me”!