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Posts Tagged ‘conscience’

Sin Has No Right – Romans 8:3

01 Feb

(Romans 8:3Romans 8:3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: for sin: or, by a sacrifice for sin  

WP-Bible plugin)  “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”

The Law could forbid me.  The Law could scold my conscience.  The Law could correct me.  But what could the Law not do?  It could not free me from the law of sin and death! In my Christian walk, every time I try to live according to the letter of the law, I face condemnation.  I am not able to escape failure under the law.  I see my own inadequacies.  But when I come back to the source, the center of my identity, I realize once again that in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation.  My sinful flesh is weak and powerless to fulfill the law.  My sinful flesh is unable to meet the righteous requirements of God.

God’s plan is not for me to receive constant condemnation.  God’s plan is not for me to bear a continual burden in my soul as a reminder of my past.  God’s plan was to turn the tables on sin and the flesh.  Instead of condemning my spirit, “sin in the flesh” received the condemnation.

When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, sin in my flesh was condemned.  When I placed my faith in Him, God rewrote my history so that Christ became my Adam.  My past link to the first Adam was removed and my life is now eternally linked to the second Adam, Who is Christ.

(1 Corinthians 15:451 Corinthians 15:45
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”

Because sin stands condemned, it has no right to operate in me.  Sin is a convict without a home.  When I choose to sin, I am choosing to allow something without spiritual rights and privileges to have power over me.  Therefore, sin operates illegally when it has free reign to work through me.

Renewed Thought – Thank you Lord that my history is defined by Christ alone.  Sin has no legal right over me today.  I choose to be a servant of You and I choose to be defined by You in all that I am.

 
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Let Them Grow In Liberty – Romans 14:14-15

09 Dec

(Romans 14:14-15Romans 14:14-15
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. unclean: Gr. common 15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. charitably: Gr. according to charity  

WP-Bible plugin)  “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.  But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.”

Can you imagine what freedom must be like for someone who has lived under the tyranny of bondage their entire life?  In the United States, freedom is a way of life.  Those of us who were born and raised in America have only known freedom.  But what does freedom feel like for those who escape oppression and persecution and find a new life in this land?  There is a time of transition and acclimation to a new way of life as they learn to live without condemnation and fear.  They don’t fully appreciate their liberty until they spend some time experiencing it and growing in it.

When someone becomes a Christian, they don’t understand the new freedom they have in Christ.  New believers are transitioning out of a life of bondage and slavery to sin.  Many are leaving behind the tyranny of religious condemnation.  New believers go through a time of acclimation.  They need to discover for themselves the beautiful liberty given to a child of God.  Sometimes their conscience is guilty because they don’t fully understand this new liberty.

Paul dealt with this issue in 1 Corinthians 8.  Some Christians would not eat meat offered in sacrifice to idols.  If they ate, their conscience would condemn them in guilt.  They didn’t have the understanding yet that it was lawful under grace to eat all things.

(1 Corinthians 8:71 Corinthians 8:7
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.  

WP-Bible plugin)  “Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.”

Believers who do understand their liberty in Christ are under a heavy responsibility to bear the burden of these weaker brothers and sisters.  We must not use our liberty to tempt them to violate their conscience.  We must allow the Lord to work in their lives and bring each one to a point of spiritual maturity where they understand for themselves.  When we try to “speed up” their growth process by convincing them to do something that is against their conscience, we are creating destruction in their Christian life.  In love, we allow for their weak conscience.  In love, we bear the restrictions of their conscience.  In love, we yield our freedom for the benefit of the spiritual growth of others.  This is the privilege of having maturity and living in the strength of Christ.

Renewed Thought – Sometimes the true test of our spiritual strength is how well we carry the burdens of others.

 
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Holy Days and Holy Lives – Romans 14:5

03 Nov

(Romans 14:5Romans 14:5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. fully persuaded: or, fully assured  

WP-Bible plugin) “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”

Some of the believers picked out certain days and proclaimed them holier than other days.  For example, some believed the seventh day of the week was the “Sabbath” and set aside from all other days as a “holy day”.  Others believed every day was holy and worshipped the Lord every day of the week.

What if I wanted to go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday?  Does this make me a better Christian because Saturday is considered by some the “Sabbath?”  Some people believe Saturday is sacred because they still hold to the Mosaic Law regarding the sanctification of the seventh day of the week.  But we learn in 1 Corinthians 16:21 Corinthians 16:2
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.  

WP-Bible plugin and Acts 20:7Acts 20:7
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.  

WP-Bible plugin that the early church gathered on the first day of the week.  Does this make Sunday the sacred day to worship the Lord?  It’s easy to get into the minutia of theological battlegrounds seeking the upper hand on who is holier by the day of the week they worship.  But as members of the Body of Christ, we are indwelt by God Himself!  This means God is always present with us!  So as people who live under grace and not law, we are free now to come boldly before the throne of God and worship every day of the week.

“Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” – Each of us must live with a sensitive conscience in light of the truth we understand.  This is one of the most basic things a new Christian can learn.  Don’t learn to violate your own conscience.  If there is any doubt whether to do something or not, it’s best not to do it.  If you believe Saturday is a holy day, then live your life in the light of that understanding.  If you believe Sunday is a sacred day above all others, live accordingly.  If you believe every day is alike, then live a life of worship each day both inside and outside of the church building.  The conscience becomes calloused if violated enough times.  Sin no longer grieves the person who repeatedly lives opposite of their conscience.  The stronger brother will learn to live according to the conscience of others and not seek to violate it.

Renewed Thought – “It is neither safe nor prudent to do anything against conscience.” – Martin Luther

 
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