Some follow Jesus with the concept that they sin continually, not able to help or stop the dark side of their person. Certainly we are always short of being perfect like Jesus Christ. We can always exemplify the fruit of the Spirit in increasing measure; however, to say that Christ's people live a life of sin is to defy the power of the Holy Spirit and the fact that Christ's people are dead to sin (Rom. 6). The power and hold of sin has been broken. We have a Divine power to enable us daily to walk in obedience to the Lord (2 Pet. 1). With every temptation there is a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13) Let us look at sin from the perspective of rebellion against God, the refusal to obey a known command and refusal to submit to His authority. Let us stop sinning!
Christ's people must cultivate a sensitivity to sin-especially in our culture where 'do as you please' is the order of the day. In our culture where pleasure is king, where every person is supposed to be allowed to do what they want, to even be 'stupid' as our new secretary of state recently stated, Christ's people need to be aware of the deceitfulness of sin and guard against it. It can become a way of life to rationalize sin and disobedience, and blame it on whatever. It can be easy in our culture to allow our 'better' behavior than our culture to become the standard. Our standard is Jesus Christ and being holy in all behavior (1 Pet. 1:15).
Charles Wesley's great hymn, "I Want a Principle Within' is worth your time. Verse one reads, 'I want a principle within of watchful, godly fear, a sensibility to sin, a pain to feel it near. Help me the first approach to feel of pride or wrong desire, to catch the wandering of my will, and quench the kindling fire."
John and Charles Wesley's mother gave this definition of sin to her son John.
"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself." (Suzanna Wesley)
Friday, March 1, 2013
Sin Sensitive
Some follow Jesus with the concept that they sin continually, not able to help or stop the dark side of their person. Certainly we are always short of being perfect like Jesus Christ. We can always exemplify the fruit of the Spirit in increasing measure; however, to say that Christ's people live a life of sin is to defy the power of the Holy Spirit and the fact that Christ's people are dead to sin (Rom. 6). The power and hold of sin has been broken. We have a Divine power to enable us daily to walk in obedience to the Lord (2 Pet. 1). With every temptation there is a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13) Let us look at sin from the perspective of rebellion against God, the refusal to obey a known command and refusal to submit to His authority. Let us stop sinning!
Christ's people must cultivate a sensitivity to sin-especially in our culture where 'do as you please' is the order of the day. In our culture where pleasure is king, where every person is supposed to be allowed to do what they want, to even be 'stupid' as our new secretary of state recently stated, Christ's people need to be aware of the deceitfulness of sin and guard against it. It can become a way of life to rationalize sin and disobedience, and blame it on whatever. It can be easy in our culture to allow our 'better' behavior than our culture to become the standard. Our standard is Jesus Christ and being holy in all behavior (1 Pet. 1:15).
Charles Wesley's great hymn, "I Want a Principle Within' is worth your time. Verse one reads, 'I want a principle within of watchful, godly fear, a sensibility to sin, a pain to feel it near. Help me the first approach to feel of pride or wrong desire, to catch the wandering of my will, and quench the kindling fire."
John and Charles Wesley's mother gave this definition of sin to her son John.
"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself." (Suzanna Wesley)
Christ's people must cultivate a sensitivity to sin-especially in our culture where 'do as you please' is the order of the day. In our culture where pleasure is king, where every person is supposed to be allowed to do what they want, to even be 'stupid' as our new secretary of state recently stated, Christ's people need to be aware of the deceitfulness of sin and guard against it. It can become a way of life to rationalize sin and disobedience, and blame it on whatever. It can be easy in our culture to allow our 'better' behavior than our culture to become the standard. Our standard is Jesus Christ and being holy in all behavior (1 Pet. 1:15).
Charles Wesley's great hymn, "I Want a Principle Within' is worth your time. Verse one reads, 'I want a principle within of watchful, godly fear, a sensibility to sin, a pain to feel it near. Help me the first approach to feel of pride or wrong desire, to catch the wandering of my will, and quench the kindling fire."
John and Charles Wesley's mother gave this definition of sin to her son John.
"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself." (Suzanna Wesley)
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