The importance of "reflecting Christ's image" and not our own,
Part 2
Our flesh is corrupt because it was created in the image of Adam, rather than in the image of God (seeGenesis 5:3). In other words, sin now dwells in our flesh. Romans 7:20-23tells us that sin is a power that enslaves us. It's an energy force that dwells in our unregenerate bodies whose whole intent and purpose is to cause us to veer off course and to miss the mark-the mark being total conformity to the image of Christ. Satan uses this power of sin as his tool. And every time we choose to follow what our flesh is saying over what God is prompting us to do, we quench God's Spirit in us and become the enemy's pawns.
Like a prisoner of war, we can easily become overpowered, seized and carried offby the flesh. We can become an unwilling captive and wholly unable to rid ourselves of our bonds, our cords or bands of sin. We can become like a traveler who is caught off guard by bandits that pounced on him and carried him off. What's so sad is how could we, a born-again Christian, allow the bandits to creep up on us so quickly and capture us? How could we, who know so many Biblical truths, who have preached them and supposedly walked them, fall like this? How could this happen? Paul, however, says that he himself continually experienced this battle.
Listen:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Part 2
Our flesh is corrupt because it was created in the image of Adam, rather than in the image of God (seeGenesis 5:3). In other words, sin now dwells in our flesh. Romans 7:20-23tells us that sin is a power that enslaves us. It's an energy force that dwells in our unregenerate bodies whose whole intent and purpose is to cause us to veer off course and to miss the mark-the mark being total conformity to the image of Christ. Satan uses this power of sin as his tool. And every time we choose to follow what our flesh is saying over what God is prompting us to do, we quench God's Spirit in us and become the enemy's pawns.
Like a prisoner of war, we can easily become overpowered, seized and carried offby the flesh. We can become an unwilling captive and wholly unable to rid ourselves of our bonds, our cords or bands of sin. We can become like a traveler who is caught off guard by bandits that pounced on him and carried him off. What's so sad is how could we, a born-again Christian, allow the bandits to creep up on us so quickly and capture us? How could we, who know so many Biblical truths, who have preached them and supposedly walked them, fall like this? How could this happen? Paul, however, says that he himself continually experienced this battle.
Listen:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans 7:23-25
See Part 3.
This comment thread is locked. Please enter a new comment below to start a new comment thread.
Note: Comment threads older than 2 months are automatically locked.
Do you have a Bible comment or question?
Posting comments is currently unavailable due to high demand on the server.
Please check back in an hour or more. Thank you for your patience!
Report Comment
Which best represents the problem with the comment?