Previously, we talked about how the Spirit battles the flesh. This daily devotional looks more at the nature of the conflict.
Nuggets
- We struggle with sin even after conversion.
Devotions in The Goodness of Grace series
We are continuing to look at the struggle between the Spirit and our flesh. We move now to looking at the conflict between good and evil.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
For this series, we are looking at Griffith’s sermon entitled Grace, the Only Source of Goodness.
- In the first two devotions, we looked at our lives without God.
- In the next two devotions, we looked at how our new lives with God created a renewed, inner life in our spirits and minds.
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Good v. Evil
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Rom. 7: 18-19 ESV)
We struggle with sin even after conversion.
Worldview people like to think that they can be good people without God. True, they might do good deeds, but that does not make them good people. They are still slaves of evil.
- Good, in the biblical sense, is the workings of God within His people through His holy, pure, and righteous behavior.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
Evil is equated with sin because it is that which goes against God and His purposes.
Glossary
Good has a much larger definition than worldview people think. It is based on God’s character.
Therefore, we can’t be good without God.
Because we know of God’s good, we know there is no good in our flesh.
There is a consequence of this conflict. Stanford reminded us that, though we may want to do good for God, we won’t fulfill our desires.
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Does that mean God is going to punish us? Not necessarily.
- God knows we are not perfected. He is not expecting perfection on earth.
- But God will punish unrepented sin. If we don’t ask for forgiveness for breaking God’s laws and commandments, we will have to suffer the consequences.
Grace doesn’t give us a license to sin. It calls us to have the right attitude — the desire to obey God’s laws and commandments.
God knows that of which we are capable. Tozer wrote, “God does not expect more from us than we are capable of being and doing.”
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It comes down to attitude. Are we trying to work out our salvation and follow God? Or are we trying to compromise with the worldview or, worse, no trying at all? Are we going to try to be?
We have to have the singleness of mind that Paul talked about in Philippians. “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents …” (Phil. 1: 27-28 ESV emphasis added).
Unfortunately, we often fail at this. Tozer called the “… desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (Rom. 7: 18 ESV) willing inability. That is very descriptive!
We have the inability for several reasons. We may have the talent, but we don’t hone it to be usable. But then again, we may have the usable talent but be refusing to use it. Or we may not be given the opportunity to use it because of means or distractions.
We have to want to do good. We have to choose God’s way each time.
It does go back to focus and attitude. We have to not only desire to do good, but we also have to work toward that end.
Yeah, a lot of that is tied up in motivation. Why do we want to follow God’s Will? What drives us?
Is it because we want fire insurance? Not enough.
Is it because we want to spend eternity in Heaven with God? Not enough.
Is it because we love God? Bingo.
Our motivation has to be about God’s character, not His blessings.
Watson made some interesting observations. He noted that we will never live up to our expectations.
When we attempt to conform and see how far apart the where-we-are and the where-we-are-supposed-to-be is, total depression sometimes hits. We know there is no way we are going to come around.
Also noted was that we can be growing even when we think we aren’t. We may be looking for growth in another area and don’t see the areas in which we are growing. We may not see the growth because it is an inward growth, not outward growth.
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We know God doesn’t expect us to go from sinful to perfect in a couple of hours. He knows it is going to take our lifetimes.
He is okay with that.
We have to take heart. Beecher encouraged us. He wrote, “The way upward is easier than the way downward.”
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Ooo, baby. I think sometimes we think the opposite is true. We think it is so hard to weather the trials that sanctify us.
But it does get easier as faith grows. Hope grows along with it.
Making the Connections
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12: 1-2 ESV)
There is this huge struggle going on within us. We would rather have a peaceful life without the conflict of sin and self.
Not going to happen.
Read what Newman said. He wrote, “True faith is not shown here below in peace, but rather in conflict; and it is no proof that a man is not in a state of grace that he continually sins, provided such sins do not remain on him as permanent results, but are ever passing on into something beyond and unlike themselves, into truth and righteousness[.]”
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Read that last part again. Our continuing to sin does not prove that we haven’t gained salvation.
Worldview people want to believe that we really aren’t God’s children because we continue to sin. Doesn’t work that way.
We continue to sin, and we are God’s children after conversion.
We aren’t God’s children before conversion.
We become holy as we are sanctified and work out our salvation.
How Do We Apply This?
Binney said it really is a choice. He wrote, “Throw your moral power and affections upon one side, walk in the spirit, yield to the spirit, hold to the spirit, and then you will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.”
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Two problems. We can’t limit this to a moral issue. We have to hold fast to the greatest commandment. “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk. 12: 30 ESV).
Glossary
Many times, that we don’t recognize that we have moral power. We think Satan is too strong.
Yes, Satan is strong — stronger than us many times. But he is not stronger than God. God has defeated him.
- Hold on tightly to God’s promises.
- Don’t stop praying or remaining in the attitude of prayer.
- Work out our salvation.
- Trust that God will keep His promises.
- Seek God
- Grow our prayer life, faith, and hope.
- Be intentional instead of reactional.
- Choose well through discernment.
- Pray, pray, pray.
- Ask forgiveness when we fail and strive to follow His Will more completely the next time.
- Have a willing mind.
- Recognize and make the best of our opportunities.
- Make sure our motives are right.
- Position ourselves to be surrounded by people and circumstances that provide us with incentives to follow God.
- Watch so we can escape temptation.
- Mortify our sin.
- Experiment with different ways to mortify our sin to see what works.
- Corral our thoughts and desires.
- Evaluate the hold that sin has on us.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
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Father God. We constantly feel the tug of the conflict within us. We understand that Satan continues to fight for us to make us turn from our commitment to You. Give us strength to withstand Him. Help us to endure the conflict and persevere. Amen.
What do you think?
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