DEEPER AND FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF GODLY LIVING

Godly living is what we are called to, as Christians. Yet, we fail many times in living for God. This seems to be the recurring theme of Christians. Some have it hard, some seem to manage things better. We may also observe, it is so, not because we lack that desire to live, a godly life for our God. Despite the desire for God, we seem to falter, fail and fall.
– “5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” – David in Psalm 32:5
– “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good.” – C. S. Lewis

As a Christian, desiring to live a godly life, we ought to know and understand, how things work in the spiritual matters. The key to practicing, all what we believe and preach is, a deeper, a fuller, and a proper understanding of the reality, of a redeemed Christian’s situation. There two important things, in this regard, that we should know, even before we start to live a victorious Christian life.

1- FORGET NOT THE FLESH – OUR OLD FRIEND
The first thing that we ought to know, and realise is that, our old self, the flesh, the evil that we were, hasn’t gone anywhere. This so because, we are still in the same flesh and blood, body. As long as we are in this state, the possibility of we faltering, failing, falling and sinning is always present. This is the reality that we should know. Let us read, what Paul has to write, on this subject. He mentions this three times in a short span of time. This should help us notice its significance.
– “14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” – Romans 7:14-15
– “18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” – Romans 7:18-19

2- FLESH HOLDS US DOWN
The second thing that we must know is that, we cannot live the godly life with our human strength and efforts. We simply cannot live out spiritual life with our sin infested human flesh.
– “21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 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.” – Romans 7:21-23

David Guzik commenting on the above passages from, Romans chapter seven, says…
– “For what I am doing, I do not understand: Paul’s problem isn’t a lack of desire – he wants to do what is right.
– “(what I will to do, that I do not practice). His problem isn’t knowledge – he knows what the right thing is.”
– “His [Paul’s] problem is a lack of power: how to perform what is good I do not find. He lacks power because the law gives no power. i. The law says: “Here are the rules and you had better keep them.” But it gives us no power for keeping the law.” – David Guzik

What we need is, a clearer and complete understanding of the fallen human nature. When we know how sinful and wicked we are, in the human flesh, the clearer we understand, the struggle of a godly Christian, and how to live this life, that God has called us to.
– “17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” – Galatians 5:17
– “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:…Often, it is a battle. There is a battle going on inside the Christian, and the battle is between the flesh and the Spirit. As Paul writes, these are contrary to one another – they don’t get along at all. When the flesh is winning the inside battle, you do not do the things that you wish. You don’t live the way you want to; you live under the flesh instead of under the Spirit.” – Enduring Word Bible Commentary

Let us stop here for today. Let us continue to explore this further, in tomorrow’s “THINK ABOUT IT.” Meanwhile, please ponder over what Paul is writing in Romans 7:14-23, and Galatians 5;17. Let us seek the LORD to help us to gain a DEEPER AND FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF GODLY LIVING. Even so, the LORD help us.