seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Are you all muddied up by sin?When I was a kid, I played in the mud. Every time I think of playing in the mud, I remember being stung by a bee. I was playing in the mud. I made a mudpie and I thought I should eat it. My first taste... a bee got in my mudpie.... and in my mouth. I chomped down on that bee and the bee stung back. I ran home crying. My mom cleaned my mouth out.... but boy I swelled up something fierce. I know the bee just landed there by happenstance, but I've never made another mudpie.
That little story aside, I was also muddy from head to toe. It was mighty fine mud... required a tub bath, and then the bath tub was a mess too. You know what I must have looked like. I was about 3 when this happened. I know you've seen kids that dirty. Kids who play right... the way we used to play in the 50's wouldn't get carpel tunnel.... They'd get dirty.
Now.... think of that mud as sin. Back in the days when Paul, John, and Jesus were walking around the world, people were dirty with sin. People were caked with sin. If they lifted a finger to pluck a bee from their daughter's mouth on the wrong day of the week, they were sinners. A muddy kid was a sinner. Giving a muddy kid a bath on the Sabbath made them a sinner. Yep... no baths or cooking on the Sabbath.... sinners!
I was stung by a bee. If this was on the Sabbath back in the days of Paul, John, and Jesus. I would have been in a terrible fix. If my mom had given me a nice bath, and made me a bowl of Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup to ease the pain of the bee sting.... on a Sabbath back in the day.... she would be a sinner.
Yep... no baths or cooking on the Sabbath.... sinners!
Maybe the image of a mud-soaked kid with a swollen jaw will suffice for being covered in sin. Under the laws of the Jews, if it happened on the wrong day of the week, it would be a sin to help. Jesus got in a lot of trouble for healing the sick on the wrong day of the week. Breaking civil laws and getting people all upset would also be a sin. Breaking civil laws and getting people upset is not even good under Jesus' rules. We are charged with treating others as we would have them treat us. If we upset them... It's a sin. We wouldn't want people upsetting us... So, we should try not to upset people. I'm sure the bee was upset when I chomped down on him. He let me know it too!
Paul says Jesus' family, Children of God, get that muddy sin washed away and they get the bowl of soup. They even get a hug for being such a lovable child. God and Jesus will love us like family. God and Jesus will love us and take care of us every single day. The mud will be washed away, our bellies will be soothed, and we won't upset anyone.
In one family [the family of man] we have to sit, swollen and caked with mud, until the "law" says it's ok.
In the other family [the family of God] we get a nice warm bubble bath followed by a warm bowl of soup and a hug.
Who's family would you like to be in?
