Your Can't is Your Won't.

        Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

     Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,

     and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

     For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

                                                            Romans 6:11-14 NASB

     There are many individuals who look at the sinful habits they are enslaved to, and long to be free. They convince themselves that they hate their sin, that they want to be free from it, that they are willing to be saved, but their sin has them bound. They may pray and ask for God's help, they tell God they want to be free, they want to quit, they want to repent, but they can't. Many of these individuals find comfort in the fact that they are so bound. They feel that the responsibility for their sin is not theirs; God sees their heart, knows of their willingness to repent, knows of their desire to be saved, and now it is up to God to act on their behalf. They somehow believe that since God allows them to remain bound up in sin, they are safe, the responsibility is now on God. 

     In dealing with the "inability" of sinners to repent, Charles Finney told them, "Your can't is your won't." In other words they were making excuses. They perhaps felt bad about sin, maybe they wanted some assurance of heaven, and were hoping that God would somehow, in a sovereign way, make them quit sinning. The truth is, many people do not actually want to give up sin, They say they want to repent, but they can't, it is too hard. It is an excuse; they really love their sin too much to actually part from it. 

     We just read from Romans chapter six where Paul speaks of making a complete break from sin. He tells us to consider that we are dead to sin. It is impossible for dead men to have plans and purposes, to make choices, and to act upon those choices. Likewise, if we are dead to sin, we are done with it; we have made a complete break with it. 

     It is true that sin has men bound, but it is just as true that God commands us to repent. If God has called us to repentance, He expects us to repent. He does not command it just to watch us struggle with the "inability" to repent. If you truly desire freedom from the sin that has you bound you can find that freedom in Christ Jesus. If the Son sets you free you are free indeed (John 8:34-36). He asks us to repent, that is give up our sin and self, and surrender our lives to Him by faith. It is not a matter of waiting God's time, for now is the day of salvation, and if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart further, by clinging to your sin. If you mean business, if you are serious, God will then meet you where you are, and set you free.

A True View of Sin.

But that which God calls sin is something infinitely terrible, far beyond our ideas of misfortune and disease, something to which even Sodom and Sinai gave but faint expression. It is something which the Law curses and the Judge condemns; something which needs a righteous pardon, a divine Savior, and an almighty Spirit; something which can destroy a soul and ruin a world, which can, from one single drop, overflow earth for six thousand years, and fill hell eternally. It is that of whose hatefulness the blood and smoke and fire of the altar speak, which is "exceeding sinful," whose wages is death, the first and second death, and of whose balefulness the everlasting darkness is the witness. He who would know holiness must understand sin: and he who would see sin as God sees it, and think of it as God does, must look at the cross and grave of the Son of God, and must know the meaning of Gethsemane and Golgotha.

Horatius Bonar (2010-04-14). God's Way of Holiness (Kindle Locations 198-205).  . Kindle Edition. 

     Sinful man is guilty of holding a false view of sin. It is easy for us to downplay it; to believe that it really is not that bad. We tend to as the question "What does it matter, it is not hurting anyone?"

But what does god think about sin? Read the above quotation by Horatius Bonar. Sadly, many of the preachers and evangelists of the past had a greater insight into the evils of sin, and all of its deadly consequences, than what the preachers of today are teaching. Sin is the destructive force behind all of the evils and injustices that have plagued the world throughout the ages. It lies behind wars, murders, hatred, dishonesty, immorality, broken marriages, and broken homes. It will destroy your life on this earth, and then lead you to an everlasting hell. It is more than a "mistake," it is rebellion against God Himself.

     When we see sin for what it truly is, and come to grips with the fact that we stand guilty before a holy God, deserving of the awful consequences of our disobedience; our despising of God and His law; when we see that it was our sin that put Jesus Christ to death, broken and bleeding on a cruel Roman cross; when we see that Jesus loved us in spite of our sinfulness, loved us enough to die for us; to bear our sins in His body; How can we refuse to humbly cast ourselves down in repentance, and give our lives to follow Him?

The Coming Day of the Lord.

     Behold the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. 
     For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light.
     Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
                                                     Isaiah 13:9-11 NASB

     In this present age, an individual who would quote a passage of scripture like this one, is viewed as mean spirited, judgmental, and even hateful. This is the common reaction of many when confronted with biblical truths such as this. 
     The simple truth is this: There is indeed a "day of the Lord" coming. This is reality plain and simple. There is coming a day when God is going to judge the world in righteousness through Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31). One day every mouth will be stopped, and the whole world will be held accountable to God (Romans 3:19). There is a coming day when the sun will be as black as sackcloth, and the moon will be as blood, and the stars will fall from the heavens (Rev 6:12-13; Acts 2:20). The day will come when all of those who in their pride and arrogance cast off God's law, and brazenly promoted sin will stand before Him in terror. The Bible tells us that we will be judged according to our deeds (Romans 2:5-16), and all of those whose names are not found in the Lamb's book of life will be cast into everlasting torment in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15).
     The only remedy is to flee to Christ from the wrath to come. To cast yourself upon Him in repentance and faith; surrendering your life to Him. He will cleanse you and change you; blotting out all of your sin, and preparing you for the day when we will all appear before Him.
     

Calling Upon the Lord in Truth.

     The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
                                              Psalm 145:18 NASB

     In my last post I focused on the free provision of the gospel made available to all. In this post I would like to look at the fact that while the gospel is offered to whosoever may call on the name of the Lord, calling on the name of the Lord means far more than many of us may understand.
     First off, it may help our understanding if we can see that the name of the Lord reflects His character.  There are many scriptures that tell of God's righteousness, but I will use this one here. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 97:2b). You see, God is right and just in all He does. It can be no other way; it is who God is. His rule over man is done in righteousness, and He requires it of us as well. For a righteous ruler to not require righteousness and justice from his subjects would mean that ruler was corrupt. What kind of ruler would allow injustice and anarchy to reign among his subjects, while declaring he, himself was righteous and just?
     The work of Jesus is to save us from this life of lawlessness and rebellion to the righteous rule of God. We read that He was to be named Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins (Matt 1:21) We also read that He gave Himself for our sins, to rescue us from this present evil age (Gal 1:4). The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil. That is, sin. Therefore one who is born of God no longer practices sin (1 John 3:8-9). This was what God purposed to do for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His intent was to bring us out from our lawless rebellion, to submission to His rule and reign in our lives.
     Now what does it mean for us to call upon the name of the Lord in truth?

     "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God I thank You that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all I get.'
     "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me the sinner!'
     "I tell you this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
                                                                Luke 18:10-14 NASB

     The Apostle Paul writes of a godly sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation (2 Cor 7:10-11). We see so many people who are shallow in their apologies and confessions to people that they have wronged. A man may have offended his wife, and after a few days of the silent treatment, and a few nights on the couch, he desires to get things back to "normal" in his home. He may come with flowers and an insincere "I'm sorry," but more than likely he has no concept of the pain he has caused, and does not realize or care that what he did was horrible- he is only concerned with himself and the inconveniences he is now suffering through. 
     It is the same way with God, and the sin that has offended Him. A person may desire forgiveness to avoid hell; may desire a "relationship" with Jesus for the sake of a better life, but this is selfish! A truly sorrowful person grieves over the fact that they have offended God. They know and understand that they are wicked at heart, and like the tax collector, they take the responsibility for their actions, in calling themselves sinners. A true confession of sin takes the whole blame; it does not make excuses. One who has been convicted by the Holy Ghost can see the deplorable ugliness of their rebellious heart, and the first step is admitting to it.
     Therefore, one who calls upon the name of the Lord in truth, is calling not only for forgiveness, but to be changed, to be saved from sin. For someone to recognize how horrible they are at heart; how deeply offensive their actions are to God and others, and not give them up, but tightly cling to their right to live however they wish-how can their confession be sincere?
     To believe in Christ is to believe not only in His willingness to forgive, but also in His willingness and power to change the individual. It is to "dethrone" oneself, and place Him upon the throne as Lord of all.
     Paul, writing to the Roman's, asks how can someone who died to sin still live in it (Romans 6:2). Repentance (dying to sin) is basic to salvation! This was something that these believers understood. When they made their baptismal profession, they were in effect giving up sin, and choosing, by faith, to follow Christ in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). The world with all of it's wicked ways is going in the opposite direction of Christ. To repent, is to turn back from the world, and go after Christ. There is no calling upon the name of the Lord in lip service only, it involves a deep sorrow over our sin, and a renunciation of it, for the sake of Christ.



    
    

The Abundant Provision of the Gospel.

     The message of the gospel is good news for fallen man. I would like to use this post to share some of the promises found in the word of God that pertain to His abundant willingness to save sinners. 
     God does not desire the death of sinners, as it says in Ezekiel "For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord God. "Therefore, repent and live." (Ezekiel 18:31-32 NASB). And we also read in 2 Peter that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The offer of salvation is open to all. Notice however that repentance is made conditional in both of the above verses. While God does not desire the death of the sinner, yet He requires repentance on their part if they would be saved.
     In what is quite likely the most quoted verse found in the bible, we read that God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
     We also find in Acts 2:21, Peter quoting from Joel 2:32. "And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." And then we read What Paul said in Romans 10:12-13, For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
     I highlighted the words such as all, whosoever, whoever, any, and anyone, to emphasize the fact that God has made abundant provision so that no one should perish; so that any and all may come to salvation through Jesus Christ. 
     God has done all that He had to do to make it possible for us to come to salvation; to be delivered from the power and guilt of sin. As Paul said, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all... (Romans 8:32), and, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." In fact while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). 
     In a future post I would like to focus on what it means to believe in Christ; on repentance, and what it means to call upon the name of the Lord.
    

     

      

Its a Deeper Issue.

          And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.
                                                         Mark 7:20-23 NASB

     
          The word of God tells us that the heart is more deceitful than any other thing. It is desperately sick, spiritually speaking, that is (Jeremiah 17:9). In the above passage, Jesus tells us the evil deeds that men commit, flow out of the heart. In other words, we are responsible for our actions, and we have chosen to do the things that we do. If the heart is right, the deeds will be right; if the heart is evil, evil deeds will be the result (Matt 12:33). 
     It does not matter what the politicians believe about the evils that permeate society, it does not matter what our courts say about the issues of the day; sadly, many so called ministers of the gospel today miss it as well. They fail to look to the real root of the problem, which lies deep within the heart of man; a heart that is wicked, refusing to subject itself to the law of God (Romans 8:7). 
     The Bible tells us that the Lord searches our hearts; He knows our inner thoughts and motives, and will give to each man according to his deeds (Jeremiah 17:10). This is also shown us in Romans 2:5-11. God will judge us based upon our deeds. He can do this because our actions are the reflection of what is in our hearts. It is only the pure in heart who will see God (Psalm 24:3-4, Matt 5:8). 
     It is a heart transplant that we need. Jesus said that unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3,5). The deceitful heart of a sinful man will seek to justify his actions. You may fool yourself, you may fool others, but the fact remains that without the new birth, without a new heart, you are lost, dead in your sin. Once again, it does not matter what the world says about sin; the politicians can legalize it, the psychologists can explain it away, the false teachers can give you a false sense of security, but apart from the new birth, you are lost!
     In Ezekiel we read,
     "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 
                                       Ezekiel 36:25-27 NASB

     We read this also in Titus,
     When the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
                                                        Titus 3:4-7 NASB

     In the new birth we are transformed by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. We are washed from our sin. This speaks beyond the cleansing of the guilt of our sin, to the actual removal of the sin itself. The promise of the new heart, the promise of the Spirit within us causing us to walk in the laws and statutes of God, are found in Jesus Christ, and availed to us in the new birth. Paul says,
     "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God."
                                             1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NASB

     There are two things to notice in this passage of scripture.
     1. The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. The verse goes on to show who the unrighteous are. Many of the sinful acts mentioned here are also mentioned by Jesus in the passage from Mark 7:20-23. Once again, out of the sinful rebellious heart flow immoral actions of every kind. Paul emphatically states, "Do not be deceived." As I have already stated, no matter what anyone else tells you, unless you have been born again, unless you have experienced the renewal of the Holy Spirit, you are lost. You can deceive yourself, (and the heart will try to do this), but without the new nature that only comes through Jesus Christ, you are still dead in your sins.
     2. The past tense of sin. Notice Paul says, "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God." This is the new birth; the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This is the sprinkling of clean water as mentioned by Ezekiel; the removal of the hard, stony heart, replaced with a soft heart that is made willing to obey God. These individuals once lived in these sinful ways, but no longer. They had been transformed by the grace and power of God. They had not been saved "in" their sin, but from sin, and this is the gospel message.
     

     
     

Under the Curse of the Law.

     For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
                               Galatians 3:10 KJV

     There are great numbers of people who are trying to become "good" people by reforming their lives. They may sincerely believe that they are trying as hard as they can to follow God's laws, and that this will be enough to gain entrance into heaven someday. Sadly, they are laboring under a grave deception.
     The above verse tells us that those who are trying to become righteous through obedience to the law are under the curse. The reason being is that God requires perfection. If we manage to keep the whole law, and yet slip at one point, we are guilty of all of it (James 2:10). James uses the example of one who does not commit adultery, but commits murder, is still a lawbreaker in God's eyes. Likewise, we could say that one who has never stolen might have coveted things in his heart; someone who has never committed adultery physically, may have done so in his heart as well (Matt 5:28). One may keep the commandment prohibiting theft, but be guilty of lying. He may not be a thief, but a liar is still a lawbreaker in God's eyes, and God requires perfect obedience continually, to the entire law. 
     This verse tells us that one must continue in the perfect keeping of the law if we would be righteous. Not only would we have to keep the law externally, but our inward motivations would need to be right as well, as the law is summed up in loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as our self (Matt 22:37-40). Any obedience to the law done in a spirit of self preservation rather than done out of love for God and our fellow man, is selfish, and cannot be pleasing to God.
     If we would be honest with ourselves, we would see that by the time we decide to be obedient to the law, we have already broken it; we are already guilty of it; we are already under the curse of the law, guilty, and condemned under its just sentence.
     This passage in Galatians also tells us that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. He became cursed for us, so that we could be released from the curse. In other words, when He died upon the cross, He took our sin, our guilt, upon Himself, thus making it possible for God to forgive those who turn to Jesus in repentance and faith (Galatians 3:13).