Struggling or Growing?
Posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010
What Tempts You?
What would you consider the most serious and debilitating temptation to a true Christian?
Sexual sin?
Lying?
Spiritual laziness?
How about none of the above?
The most serious temptation that derails Christians is the temptation to return to the law once they’ve received new life by trusting in Jesus. It’s a “Now that Jesus saved me, I better get to work to clean up my life and make Him proud of me!” temptation. And the so-called Christian culture cheers them on, “That’s right. Get to work for Jesus you sorry-little-sinner. That’s what we’re doing!”
No They’re Not!
That’s their dirty little secret. It’s not working. It’s not working because that’s not how God designed the Christian life. These “striving toward righteousness” rules and techniques will fail because they “are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23).
The New Testament is adamant about that truth! The Law wasn’t given to us to make us holy but to prove we’re not (Galatians 2:16; 3:11, 19-25).
It’s not about getting to work; it’s about trusting Jesus with your life (Hebrews 11:6).
It’s not about paying Jesus back for the Cross; it’s about the Cross motivating you to trust Him more (Galatians 2:20).
It’s not about controlling the flesh but about releasing the new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Is someone tempting you to leave your grace at the Cross and “get to work for Jesus”?
Don’t do it. It’s Satan’s oldest trick. Once you buy into the idea that you can make your flesh more moral, you’re sunk
Who Are You?
Romans 5-8 says that once you have trusted in Christ as your Savior, you’re not who you use to be.
And you do not have to live the way you use to live.
But it’s only when you trust in what God says about you as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthian 5:17) that you will begin to experience the life He gave you when you trust in what He said about heaven and hell.
How does this work? By grace, through faith, in Jesus and what He says about eternal life—how to get it and how to live it!
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace! (Romans 6:14)
