The Power of Sin
October 13 Day 287
The Power of Sin
“Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.” Romans 7:13
Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus. When the Savior said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”1, Saul was confused, for he thought that he was helping God by persecuting the church. He was forced to recognize a distinction between what he thought obeying the Law looked like and how God perceived it. When he persecuted the church he applied the Law mixing his will with what he thought to be the will of God. Once he saw this he realized that sin is more than violating the Law, for in persecuting the church, he broke no Law: “it was sin working death in me through what is good.” The Law produced the opposite of what he, as a good Jew, thought. Instead of giving life, the Law brought death.
Once Paul saw sin as a product of depravity rather than as an act of breaking the Law, he realized that the Law was powerless to help him. He could not please God by resolving to keep the Law. An evil power lurked deep within him that he was powerless to destroy: “I find then the principle that evil is present in me.”2 Most of Scripture views sin as hostile acts against God. Paul saw it as much more a personal power working in the destructive nature of people.
When Jesus said, “Paul, why do you persecute Me?”, he knew that this “evil presence” warped his ability to please God. Conversion gained him forgiveness, but not the removal of this “evil presence.” The power of sin, broken at the cross, will be removed when you are in the presence of the Lord.
Don’t allow sin’s continued presence in your life to discourage you. Your willingness to resist it both assures you that you are God’s child, and prepares you for your eternal home.
1 Acts 9:4 2 Romans 7:21
These are "Thoughts From The Diary Of a Desperate Man" by Walter Henrichsen. They will be posted each day with permission, but will be removed as the new day is posted. If you would like to purchase a copy, please click on this link: https://www.leadershipfoundation.org
Walt is now with the Lord, but had a rich ministry with Christian business men which flowed out of his work with the Navigators. His desire is that we might learn to "think Biblically". "As people of the Book, our objective is to see things as God sees them, as they truly are. How does one accomplish this task? The only way I know is through Scripture. I suggest that the concepts found in these devotions ought to influence how we evaluate our sojourn in Christ. I pray that they will be some small help to you, resulting the the glory of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."