A Word about the Prescription for Sin from Romans 3:20-30

Today I want to share a word about the prescription for sin as I comment on Romans 3:20-30

When a lady by the name of Eva Reitzel turned 103, she was interviewed by her local radio station.  After discussing all the things she'd seen in her life, the interviewer asked her what her prescription for a long life was.  Her answer was nine words long: “Stay away from doctors and stay away from men!” 

God has a simple prescription for eternal life as well.  We find it in many places in the Bible, and we do so today in Romans 3 beginning in verse 20.

WE ARE SAVED BY GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS :

In verses 20-23, Paul tells us we are saved by God’s rightness:

For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets —that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

From the before the time of Paul even until today, people have looked to many different sources to save them. These have included money, power, prestige and politics. People have also looked to institutions like education to save them as well.

One of my prized possessions is my grandfather’s high school diploma from the early 20th Century. The inscription in his diploma reads, “Public Schools, Hope of our Nation.” I am a graduate of public schools and I am very grateful for them. My wife is a retired teacher from public schools, but we both know that as good as our public schools are, they have their limitations, particularly in the spiritual realm.

The problem with all these things is that we can do nothing to save ourselves. The Bible tells us our righteousness is like filthy rags before God. Let me illustrate that.

I once served alongside a member of the Louisiana Army National Guard who had been tasked one day with using a bulldozer to help clear up the site of a school building that had burned. After a long, tiring, but ultimately satisfying day of work, at quitting time my colleague had parked the dozer and jumped off of it. 

As soon as his feet hit the ground it opened and swallowed him up. He had parked on top of the school’s septic tank, and his weight on the ground was just enough to collapse the roof of the tank, and down into the muck and mire he went. 

Members of his team pulled my colleague out of the septic tank to safety, but they made him ride in the pickup truck bed and his wife would not let him into the house until she had hosed him down in their backyard. This is a graphic expression of our righteousness before God!

The truth is that the Law shows us our flaws, it doesn't correct them. This is just like how the bubble of a level shows the slope of a board but can’t change it.

Nothing we do can match God's perfection.

What then can save us? If our heritage, our church attendance, our good works, our education, our intelligence, our good looks can't, what can? Paul tells us what he discovered about this problem in Romans 7:24-25a: 

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Only God can do this work! Only God can do the impossible!

WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH :

In verses 24-28, Paul tells us we are saved by grace through faith:

They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law of faith. For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

What is faith? It is placing our  trust in something and relying solely upon it. 

When we board a passenger jet, we are placing our trust in the airplane, the pilots, the mechanics, and air traffic control. We simply sit on our seat and trust that everyone responsible for our safety have done their job and that they will continue to do it. This is faith.

In this case of our salvation, it means believing that Jesus is the remedy for our sin illness! It means placing our lives and future in His hands with no “Plan B”.

I remember a time when my dad used a ladder to climb up on the roof to do a repair job. I climbed up after him and had a great time “helping” him, and also looking around our neighborhood from a new perspective. I had a totally different perspective, however, when it came time to climb back down the ladder!

From the edge of the roof, I could not see the top step of the ladder, and I froze in place. My dad, who had scrambled down the ladder with the ease of a gymnast, climbed back up and told me to hang my leg off the roof. When I hesitated, he told me to trust him, and I did. He took my foot, and placed securely on the ladder, and I was able to descend safely.

We need to trust Jesus in the same way!

What is justification? It is to be made whole in God's sight.  It is “Just as if I'd never sinned.”  When God looks upon our sin, He sees the Blood of Jesus covering it.

A story I heard illustrates this very well. A man and his son were in a shop when a unit of red-coated soldiers came into view as they marched down the street. As they marched by, the boy exclaimed, “My what bright white uniforms they are wearing!” His father was stunned, because he could clearly see the red coats, until he stooped to match his son’s point of view. The boy was watching the soldiers through the red stained-glass border of the shop window. The red glass filtered out the red color of the coats, and they appeared white to the boy. 

Again, when God looks upon our sin, He sees the Blood of Jesus covering it.

What is redemption? It means to exchange one item for another, like for example exchanging a voucher for a meal or a book, or exchanging a ransom for a hostage. We are sin's hostages, and God has exchanged Jesus for our freedom!

What is “passing over sin”? In this case it is a total, permanent solution to a problem. God puts our sin as far as the east is from the west and we are offered a complete, total pardon in Christ!

WE ARE SAVED LIKE ANYONE ELSE CAN BE: 

Finally, Paul tells us in verses 29-31 that we are saved just like everyone else can be saved:

Or is God for Jews only? Is He not also for Gentiles? Yes, for Gentiles too, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

The ancient view of God was very exclusive and very discriminatory. People believed in territorial gods, ethnic gods, functional gods. It was a world of confusion, superstition and fear. Some still have such views today.

One of the pillars and also problems of post-modern thinking is the lack of belief in universal truth. My truth is good for me, and your truth is good for you. This is not the way that truth and God are revealed in the Bible.

The proper, Biblical view of God is there is only one God, one creator. There is only one source of wisdom, and there is only one author of truth, and that is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As He told Moses to write on the tablets, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Do not have other gods besides Me.”

This one God created an orderly world, with orderly rules. This God gives us one way by which life begins, and one way by which it should be lived. Ironically, the fact that God created the world in an orderly fashion to work by observable rules and principles spawned modern science, which has often turned its back on the God who created it.  

One God provides salvation for one creation: for Jews, for Samaritans, for Gentiles. As the old saying put’s it, “What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” for, as Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” and as Paul himself said in Romans 10:13, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

CONCLUSION:

There is one God, on Savior, one Salvation, and one prescription for our sin. Have you taken the cure yet? If not, why not?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Serving God from Romans 12:1-21

Today I want to share a word about serving God as I comment on Romans 12:1-21.

A basic fact of life is that none of us will live forever.  Thus, comes the question:  who will replace us in our places of service for God? Who will replace Billy Graham?  Who will replace James Dobson? The long-serving pastor of your local church? 

We need not worry about the replacements for these people.  God has already picked them out.  The only question is will they answer the call?  The same question is there for us today as we consider who can serve God.

FIRST, GOD USES PEOPLE OF UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER:

 

In verses 1 and 3, Paul said:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship . . .  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

What is unconditional surrender?  Like skydiving, it is throwing yourself totally into a thing. Like the old joke says, “If at first you don't succeed, skydiving isn't for you”  

The early Spanish explorer to America Cortes burned his ships so that his crew would know that there was no going back. 

We need to do this because we can't add anything to God's plan. Like a drowning man should stop fighting and let the lifeguard save him, so should we throw ourselves into God’s arms and surrender to Him.

What areas do we need to surrender to God? 

We need to surrender our bodies: do right. 

We need to surrender our minds: think right. 

We need to surrender our will: decide right.

Our relationship to God is not a buffet line, but a banquet meal. Everything is on our plate in our relationship with God.

NEXT, GOD USES PEOPLE WILLING TO BE CORRECTED:

In verses 2 and 9-10 Paul taught,

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect . . .  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

We must be willing to have our attitudes corrected: Arrogance is a distasteful and defeating trait. We all know arrogant people like the fellow who said, “I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.” Paul taught that such people are of little use to God.

We also must be willing to have our world view corrected: The Classic view says that the Creator is truth. The Modern view says that the Creation is truth. The Post-Modern view says that the Creature is truth.

A good illustration of these world views is found in the story of three baseball umpires. 

The first umpire said, “There are balls and strikes and I call them as they are.”

The second umpire said, “There are balls and strikes and I call them as I see them.”

The third umpire said, “There are balls and strikes but they are nothing until I call them.”

 

We need to know that truth is found only in God's revelation to us! God is the truth that we need to find and to cherish. True wisdom is seeing the world through God’s point of view.

Finally, we must be willing to have our relationships corrected:  Our arrogance and our wrong world view damage relationships. Once we get our own spiritual condition sorted out, we can then correct our relationships. We can't do it before we are corrected by God, but must do it after.

Paul tells us what this looks like in verses 9-18,

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

GOD USES PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO WORK:   

In verse 11 Paul said this,

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Too often we look for the easy way out, like the fellow who said, “Work fascinates me; I can sit and look at it for hours.” And while God empowers us with His Spirit, He also clearly expects us to work. In addition, the word translated as “Serve'” here implies that as we work, we are also honoring and worshipping God.

God expects us to use what He has given us. We may be a “one talent Christian,” but He expects us to employ that talent for His glory and honor and for the blessing of His bride the church

Truth be told, most of the work which is done in the Kingdom isn't spectacular. Little of it is heroic, and the vast majority is more like when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet than when He cleansed the temple. 

Done properly and with the proper attitude, however, our work has two equal characteristics: 

It is diligent, earnest, and well done. It is also fun and rewarding. What's not to like?

FINALLY, GOD USES PEOPLE WHO MINISTER IN HIS NAME:  

In verses 20-21, Paul urges us to love people the way that God does:  

To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If we bow our will to God, He will transform us into powerful people. He will make the weak strong and He will make the strong person into an appealing person.

Once God transforms us, then He can use us. We can go in His name and power to serve everyone, even our enemies. We go out with the good in our hearts and lives to overcome evil.

IN CONCLUSION, CONSIDER SOME  PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE THAT SERVED GOD:  

• Moses was a stuttering murderer, who was working as a shepherd on the back side of the desert. 
• Rahab was a harlot. 
• David was a humble shepherd boy.
• Mary was an insignificant, teenage, single mother. 
• Peter was a rough, untutored fisherman. 
• Matthew was a traitorous tax collector. 
• Paul was a bitter, legalistic Pharisee.  

God used all of these, and more. He will use us as well, if we only let Him! 

Thanks for watching. I will be back soon with more words we can consider together.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about True Patriotism from Romans 13

Today I want to share a word about true patriotism as I comment on Romans 13:1-7.

Few areas of life today are more controversial than politics and governance.  In a modern democracy, the winner of an election may still have almost one-half of his fellow citizens vote against him.

Although we have established here in the United States a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” we may need to ask the question, “Should we have human governments?”

One response to this question is illustrated in the novel and movie “The Sand Pebbles.”  During one of the civil wars in China during the inter-war years a missionary family declared themselves to be stateless persons.  This didn't help, for that status wasn't recognized by any of the combatant sides.  We have to live with human governments whether we like it or not!

Paul taught us how to view human government in Romans 13:1-7. 

FIRST, GOD HAS ORDAINED HUMAN GOVERNMENT:

In verses 1 and 2 Paul made this point to the church at Rome:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

Scholars have discerned that three realms of authority on earth have been established in the Bible: 

The first realm is The Family. We see this in the Creation Story in Genesis, in the wedding at Cana, in 1 Corinthians 1:7 and Ephesians Chapter 4. 

The next realm is The Church, which looks back to Matthew Chapter 16 and Acts Chapter 2 for its founding.

Finally, there is the realm of Government, which we see established through Jethro’s counsel to Moses in Exodus Chapter 18, and also here in Romans Chapter 13. 

These first two verses answer the question of why we should be obedient to human government. 

Personal loyalty is the most powerful reason for obedience. People will lie, cheat, steal, and die for those they believe in. The fates of the Apostles, with all of them martyred in one way or another, shows their loyalty and obedience to Christ.

The problem we have with this is that people are human and frail, and they will fail us. The pastor who married my wife and I often said from the pulpit, “Don’t follow me. I am human and I will fail you. Follow God, follow His Word, and follow the Holy Spirit.” 

Governments at all levels are made up of people, they will fail. Our loyalty is to God; however, we need to remember that He asks us to be obedient to our government. 

So, as we loyally follow God and are obedient to our government, what does Paul mean when he tells us to be subject to our government? Paul was not asking us to be doormats or slaves. In fact, he asserted his rights as a Roman citizen several times in the Book of Acts.

The Greek word translated “subject” really means to cooperate, to play our proper part. It was used to describe military units arranging themselves in proper order on the battlefield. It means holding human government accountable, but it does not mean to rebel without just cause.

Because our nation was founded in rebellion, we sometimes forget how destructive rebellion is to society. Our war for independence produced a stable nation but the French Revolution continued on for many years and wreaked havoc with French society. 

Rebellion, which God equates with witchcraft, is not something we should choose lightly.

NEXT, GOD USES HUMAN GOVERNMENT: 

One reason God wants us to obey human government, according to Paul in verses 3 and 4, is that God uses it:

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

God is not physically present in this world today. He has chosen to use humans to accomplish His bidding. His task for the family is to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. His task for the church is to redeem the ungodly, not control them. The government is God’s chosen instrument to control human behavior.

God has empowered government to control human behavior for him:

He has given the state the power to penalize wrong doers. God has also given the state power to reward those who do good. We don’t often see a police officer as a minister of God, but according to Paul, he is! 

And remember, Paul did not live in a democracy the way we do here in the United States. He was the citizen of an authoritarian and often despotically governed empire, yet God revealed to him the role that government played in God’s eternal plan.

God reserves the right of vengeance to Himself; in Romans 12:19 we read, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” God deputizes human government to repay. God even outlines punishments in the Bible that governments can use, such as fines, restitution, death, even banishment.

God does love justice and mercy, but we need to allow Him to discipline His own servant. When we try to do that, we put ourselves in the place of the Master, and this, of course, is wrong. 

FINALLY, GOD EXPECTS PARTICIPATION IN HUMAN GOVERNMENT: 

In verses 5 through 7, Paul gave some practical examples of what God expects of us:

Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

I can think of three basic reasons to obey a government:

Out of blind habit.

Out of fear of punishment.

Out of respect for the God who put government in place. 

My wife is a retired teacher. During her career in education, she discovered that all students would obey a strict teacher, but only the respectful students would obey all teachers.

As we respect God, we must also respect our government in practical ways such as:

Paying our taxes and other fees.

Treating our leaders with respect and honor.

Obeying the laws of the land.

As Jesus Himself said, we should give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s!

The bottom line is that we must work with and in government. We do this to improve it and to ensure it maintains the appropriate level of righteousness and justice. 

We also need to use it for the best advantage of the Gospel. Paul appealing to Rome in Acts Chapter 25 allowed him to go to Rome and share the Gospel there, such that even members of Caesar’s household became followers of Christ.

We also, individually, need to consider becoming part of government so that we, as Christians, can help leaven the loaf, so to speak.

CONCLUSION:

We often find it hard to believe that God can use something so disorganized and riddled with problems as government.  

Of course, if He can use a similarly troublesome body like the church, He can certainly use human governments.  

We need to honor His purposes in that endeavor.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Choices from Romans 5:12-21

Today I would like to share a word about choices as I comment on Romans 5:12-21.

Often when we face choices in life, we confront what I call the “Candy Store Syndrome,” in which we have too many choices, and too many options.  The “Candy Store Syndrome,” makes decision making very difficult.  Many life situations are like that and many life decisions are very difficult because we can have too many choices.

In our relationship to God, though, there are only two choices, and if we look closely at what Paul wrote in Romans 5, we'll find that one choice is far superior to the other.

FIRST, WE SEE THE CHOICE OF OFFENSE VS. RECONCILIATION:

In Romans 5:12-16 Paul told us:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

History has demonstrated that the actions of one person can affect many others. That one person can bring great blessings or great trouble on mankind. 

Adolph Hitler and Dr. Albert Sweitzer were both well-known men from Germany who lived in the middle of the 20th Century, but one caused the deaths of millions and the other was a healer and philanthropist. 

Thomas Edison was the inventor of the light bulb, the telephone, the phonograph, and moving pictures, all of which have blessed humanity. On the other hand a single airline mechanic who failed to reassemble the engines on an airliner properly caused all the engines on that plane to suffer the loss of their lubricating oil. That almost cost the lives of all the people on that airliner.

A single person, Adam, brought sin into God's perfect world through pride, arrogance and disobedience. Now we all suffer since world isn't what it was intended to be. 

Jesus, in contrast brought grace, which is the unmerited favor of God, into the world. Grace is a free gift which we don't deserve, and we have to accept it for it to be operative in our lives. Jesus has given us the opportunity to be blessed and to be reconciled with God through receiving His grace.

So, which is more desirable? Would we choose offense and destruction or reconciliation and blessing?

NEXT WE SEE THE CHOICE OF DEATH VS. LIFE: 

In Romans 5:17, Paul gave us another, equally crucial, choice:

For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

The human survival instinct is strong; we will fight, lie, steal, and cheat to stay alive. Only when death appears to be better than life will we let go and give up.

If given choice, no rational person would choose death over life.

Like many tragedies, death came into the world by one man. Now, of course, we know that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, and we know that the wages of sin is death. Wages are what you earn.  We have earned death by our sin!

The Good News is that life is available to us, but only through Christ. Only Christ can counteract death by giving us life.  

In John 14:6 Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

Paul underlined this key point in Romans 6:4, where he wrote, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Only someone with the proper authority and privileges can edit a webpage or use a person’s credit card. The same is true spiritually when it comes to unlocking life for us. Jesus, and only Jesus, is the key.

So, which is better, death or life?’

THIRD, WE SEE JUDGMENT VS. JUSTIFICATION:

In Romans 5:18 Paul asserted:

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

In most criminal courts only two verdicts are possible: defendants are either guilty or not guilty. If they are found guilty then they are punished; if they are found not guilty, then they are set free. Legally, the results of a completed trial are very clear cut; they are digital; they are black and white, with no gray area.

In the same way only two verdicts are possible when we stand before God’s judgment. If we are guilty, we face life on earth without God, and eternal damnation. If we are not guilty, we enjoy an abundant life on earth and eternity in heaven. There is nothing gray or shadowy about this choice!

Which would you choose? To remain in Adam is to choose judgment. To enter into Christ is to choose justification.

FINALLY, WE SEE THE CHOICE OF LAW VS. GRACE: 

In Romans 5:19-21, Paul wrote:

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

An old joke in among Soldiers is that there are only two ways of doing things: the right way, the wrong way, and the Army way. Spiritually, however, we only have two ways of doing things: the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is by grace and the hard way is by the law.

Make no mistake, God’s law is righteous, but it is harsh, and it is an impossible master to please. The law’s best role is to show us our sin and to drive us to seek God’s grace for our salvation.

Make no mistake in this either, only one way brings salvation: the way of grace. Grace places upon us Jesus' righteousness and it makes us perfect in God’s eyes. Grace does what nothing else will: it fits us for heaven.

So, why choose something which won't work?

CONCLUSION:

The term “Hobson’s Choice” is derived from the owner of a livery stable owner in Cambridge, England who rented horses. Thomas Hobson offered his customers the choice of renting the horse in the stall closest to the door of the stable to rent nothing at all. So, the customers really didn’t have a choice, that is, if they wanted to rent a horse.

Although I have posed the discussion above as a series of choices, that really isn’t so, that is if you want to enjoy an abundant life in relationship with God.

Really, the only choice is to do things God’s way. It is a choice I earnestly encourage you to take.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Life in the Spirit from Romans 8

Today I am sharing a word about life in the Spirit as I comment on Romans 8:5-17.

Some people have a critical spirit.  One salesman got so fed up with his fussy customers that he quit and joined the police force.  When asked about his new job, he said: “I like it: the pay is good, the hours aren't bad, and best of all, the customer is always wrong!”

There are many different spirits alive in this world today: the spirit of this world, the spirit of evil, and the Spirit of God.  We, of course, need to live by the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity who is God's presence on the earth today.  He guides us, empowers us and directs us.  In our text today, we learn that we can ignore the Holy Spirit, but if we do so, it is to our detriment.

LET'S LOOK AT LIFE WITHOUT THE SPIRIT 

Verses 5-8 tell us:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

The population of the world has been categorized in many ways:

Jews and Gentiles.

Moslems and Infidels. 

Developed countries and developing countries.

Rich and poor.

In this passage, Paul gave us a different way to view the world: There are Christians with the in-filling of the Holy Spirit and there are non-Christians without the Holy Spirit.

Paul drew sharp contrasts between these two types of people.

In Verse 5 Paul told us that without God people live in the flesh, but with God people live in the Spirit. He went on to say that those who live in the flesh are dead while those with God are truly alive. In Verses 6 and 7, Paul said that those who live in the flesh are at war with God but those with Him are at peace with God. Finally, Paul stated that people without God are self-pleasing while those who are in the Spirit are God pleasing.

Without God, people are like heart patients. They may look normal on the outside, but their heart is failing them within. They need a heart transplant to have real life. The Holy Spirit gives us the spiritual heart transplant that we need!

LET'S LOOK AT LIFE WITH THE SPIRIT 

In Verses 9-13 Paul described life with the Spirit:

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Jesus gave us some vital promises before He ascended into Heaven. First, in John 14:16-18 He told us He'd send us the Comforter. Next, in Matthew 28:20 He said He'd never leave us. Finally, in Acts 1:8 He said we would receive power from the Holy Spirit. Paul reminded us of all these promises in Verses 9-13.

This section of Romans 8 reminds me of how my wife and I would put our young son to bed, and remind him that we were just down the hall in our living room. Although he could not see us, we were still there and still with him.

The wording here is very specific, if you are in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit; since this is so, what does this do for us?

The Holy Spirit allows us to please God via imputed righteousness and so, He gives us true life. He also gives us power over our mortal bodies. In these ways He gives us a handle on life!

Unlike what Forest Gump’s mother told him, I think life is like Jell-O: if you grab it on one side, it oozes out the other. We all need to get a handle on life and the Holy Spirit gives us that handle. With Him we are like a cardiac patient with a new heart: we have great potential for an abundant and wonderful life.

LET'S LOOK AT LIFE POSSESSED BY THE SPIRIT  

In Verses 14-17, Paul described life possessed by the Spirit:

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Holy Spirit is a gentleman, not a tyrant. He offers us great power and success. He will try to persuade us to do thing’s God’s way and, in His power, but He will not force us!

This is like a modern computer. A computer offers users many resources, but they must access the applications on the machine to benefit from them.

Many Christians are living defeated lives, because they do not access the power that they have available to them in the Spirit. Jesus is their Savior, but not their Lord. Many believers have caught the “I can't” mentality. There is some truth to that thought. We can't, but the good news is that God can!

As Christians we are the adopted Children of God! God has no grandchildren, nor stepchildren. Believers are heirs along with Christ. We may suffer with Christ, but we will also be blessed like Him.

We must allow the Holy Spirit to fully possess us! A heart transplant that is refused by the patient does no good! Likewise, a heart transplant does little good if the recipients continue to abuse their bodies.

We must give ourselves over to the Lordship of Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to have His own way!

CONCLUSION

We've seen life without the Spirit, life with the Spirit, and life possessed by the Spirit.  Where is your life today?  Where would you like it to be?  It can be there if you only bow your knee and accept the Grace proffered to you by God!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt 

A Word about the Immoveable Object from Romans 7

Today I want to share a word about the immoveable object as I comment on Romans 7:14-25 which tells us:

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? hanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

So, what happens when the irresistible force meets the immovable object: Usually a mess!  

I remember well how my wife Geri, and our son, Kenyon would figuratively butt heads when Kenyon was a child. They alternated roles; sometimes she was the immoveable object and sometimes he was. I am glad those days are long over!

In almost every person there is an irresistible impulse to do good, but it runs into the immovable flesh which refuses to yield control.  Paul discussed this in a personal way in our text for today.

WHAT DID PAUL WANT TO DO?

He wanted to do good. He had a will to do what was right, and he planned to do what was right. He even agreed with the law of God and said that it was good.

I remember when I was learning to drive. It was frustrating when my dad showed me what was doing wrong. I wasn’t frustrated with my dad but myself. What he showed me was what I tried to do, but failing at it.

What are some Good things that both we and Paul might do?

• Attend church, and Bible study groups.
• Give to the support of the church and minister.
• Witness or invite others to church activities.
• Use our gifts in ministry.
• Minister to others' needs.
• Be kind in word and deed.
• Have faith and place our trust in God. 

So, what was Paul's problem? Although he wanted to do good, he didn't! His intentions weren't enough; he didn't follow through. Knowing what needs to be done isn't same as doing it!

I knew a fellow who was always “intending.”  He was always “intending” to do something about this situation or that problem. He did have good intentions but he never acted on them and the problems remained unresolved

WHAT DID PAUL DO?

In short, he sinned:

The good he wanted to do, he didn't. The evil he hated he did. He even said that there was a rule of thumb in verse 21:  The evil he did was inversely proportional to the good he intended!

He really did want to do good, but it was beyond him. Although his spirit (his inner man) desired good, his intentions were overcome by the flesh and they were not carried out.

As we know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And for Paul this was an agonizing situation. He despised his weakness and failure, but he could not overcome them.

Why did Paul sin? The same reason that we sin. The flesh is as weak as the spirit is strong and the flesh usually wants what is opposite to our spiritual desires. The works of the flesh found in Galatians 5:19-21, are in stark contrast to the fruit of the Spirit which is found in Galatians 5:22-26. Let me suggest you get a Bible and see for yourself.

Paul wanted the fruit of the Spirit but he actually found himself committing the works of the flesh. And it was tearing him apart!

WHAT COULD PAUL DO?

He could be Dualistic: Serve God on (some) Sundays, but serve Satan the rest of the week.

No!  His conscience couldn't stand this!

He could be Antinomian: He could give in and simply say, "If it feels good do it!"

No!  His flesh would be destroyed! And it would destroy his soul as well. The idea that “If a little is good, a lot is better" is disproved by a gardener who misused the “Miracle Grow” fertilizer.  He put triple the recommended amount on his tomato plants and that caused the tomatoes to grow so fast that they split and were ruined.

He could do what he also commends to us in verses 24-25:

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Paul learned to stay close to Christ. We need to stay close to Christ. As my father told me as we waded out into a lake in waders to fish, “Stay close to me and you won't fall!”

Paul also learned to allow God through His Son and through the Spirit to fight his battles for him. If we do, like Paul, we will produce the Fruit of The Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

CONCLUSION:

We all can identify with Paul as he writes of his anguish in this passage.  We all know the pain of failing to do what we what to do.  Paul found his solution in the power and grace of Christ.  So can we!

Every blessing, 

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Highway to Heaven from the Book of Romans

Today I want to share a word about the Highway to Heaven as I comment on the Good News found in the Book of Romans.

No, I am not talking about the television show with Michael Landon. I am talking about the pathway to salvation which Paul outlined in the Book of Romans.

The last time that I posted I recounted how, while trying to find the location of a meeting on an unfamiliar road in a nearby county, I ran a stop sign and suffered the consequences of violating the law. 

I commented then that the law was righteous but harsh, and also that there was Good News, and today I want to show how this Good News is found along the “Highway to Heaven.”

Ironically, evangelists also call this pathway to salvation the “Roman Road” in memory of the way that the Gospel spread rapidly through the Roman Empire because of the excellent network of roads that Rome had built to control its Empire. We can just as easily call it the "Highway to Heaven" because that is where it will take us if we let it.

What are the stops along this pathway?

First Stop:  Salvation is Available to All

Romans 1:16 tells us:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 

During a time when our nation seems more divided than any other since the Civil War, it is good to note that the first stop on this road is an inclusive stop. It is within the power of God for EVERYONE who believes to receive His salvation 

As I write this many people around the world are waiting for access to a COVID-19 vaccine. Many others doubt its safety or effectiveness. In contrast, God has great news for all of us.

God not only offers salvation to all, but He can give it to all as well. No waiting, and no worrying about whether or not God’s vaccine for sin works!

Second Stop: We can’t Please God Ourselves 

Romans 3:9-12 says:

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

While we are on the theme of unity, Paul reminded us that while we may not be socially, politically, or ethnically unified, we are unified in one way: WE HAVE ALL SINNED!

And if you think Paul was just speaking of a few people or people groups, in Romans 3:23 he stats flatly that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

So, as the saying goes, “nobody’s perfect” so what’s the problem with that?  No one is perfect, save God, and He can have no fellowship with imperfection, which leads us to our next stop along the” Highway to Heaven.”

Third Stop:  We have Earned Death, but We Can Have the Gift of Life

Romans 6:23 turns us from despair to hope:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The cost of my traffic violation was high, but not nearly as high as the cost of violating God’s law. The penalty for that is death, or eternal separation from God. 

The Good News here is that we can change our path and we can thus change our destination. We can have eternal life; we just cannot earn it ourselves. How can we make that soul-saving turn?

Fourth Stop:   We are Saved by Confessing Jesus

Romans 10:9-13 tells us how to get to a better place:

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Again, and again Paul gave us Good News as we travelled the Roman Road. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” All we must do is call on Him and surrender our pride and our despair to Him in equal measure and if we will do we “will not be put to shame.”

We must recognize that this salvation is a gift, and we must accept it as a gift. We cannot add anything of our own to it, and we cannot eliminate any part of it. 

We come to Jesus as we just as we are, tired and weary of trying to get somewhere on our own merit, but actually just spinning our wheels. We need Him to give us a lift along this "Highway to Heaven," and He will do so if we just let Him!

Conclusion

I would be glad to help anyone find their way down the “Roman Road” so that it would become their “Highway to Heaven.” You can contact me at otis.corbitt@gmail .com. 

Let me be your tour guide on the trip of a lifetime!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt