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

A Word about the Law from Romans 3:19-20

Today I would like to share a word about the law as I comment on Romans 3:19-20.

I recently had an unpleasant encounter with a police officer. Not because I was unjustly accused but for the opposite. I actually was guilty . . .  guilty as sin. Let me explain:

I was in an unfamiliar neighborhood of a town in a nearby county on my way to a meeting with some colleagues in ministry. I was actually early, so I wasn’t in a hurry, but I was searching the house numbers along the road for the church where the meeting was being held. I topped a hill and on the other side was a crossroads with a stop sign - facing me!

I quickly stepped on my brakes, but it was clear that I was not going to stop on time, even though I was not driving very fast. I looked both ways and while I did see a car to my right, it was probably a quarter mile away, so I went on through the intersection. No one was in any danger, so everything was fine, right? Well, not so much.

I can recognize a police car a mile away, so it was not hard for me to note that the one car in sight as I blew through the stop sign was a police car. And I knew he saw me.

Once on the other side of the intersection I idled along until the police officer turned right to follow me and hit his blue lights. License, insurance card, and an admission of guilt on my part followed, and ten minutes later I drove off with a traffic citation in hand. Sadly, the church I was looking for was just a couple of blocks up the road.

I had broken the law, but there were some mitigating circumstances, right?

No one got hurt.

I wasn’t speeding or talking on my cell phone (really, I wasn’t).

I didn’t mean to run the stop sign.

I didn’t make the officer chase me,

I even admitted my guilt.

Here’s the thing, however: the law does not care about my excuses. It is very digital, either you comply with it or you don’t. Either you obey it, or you don’t. Either you are blameless or you are guilty. 

In Romans 3:19-20, Paul told us that, 

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”

The police officer who wrote me the ticket had every right to do so, and he also had the responsibility to do so. Although the law is righteous, the law is also harsh, and that is just the way it is.

The Good News, as in the Gospel, is that God is gracious, and He has provided us salvation from our sins through Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul went on to write in Romans 4:7-8 that,

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Although I was chagrined about receiving a traffic ticket (Corbitt men are notoriously proud of our driving skills), my encounter with the law reminded me of a great spiritual lesson. It also reminded me to be ever the more grateful to our God who has saved me from my sin!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Practical Theology from Romans 15:23-24

Today I want to share a word about practical theology as I comment on Romans 15:23-24.

We often think of Romans as an intensely theological book and it is. If we assume Paul did not write Hebrews, Romans is probably his greatest theological work.

We would be mistaken, however, to ignore the many very practical sections in Romans. For example:

In Romans 8, Paul dealt with suffering.

In Romans 12, Paul discussed our service to God.

In Romans 13, Paul outlined true patriotism and what it meant to be a good neighbor.

In Romans 15 Paul outlined the tasks of missions, church planting, and evangelism.

In Romans 16, Paul recognized faithful co-laborers in the cause of Christ.

So, you can see that Romans is a very practical book, and our focal passage for today provides us a very practical teaching. Indeed, Paul had a very practical reason for writing the church in Rome. 

Paul knew that the Church at Rome did not have an apostolic founder. He wanted the Roman believers to have a solid foundation in the faith, but not just so that could boast in their theological astuteness. In fact, Paul told them that one of the primary reasons that he was writing them was so that they could help him go to Spain on missions, which is certainly a practical ministry activity.

In Romans 15:23-24, Paul told the church at Rome, 

“But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while”

Paul’s reason for writing the Church at Rome needs to inform and guide our own use of theology.

Theology is literally the study of God, and because God is such a fascinating subject, people have in past times have gotten so enthralled with the details of God’s being and actions that they have lost focus and forgotten the purpose for which they try to learn more about Him.

Medieval theologians have rightly been criticized for arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Even if one could discover such a number, how could such knowledge improve anyone’s spiritual condition.

Contrast that with what Jesus said He came to do; to seek and save the lost and to give us abundant life. How immensely practical!

Equally practical was how Paul described the use of Spiritual Gifts in the church in Romans 12:4-8.

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

No doubt, the Book of Romans discusses many deep and intriguing spiritual truths, but those truths have a practical and beneficial application to our personal lives.  We will be looking at several of these over the next few weeks.

So, that’s all for now; thanks for watching. I will be back soon with more practical points of theology from Romans.

Every blessing,

Otis Corbitt

A Word about Isolation from Matthew 14:23

Today I would like to share a word about isolation as I comment on Matthew 14:23.

My comments today are the third and last in a series of articles about how my military experience as a chaplain has helped me apply Biblical truths to my life as I dealt with stress and difficult times. 

When I commented last, I noted how God had taught me not to borrow trouble from tomorrow and to focus on my current situation. Often, fasting from news media, social media, and other stressful stimuli is the best way to manage our stress. We must be careful, however, not to take that to the extreme.

Once, during an exercise at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, I received a radio message that a Soldier attached to us from another unit was distressed and I needed to check on him. When I arrived at his location, I found the young man sitting in the back of an armored vehicle, incommunicative and staring off into space with what we called the “thousand-yard stare.” 

My Chaplain Assistant and I ushered him into our vehicle and took him back to his own unit and placed him in the hands of their medics. Later, I learned that after a good night’s sleep the young man was fine, but his experience is instructive for us. 

Like Jesus, we do need to separate ourselves from the world from time to time. For example, Matthew 14:23 tells us, “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”  The revival preacher Vance Havner preached a sermon called, “Come apart before you come apart,” which is excellent advice.  We must be careful to avoid a trap as we employ this technique, however. If we are not careful, withdrawal from the world can become an end in itself. 

The young Solider at Camp Shelby had withdrawn into himself so much that he has become virtually catatonic. When we withdraw so totally from the world that we fail to engage it at all, then we have taken this too far and we become dysfunctional and emotionally and physically ill.

Jesus did withdraw from the crowds and His Disciples, but only for as long as it took for Him to to recharge His spiritual and emotional batteries. Once He had accomplished this, He reengaged people and continued to pursue His mission of seeking and saving those who were lost. 

Jesus did not allow isolation and solitude become His master, but instead He mastered these for His own purposes. We must learn to do the same, because if we withdraw from this world, we cannot go into it and “make disciples of all people.” If we do, we fail ourselves and our God.

Every blessing, 

Dr. Otis Corbitt