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If you could live however you please and still know that you would have forgiveness
of sins, how would you live?
Illustration: “. . .a notable historical instance may be seen in the
Russian monk Gregory Rasputin, the evil genius of the Romanov family in its
last years of power. Rasputin taught and exemplified the doctrine of salvation
through repeated experiences of sin and repentance. He held that, as those
who sin must require forgiveness, a sinner who continues to sin with abandon
enjoys, each time he repents, more of God’s forgiving grace than any
ordinary sinner.” (Bruce, 127)
Many are attracted to lawlessness. They are attracted to this concept of human
freedom. But when we look at Rasputin’s life we recognize that what was
a fleeting sense of power ended in destruction and death. We also see in our
own lives and those around us that what we often claim to be our freedom are
actually actions that arise from being enslaved to sin.
I have sat with people who embrace the idea of personal freedom and whose
lives continue to grow in chaos. I’m not talking about just a series
of bad things occurring. Those are tough times of crisis. I’m talking
about the chaos that seems to increase in its strength and occurrence. This
chaos is ultimately connected to decisions that arise from some sense of personal
entitlement. To turn away from some physical desire, to turn away from a potential
fight, to turn away from some chance for intimacy, to turn away from any need
being met would somehow be interpreted as losing a chance for the “happiness”
or life satisfaction they deserve. This kind of chaos gets created as our
lives become consumed by our addictions. Addictions like hate, anger, violence,
drugs, pornography, and sex.
People in this kind of chaos may even call upon Christ in the most desperate
of times. But when they are in a position to make choices for their lives
it is clear that they are still enslaved to sin. They wouldn’t name it
that way. They may get angry that you would see those actions as indicators
of their enslavement. They may deny they had any choice in the events of their
lives. They may tell you that someone else is to blame. They may even blame
God for not giving them the breaks they deserve. Yet the breaks were there
if they were willing to turn their lives fully to God. The cause of their
chaotic lives is enslavement to sin. We talk about hitting bottom sometimes.
But I have walked with some folks who have hit bottom, cried out for help,
only to hit a new bottom lower than they thought they would ever go. And as
a result lives are destroyed in the name of personal freedom.
Illustration. I received two phone calls the other night. One was to ask for
prayer for a brother who had returned to cocaine use. The other was for a
young man who was imprisoned because of violence. Both of those young men
have great potential for productive and happy lives if they could say a total
“yes” to God. If they could let their old self die, they could be
people of life, joy and grace. In the name of personal freedom, they have
taken the stand of rejecting the teachings of the church. Instead they embrace
their rebellion as a response to what they deem as restrictions. Only to ultimately
be jailed. I mourn for them and pray that they will yet turn to God and know
the life he desires to pour upon them.
While we may talk about more extreme cases. The reality is that there are
places of connection to this enslavement that we might be able to name. Times
when we blame our attitude and anger on everybody else rather than recognizing
our own culpability. There are times when we are at least tempted to walk
the way that feeds our sense of self righteousness rather than honest confession.
Our jail time may not be as obvious as those we have talked about but it can
be just as real.
The way out of this jail is through death. The good news of the gospel is
that Jesus died and rose again not only that we might know forgiveness of
sins, but that we might know the freedom to live the life of God. The way
into this life of God is death to the old self. This is not an easy entrance.
We often struggle with letting go of what we have known even if we recognize
it to be lacking any meaning and purpose. We don’t like to talk about
death. It makes us uncomfortable. Nevertheless the word of God tells us that
the way to life in God is through death with Christ. Therefore God’s
answer is to ask us to die.
Death is not something we talk about well. We avoid the good-byes of life
by denial, avoidance and running away. But if we can look at these endings
that occur, if we can see the possibilities that can be born if we let go
of the old, we might be able to face death straight on. In my small group
the members have each been going through some significant changes. We have
been experiencing things like, job changes, children moving out, and reentering
school. Each of these changes, while often chosen, hold within them experiences
of grief over what was gone. We began to talk about our choices in times like
these. Our choice could be to hold on to the old because we didn’t want
to lose the good stuff of where our lives have been, or make peace with this
death and see what God wants to “birth” in our lives. We knew we
had to make peace with death.
In the same way, if you have always known yourself without Christ, and if
the rule of your life has always been whatever you think is right, it is “a
death” to enter into the life of grace that is offered through Jesus
Christ. Even when we may be fully aware that the life we have created is really
not working it is a death with its own grief to, by God’s grace, move
into the new life he offers. We often hold on to shiny meaningless costume
jewelry when God offers a treasure chest of real jewels. We are being asked
to let go of that which is familiar.
I can tell you that God is trustworthy. I can tell you that God has better
things for you then the best of what you have known. I can tell you that the
life God desires to give you is full of grace, peace, strength and hope. Those
are all good things. But you will have to enter the death of the cross to
know the fullness of this life. Whether it is the burial of the old self,
the life of sin, or the burial of what has been, we must let some things die.
Death is necessary for the new life of God.
My experience is that a person can experience God’s grace in amazing
ways yet still struggle with living the life of God. The time and tools needed
to break the power of sin often depend on how deeply established is the old
self. First and foremost we must call upon the power of God. It is in Jesus’
name that the chains are broken. There also needs to be an obedience to the
call of God. This call of God into new life may include taking actions like
confession, counseling, doctor’s care, accountability or acts of restitution.
There has to be a willingness to allow our old self to be sacrificed with
Christ so that the new self can be born. Unfortunately people in and outside
of the church hesitate to enter fully into the death of Christ. Most would
say that they want the fruits of this experience but find that actually releasing
themselves into the baptismal waters of Christ’s death is far more difficult
than they anticipated.
Our lives should be about more than struggling with “old stuff.”
God has the power to set us free! As much as the death of Christ is for us,
the resurrection of Christ is for us as well. Given our histories and addictions
it just may take longer for some to allow the old self to die. And yet as
we turn to God and say “yes” to his call in Christ and enter into
his death, we can be freed from the power of sin. If those enslaved by sin
had said “yes” to God rather than themselves, who knows what the
direction of their lives, and history itself may have been changed.
To remain free from sin and its bondage, we need to engage in honest review
and confession about the effects of living in this world and the challenges
that arise as we work out our relationship with God and others. We must consider
ourselves dead to sin. But to be truly alive to God in Christ Jesus means
that we continue to let the Spirit pour through our lives with those baptismal
waters taking away all the remnants of the old self. I want to live by the
spout where the glory pours out.
It is this new life to which Paul points us this morning. If our lives have
not changed, if we are still chained by sin, if there is no power to live
out this restored relationship with God, then for what purpose was Christ’s
death and resurrection? Christ’s death and resurrection was “so
that the body of sin might be done away with” (Romans 6: 6). There is
a freedom that is ours through Christ Jesus and the life that is ours through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Is there something that needs to die this morning? Are you ready to let go
of the old so that the new can come? In Christ we have one who walks with
us into death and leads us into resurrection.
Amen.
Bruce, F. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Revised Edition:
Romans. Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1998.
Dawn, M. Truly the Community: Romans 12 and How to be the Church.
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992.
Fitzmyer, J. Romans: A New Translation with Introduction and
Commentary. New York, Doubleday, 1992.
Harrisville, R. Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: Romans.
Minneapolis, Augsburg Publishing House, 1980.
Soards, M., Dozeman, T., McCabe, K. Preaching the Revised Common
Lectionary. “Year A: After Pentecost 1”. Nashville, Abingdon
Press,
1992.
Moo, D. The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The
Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans Publishing Company,
1996.
