***Conundrum – “an intricate and difficult problem” (Miriam Webster.com)
Mankind’s confrontation with sin through the centuries has been the subject of countless debates, the endpoint of millions of relationships, and the downfall of many of our most famous. Our prison systems and graveyards are filled with men and women who have struggled and lost to sin. Psychologists, pastors and parents are bombarded with endless concerns and every week billions flock to churches, synagogues and mosques seeking answers.
Some, like Ayn Rand, see no issue with sin declaring it “virtuous and necessary” for mankind to be fulfilled, “Man’s fall, according to your teachers, was that he gained the virtues required to live. These virtues, by their standard, are his Sin. His evil, they charge, is that he’s man. His guilt, they charge, is that he lives.” Others, such as Pastor Ravi Zacharias, who answer to Higher Authority, see sin in the light of God’s holiness:
“…good, says Zacharias, is the original of which evil (sin) is the counterfeit….Evil is an aberration.”
And most, including the Apostle Paul himself, acknowledge their struggle with sin passionately crying out with Paul in their collective hearts, “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate….. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:15-24)
In fact, a war has raged within us since time began and if we are truly honest with ourselves, all of us struggle with something on a periodic basis. To follower of Jesus Christ, sin is a conundrum (a very difficult problem) which often leaves us “on our heels,” dumbfounded and longing for resolution.
From a secular and physical perspective, it appears easier not to follow God’s law and continue living life as one pleases. Why would any rational person want to be “saved,” yet live permanently engaged in a war between mind and body, trying to live within God’s standards of holiness? Isn’t it folly, living in a constant state of struggle, while unbelieving by-standers are poised for the believer’s inevitable fall waiting to cry “hypocrite” at the first sign of misbehavior? To the non-Christian these questions are valid; however, the natural man is unable to see God’s salvation and justification often choosing to see a God who cannot keep his children from immoral conduct!
It is true, a believer will struggle to resist temptation, but he or she should find peace in the knowledge and assurance of Jesus’ completed work on the cross for the forgiveness of all (past, present and future) transgressions. Paul writes to the Church in Rome, “…For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly….but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5: 6-8) Burdened by the weight of our sinfulness and in humility we all come to Jesus amidst transgression to receive the free gift of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Immediately forgiven, the believer steps onto a faith journey in which the Holy Spirit reveals his sins (drugs, alcohol, pornography, gossip, greed, envy, and the like) along the way. As sins are discovered and outwardly confessed the believer continues on a path of recovery and healing called sanctification. (James 5:16)
Throughout the journey the new believer is planted firmly on the horns of sin’s dilemma, his Christian mind speaking, “I am a slave to God’s Law,” while his human nature cries out, “I am a slave to what feels good.” Our sins are unknown to us unless God reveals them through His Word. Once revealed sins are dealt with through humility and confession as when we first believed. Considering our fallen nature, a Christian is at risk of falling into old habits along our faith journey (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:8; Ecc 7:20; Jer 17:9; 1 John 1:8). We walk a thin line between former self and new creation. When we take our eyes off Jesus on this tightrope we tend to stray from our path. Paul aptly reminds us however that eliminating sin in our lives is never by our own effort, “so that no one may boast. (Eph 2: 8-9) Actually, the centrality of our walk of faith and our resolution to the conundrum of sin is humility and complete dependence on Christ. Pride caused Satan’s fall and the subsequent fall of mankind, when we listened to the lie and consumed the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3). Jesus reminds:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matt 5: 3-5)
We are blessed and free of sin’s unrelenting pull only when we humble ourselves before a merciful God and say, “I am a sinner and I need the blood of Jesus to make me whole.” Only then will our difficult problem be solved and only then will you and I be able to reach out to our lost and hurting friends and neighbors and lovingly say, “I know someone who can help you with that.” “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” and praise God, His grace is sufficient to save us from ourselves.
Blessings!
Mankind’s confrontation with sin through the centuries has been the subject of countless debates, the endpoint of millions of relationships, and the downfall of many of our most famous. Our prison systems and graveyards are filled with men and women who have struggled and lost to sin. Psychologists, pastors and parents are bombarded with endless concerns and every week billions flock to churches, synagogues and mosques seeking answers.
Some, like Ayn Rand, see no issue with sin declaring it “virtuous and necessary” for mankind to be fulfilled, “Man’s fall, according to your teachers, was that he gained the virtues required to live. These virtues, by their standard, are his Sin. His evil, they charge, is that he’s man. His guilt, they charge, is that he lives.” Others, such as Pastor Ravi Zacharias, who answer to Higher Authority, see sin in the light of God’s holiness:
“…good, says Zacharias, is the original of which evil (sin) is the counterfeit….Evil is an aberration.”
And most, including the Apostle Paul himself, acknowledge their struggle with sin passionately crying out with Paul in their collective hearts, “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate….. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:15-24)
In fact, a war has raged within us since time began and if we are truly honest with ourselves, all of us struggle with something on a periodic basis. To follower of Jesus Christ, sin is a conundrum (a very difficult problem) which often leaves us “on our heels,” dumbfounded and longing for resolution.
From a secular and physical perspective, it appears easier not to follow God’s law and continue living life as one pleases. Why would any rational person want to be “saved,” yet live permanently engaged in a war between mind and body, trying to live within God’s standards of holiness? Isn’t it folly, living in a constant state of struggle, while unbelieving by-standers are poised for the believer’s inevitable fall waiting to cry “hypocrite” at the first sign of misbehavior? To the non-Christian these questions are valid; however, the natural man is unable to see God’s salvation and justification often choosing to see a God who cannot keep his children from immoral conduct!
It is true, a believer will struggle to resist temptation, but he or she should find peace in the knowledge and assurance of Jesus’ completed work on the cross for the forgiveness of all (past, present and future) transgressions. Paul writes to the Church in Rome, “…For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly….but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5: 6-8) Burdened by the weight of our sinfulness and in humility we all come to Jesus amidst transgression to receive the free gift of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Immediately forgiven, the believer steps onto a faith journey in which the Holy Spirit reveals his sins (drugs, alcohol, pornography, gossip, greed, envy, and the like) along the way. As sins are discovered and outwardly confessed the believer continues on a path of recovery and healing called sanctification. (James 5:16)
Throughout the journey the new believer is planted firmly on the horns of sin’s dilemma, his Christian mind speaking, “I am a slave to God’s Law,” while his human nature cries out, “I am a slave to what feels good.” Our sins are unknown to us unless God reveals them through His Word. Once revealed sins are dealt with through humility and confession as when we first believed. Considering our fallen nature, a Christian is at risk of falling into old habits along our faith journey (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:8; Ecc 7:20; Jer 17:9; 1 John 1:8). We walk a thin line between former self and new creation. When we take our eyes off Jesus on this tightrope we tend to stray from our path. Paul aptly reminds us however that eliminating sin in our lives is never by our own effort, “so that no one may boast. (Eph 2: 8-9) Actually, the centrality of our walk of faith and our resolution to the conundrum of sin is humility and complete dependence on Christ. Pride caused Satan’s fall and the subsequent fall of mankind, when we listened to the lie and consumed the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3). Jesus reminds:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matt 5: 3-5)
We are blessed and free of sin’s unrelenting pull only when we humble ourselves before a merciful God and say, “I am a sinner and I need the blood of Jesus to make me whole.” Only then will our difficult problem be solved and only then will you and I be able to reach out to our lost and hurting friends and neighbors and lovingly say, “I know someone who can help you with that.” “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” and praise God, His grace is sufficient to save us from ourselves.
Blessings!
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