The lyrics to an old Supremes song really goes along well with the scripture in Romans 6:14. The lyrics are to the song You keep Me Hanging On. They go like this on the chorus – Set me free why don’t cha babe, get out of my life why don’t cha babe. Cause you don’t really love me. You just keep me hanging on.
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Paul was constantly fighting Jews who wanted to keep injecting the law into his teachings. To the church at Rome he set the record straight again by reminding them that grace was the new sheriff in town, and not the law. Before Jesus brought us salvation the law was the standard and it’s very legalistic way of living was needed because of the constant failing in a person’s life in some part of the law. When the veil of the temple was torn in the holy of holies it gave us access to the forgiveness of the Lord, but not for a period of time, for eternity. The forgiveness we need was no longer controlled by what a man of God might do for us, but what God himself did through His only begotten Son, Jesus. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. The word begotten means “offspring” or to “produce as an effect.”
God’s great expression of love through His offspring Jesus did produce an effect on forgiveness and new life. The effect was GRACE!! God’s grace is well defined by the Psalmist in 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. God’s love is not a temporary “fix” but an ongoing example of who He is and how much He loves us. So like the song You Keep Me Hanging On, sin tries to keep us captive to a defeated and lifeless faith, but God’s love, seen through His grace, keeps us hanging on too. As Romans 6:14 says sin is no longer our master, but grace is. How can God be in control through His Grace. How can I explain it? I don’t have to because God’s word is living and speaks for itself in 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Paul knew that God, and only God, could handle the failings in his life and he counted on God to strengthen him in the midst of his weaknesses with His surpassing love that is found in His grace.
But, and it is a big BUTT. One of the ways that sin stays a master in our life is through a hidden doorway found in our pride. Satan comes in through the back door and convinces us that we are wretches instead of children of God and God’s grace doesn’t’ have it’s full effect. We indict ourselves and others and our pride allows Satan in the back door of our life and we fall into the trap of rejecting God’s grace. In reality we have chosen to be our own god and that just doesn’t work. What effect does this have on our life? We begin to trust what we do instead of what God says. DANGER WILL ROBINSON or anyone who does this. One indication we are doing this is when we don’t fully forgive someone who has wronged us. We show we are not experiencing full forgiveness, so we don’t know how to forgive.
As you can see GRACE is very powerful. When Paul wrote “power is perfected in weakness” he really exposed the power of grace. Our pride minimizes that power because we look at it with human eyes and not through this lense 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. God’s power in our lives is hampered by our desire to run the show and not receiving His grace is telling Him it is not enough for me. The Spirit-filled life is a reality and everything we are and do is derived from one source….God, in the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. I have heard this scripture used for not overeating, exercising, and many other things, but in reality it says we have the Holy Spirit in us…..point made!! Paul goes on to say in these verses that we are not our own anymore. We are to give our entire life to God and self pride is gone….. If you have been raised in a family that taught you self sufficiency you will have a hard time bowing your pride to this truth. You will think. “Shouldn’t I do something to be accepted more by God?” To which God will say “Live in my grace because it is enough and that is where my power is made complete.” Goal accomplished by………GOD….not me. Think of it this way. If God was playing soccer, He scored the winning goal, but I got the victory and I never even touched the ball. Pride cannot understand that reasoning and so pride causes us to live hindered lives. To which, we will sing that song to satan “you just keep me hanging on.” Let go and let God….REALLY!!! Don’t let satan be your master any longer and let God have His way in your life and accept His grace and live in the power He has paid so much to give us. If you cannot get to a place of obedience you need for this power to be realized then you need to read this scripture Romans 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
If you belong to Christ you will gladly fall into His arms and live in the victory He has won for us. Put pride on hold and let God be your only Master.
The Pilgrimage continues….
David
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