It is so easy to get wrapped up in the do’s and don’ts and the rights and wrongs. Our life is built on the premise that if you do what is right, good will come to you, and if you do what is wrong, bad will come to you. (Karma) Biblically speaking, this is not completely untrue. In the beginning, God created man to be perfect and in oneness with Him. He gave a couple simple guidelines, and when Adam did the opposite of what God said, he became imperfect. It wasn’t God’s guideline that was bad, but it was the act of what Adam did that was wrong (God calls the wrong we do - sin). In this life, our human bodies became bound by the sin Adam committed, and death became the punishment (Romans 5:12). Through God’s law, we now have clarity about what sin looks like. It’s not the law that is wrong, but it is our action against the law.
This now begs the question, “How can we become freed from the actions we commit?” The book of Romans outline this dilemma and answer so clearly. The answer is found in one short phrase in Romans 7:25 “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
It is through Jesus that we have hope. It is though the Holy Spirit that we have power over sin. And it is because of God’s love we have a way to freedom. Hope, Power, and Love.
In a world of do’s and don’ts, we so often seek the answer to sin by doing the right thing. We believe that by doing what God’s law (the 10 commandments and the golden rule) says is right, we become good and right. If you believe this is the answer, then there is no need for Jesus or the Holy Spirit to exist. Doing the right thing breeds a sense of pride and self-justification. And the more we believe that the acts of right doing make us a better person, than the more we stray from what the bible teaches.
God never meant for us to live a life of “Do’s and Don’ts” to give us hope from the wrong we do. We are not meant to live a life of legalism, but rather a life of love. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives us the power to live this new life. Life in the Holy Spirit is not a list to be followed, but it is a lifestyle to be embraced. We know we are on the right track by looking at the results of a Spirit filled life. When we live life in the Spirit we will see this: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“ Galatians 5:22.
Quit striving to do the right thing. Die to what “You” can do on your own. Repent of your self-dependent, moralistic, and self-righteous lifestyle. Surrender to what Jesus did for you, and receive the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that will give you the power to beat your sin. It is the Spirit that will give you a new life of freedom and love.
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