Apart From Death – October 26, 2022 (323/365)

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.

Romans 7:24-25

Must I wait for this physical body to expire before I am delivered from sin an death? Perhaps not, for Christ has helped me – He rescued me. By way of His crucifixion, my own body, my old being so saturated with sin as it was sin – it was also nailed to the cross; Through Christ we have been set free of the enslaving bonds of sin, because our old being was brought to nothing (Romans 6:6). From the point of view of the salvation which covers and fills us, the flesh which has always been at enmity with God has been crucified, together with all its desires and passions (Galatians 5:24).

We give thanks, indeed, for Christ, who was the only One who could have helped us, and He has, indeed, helped us. He paid the greatest price for our salvation, and what a complete and full salvation it was. We would do well to go beyond condemning ourselves whenever we fall when we do fall and stumble – and actually, it’s during these times when we ought to be running to His throne of grace with more boldness.

For in our stumbling we discover how important Christ is, as our Rock. In the renewing of our minds, and in our own transforming from glory to glory, we couldn’t always say that it’s an easy thing to stand, much less to walk and to move forward. No, wherever we are in the spectrum our conscience would bring us – whether we are in the risk of condemnation or in the high associated with confidence and commendation, Christ serves to be the Rock on whom we stand.

Wherever we think we may be, whoever we’re with, whatever we do while we are in this fallen world, it would be of great benefit for us to remember that the name of Christ is a strong tower to Whom we can run to. In our time of need, in our anxiety, in our listlessness, in our being in the midst of thoughts that would try to weigh us down by way of actual weight or in sheer numbers – whatever the case may be, Christ is reliable in that He is always ready to help us and to cover us.

That’s what’s to unpack, among other reminders, when we think about what Paul was saying, as He was giving thanks to Christ immediately after being particularly hard upon himself, ‘wretched man’ that he was.

Christ is Love, and this Love never fails, even when we fail.

Christ is Mercy, and this Mercy is fresh and never every morning, even when we think we’re sustained, or especially when we think we’re drained.

Finally, Christ is our Faithfulness; He is Faithful and True, even when we are faithless, and even when we aren’t sure of what’s true in the face of all the lies and deceit this world is absolutely soaked in.

This is what I remember, even in these moments when I have the tendency to beat myself up, and to condemn myself, as if it would bring me to the change that I seek. No, It’s in these times that, yes, it’s not my consistency, but it’s God’s goodness as seen in Christ and His enduring love, mercy, and faithfulness – it’s in all this that I am led to true repentance. And, sure as the Word says, it’s in the renewing of my mind that I am transformed, even brought from glory to glory, brighter and brighter unto the new day.

So now, as in earlier this afternoon, all that’s left for me to do is to give thanks. I am thankful to our God for all He has done for me. I am thankful to the Lord for being in my entire being, graciously ministering to me, even in the times when I feel drained and deathly.

I thank God for His love. I thank God for His mercy, surrounding me even now as I type. I thank God for His faithfulness, His consistency in helping me and assisting me by way of tutoring me with His grace, among other things… I thank God for His faithfulness to me, today, as He was faithful yesterday, and as He will be faithful tomorrow, and in the days, months, and years to come; Through Christ I have peace in asserting to myself and to the world that God is a faithful Father to me, not just within the confines of time, but up to the end of it, and beyond.

I am thankful, So thankful to the Lord, for all He has done, and for all He continues to do. Obviously these words aren’t near anything new for me to say – in fact, I’ve probably been shouting it all out more during these recent days compared to moments of anguish and condemnation in the past.

…and I suppose this is my serving the law of God with my mind, being so enriched from meditating on the measures of His immeasurable love, brought into peace beyond understanding through just enjoying Christ and all He has done. Even if my flesh, my sarx, would have me trying to enjoy sin, I am brought back to the absolute deliverance I have in and through Christ.

In fact, more than the deliverance, I am also reminded that even in the stumbling I bring myself into, it is the love, peace, patience, joy, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control of the Holy Spirit that would continue to overflow. And though I may not see this, I know that my body and my entire being still communicates it.

So for what it’s worth, I’d like to remind all of us – today, and in the middle of the week, of all days – that because of Christ, we will never be without God. He would never let us go. We are united, we are as one, yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever.

Halleluyah. Just thought I’d throw that in there before I went any further with any other words I expected myself to share as this week progressed.

Until the next post, God bless you greatly.