Saturday, July 24, 2010
Colossians 3:5-7 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
THE OLD MUST BE LEFT BEHIND TO ENJOY THE NEW
It's a rather discouraging thing to see all the same vices of the world in a Christian congregation. It's disturbing to observe the same sins mentioned here within myself. Such is the power of the old man.
The key is that we recognize the inferiority of the old man and be willing to leave him behind. Fatal errors occur when we think that the old man is our buddy. He's not your buddy. He's a bully. Left unchecked your sinful nature will overrun your heart. Do not be fooled into thinking that you can willingly engage in the sins mentioned here and come out unscathed. Your sinful nature does not rest until the new man is eliminated from your heart.
The Lord gives us your new manpower over the old man. Martin Luther encourages us in the fourth part of baptism to drown the old man with daily contrition and repentance. If you want the new man to have strength and to dominate, feed him. Feed him with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Strengthen yourself -- your true self -- with the Lord's Supper. You are a fool if you think that you can eliminate the Word of God from your life and keep your faith. That's not the way that it works. Heavenly wisdom seeks heavenly strength.
