Romans 3:10-12, when you hear the word righteous, people often misunderstand what it means, they think being righteous means being a generally nice person who does not commit major crimes or holding the door open for strangers or paying their taxes on time, but God does not grade on a curve. The standard of God is absolute moral perfection, righteousness means, conforming perfectly to the holy character of God, in every thought, every motive, every word and action, by that perfect standard, there is not a single righteous human being on the planet. Paul goes on to say, that there is none who understands and none who seeks after God, this hurts believer’s human pride, they like to think of themselves as spiritual seekers, they like to think that they are on a noble quest to find the divine truth.
But Paul says that their human condition is completely the opposite, left to their own devices, they do not seek the true God. They might seek a God of their own imagination, they might seek a God who gives them money, success and comfort, they might seek a God who completely agrees with their political views and never demands that they change their behavior. But the true God, the Holy God who demands perfect purity and total surrender, is a God they naturally run away from. We have all turned aside from the path of God, we have decided that we know better than our creator, we want to be the kings and queens of our own tiny empires. Because of this rebellion, the human race has ruined the spiritual purpose God gave us, we were designed to reflect the glorious image of God to the rest of creation, but our sin has shattered that mirror.
Galatians 5:19-23, to make sure you are not confused about who is winning the battle, Paul gives you two lists, the first is the acts of the flesh, this is a nasty list, it covers three main areas. First, sexual sin, this was rampant in the Roman World and it is rampant today, it includes any intimacy outside of God’s design. Second, religious sin, idolatry and witchcraft, this is putting anything above God or trying manipulate spiritual forces for your own gain. Third, relational sin, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, the flesh destroys relationships, it creates drama, it splits churches, it ruins families, if your life is constantly filled with conflict and drama, Paul is saying that the flesh is in control.
But Paul says that their human condition is completely the opposite, left to their own devices, they do not seek the true God. They might seek a God of their own imagination, they might seek a God who gives them money, success and comfort, they might seek a God who completely agrees with their political views and never demands that they change their behavior. But the true God, the Holy God who demands perfect purity and total surrender, is a God they naturally run away from. We have all turned aside from the path of God, we have decided that we know better than our creator, we want to be the kings and queens of our own tiny empires. Because of this rebellion, the human race has ruined the spiritual purpose God gave us, we were designed to reflect the glorious image of God to the rest of creation, but our sin has shattered that mirror.
Galatians 5:19-23, to make sure you are not confused about who is winning the battle, Paul gives you two lists, the first is the acts of the flesh, this is a nasty list, it covers three main areas. First, sexual sin, this was rampant in the Roman World and it is rampant today, it includes any intimacy outside of God’s design. Second, religious sin, idolatry and witchcraft, this is putting anything above God or trying manipulate spiritual forces for your own gain. Third, relational sin, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, the flesh destroys relationships, it creates drama, it splits churches, it ruins families, if your life is constantly filled with conflict and drama, Paul is saying that the flesh is in control.