When God Let's Man Have His Way

Romans 1:16-18 ESV

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Before we talk about people suppressing the truth and its results, let take a look at the importance of embracing truth:

1. The Psalmist reveals that truth leads to the presence of God…

Psalms 43:3

O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

Psalms 24:3-4

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

2. Truth in a human heart brings God pleasure… thou desirest truth ESV delight…Strong’s pleasure

Psalms 51:6-7

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The Lord’s eyes aren’t blind. He doesn’t need glasses to see into a human heart. He has a spiritual microscope that He uses to examine the intricacies of the human heart. You need help with your heart. I need help with my heart.

After his sin with Bathsheba, King David writes a song and sings…You search my heart. You have a way of dealing with me. if it’s truth you want in my heart to lead me up your holy hill, I’m in need of your help. Take that sop of blood and smear it all over my heart, wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

Jesus is ultimately the fulfillment of truth. Conversion brings truth into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. If we will allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth, we will find ourselves on the holy hill. In the presence of God being led by His Spirit.

3. Truth in  heart of a believer is an expensive …

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Romans 1:16-18

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Romans 1:22-32

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Through the ages unrighteous men have influenced society, have made man god and have now said to us, “You are god, you are who you want to be, you do what you want to do. We reject God, we reject His word, we reject His truth.

Listen very closely… it’s important that you understand what I am about to say. We are watching the degradation of society unveil before our eyes. What we see so far out in the open is nothing compared to what they do in their secret chambers. But you must understand that if you— suppress the truth of God in your life, the wrath of God will be revealed from heaven in your life also. This is a spiritual truth. It cannot be avoided. This wrath is different than the wrath that will occur as described in the book of revelation.

This is wrath is what happens to humans when God allows them to have their way in their own hearts. Darkness overtakes them, sin overwhelms them, they find themselves doing things they never imagined they could or would do. The guilt begins to pile up on them.

But good news, good news, good news—truth is only a whisper away!

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud,

A reprobate mind is one that has been rejected by God.

boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Proverbs 29:27

An unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.

Proverbs 29:27

An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

2 Corinthians 6:14

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

1 John 2:20 CSB

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.

1 John 2:21

I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth.

The Riven Side: Part 1 and Part 2

Romans 7:22-23

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

In our world laws carry weight and authority. The Laws spoken of in Romans 7:22-23 speak of laws that govern the spiritual realm and have an affect or result in our physical world.

1. the law of God after the inward man

2. law of my mind

3. the law of sin which is in my members.

• I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind

When we talk about the Law of sin, in essence, we are talking about the sinful nature. Some other ways to say that would be the source of sin, the factory of sin, the power of sin, or the noun of sin.

But we were separated from the old life that was dominated by sin when we were born again. Illustration of the drape

What is sin?

Romans 14:23.    Judgment against self, with anything, not certain we should, we shouldn’t

And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

James 4:17

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

It’s important for us to consider these passages because sin is not always what we like it to be. I say like it, because we conveniently choose the stuff that others struggle with but we don’t. In our minds, it protects our spirituality and places us in an elevated position.

Sinful things we might struggle with and not consider sinful

1. Submission to authority

2. Living in fear

3. Watching unclean things

4. Manipulation—manipulation has a root called control

5.   Unteachable—know it all spirit  

                                                        Battle in the mind

V 7:23 The law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

We have to establish some vocabulary here so that we can make sure that we are on the same page:

1. the law of sin—(sinful nature) when I connect that to my members, now I have one aspect of the meaning of the word flesh. While it’s true that the word for sin is hamartia and the word for flesh is sarx, so hamartia means sin and sarx means:

• the meat of an animal (as food),

• the body (as opposed to the soul (or spirit), what is external,

• or as the means of kindred) [flesh and blood—family]  why is human nature weak and frail & full of passions??

• human nature (with its frailties (physically or morally) and passions), or (specially),

• carnal(-ly, + -ly minded), flesh

2 thoughts:

1] both the body as opposed to the soul and spirit

2] a carnal mind

can both be labeled the flesh, so with that said, it’s important for us to know that the soul is not completely disconnected from the flesh [because the mind is part of the soul: mind, will, emotions = soul]

And the soul is not completely disconnected from the Spirit, we know the word can separate them.

Flesh is used to describe a carnal mind and the mind is part of the soul. A carnal mind is the opposite of a spiritual mind. Can a Christian have a carnal mind?

1 Corinthians 3:1

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.                                              Pneumatikos.           Sarkikos—fleshly

1 Corinthians 2:14 psychikos—soulish

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

So the soulish or natural man can be a Christian who does not think with the mind of Christ; instead, he operates in a carnal mindset, with his own mind, without a renewed mind.

Ephesians 4:20-23   renewed- renovate

20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

So the soulish part of man known as the mind can partner with sin and operate carnally or fleshly, which is not God’s will and anything that is not of faith is sin.

Return to the drape illustration but keep the face/ head on the opposite side

And that’s where I feel the Lord wants me to spend the rest of the time…looking at the laws in relation to the mind—specifically the renewed mind/ the mind of Christ.

1. the law of God after the inward man

2. law of my mind

3. the law of sin which is in my members.

How does my inward man affect the law of my mind? After I’m saved, the Spirit of God lives in me. God told Jeremiah 31:33 that in the New Covenant, He would write the Law of God on the heart. My interpretation of that is this—when I got saved the Holy Spirit came to live in me. In what part of me does He live? His Spirit lives in my spirit and so I can know right from wrong spiritually, but the mind of my soul man may not be convinced. The renewal of the mind is more than just reading your Bible. The renewed mind is a mind that is gaining revelation. Revelation comes from the Holy Spirit, but without knowledge, it’s difficult to gain revelation.

Knowledge—wisdom—understanding

Illustration: I don’t like algebra, so I skip class and refuse to do the homework. Okay, and you will fail the test unless you’re an absolute genius and being a genius won’t get you through spiritual life. No, you have to have knowledge, then apply the knowledge in your daily life and with the help of the Holy Spirit, through the word and daily applying the word will result in wisdom and through this, the Lord gives revelation.

Romans 8:1 we all have aspects of our mind that are carnal

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit—a carnal or un-renewed mindset can fall under condemnation

So if I’m operating in the law of God I will have freedom- right?

Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Take the drape and throw it over the head and behind

So now let’s define the Law of God as [The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus] then the Law of sin [sinful nature] will not affect the Law of my mind [my soul/mind will line up with my spirit and believe what God says instead of what I’m trying to believe based on the negative influences of the enemy.

The flesh is the opposite of faith. Faith is all about abiding in a specific place and not allowing yourself to be disconnected. I can’t forget a thought the Lord gave me once from the song rock of ages. There is a word in the song that says let the water and the blood flow from your riven side be a double cure.

Song - Rock of Ages Cleft For Me

The word riven means to be split. God took a rib out of the first Adam to make him a bride and God split the ribs of the last Adam and grafted into Him a Gentile bride:

Romans 11:17

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

John 15:4-5

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.