The Law was not meant as a means to self-righteousness, but a means to self-condemnation, pointing man to his sin, leading to conviction, repentance, and pleading to God for mercy.
Commentary from notes for 1 Timothy 1:9, the MacArthur study Bible.
Human
Causes of rebellion
~Romans 6:12-14~
In God’s eyes, anyone who sins is rebellious, and Scripture tells us we’re all guilty (Romans 3:23). Now, it makes sense that an unbeliever would choose to act apart from biblical teaching. But what about those of us who have committed to follow Christ – what would cause us to stray from the will of our heavenly Father?
There are two powerful human tendencies that lead to disobedience: doubt and pride. Both can be dangerously misleading.
- Doubt is a mental struggle over whether or not to believe God’s promises. From our limited perspective, we cannot understand how the Lord works. Sometimes His way does not feel like the right path, so in order to obey, we must step out in faith. Then it can feel as though we are jumping off a cliff and trusting God’s invisible rope to hold us. If we listen to our doubt, we will surely transgress.
- Pride is the sin that caused Satan to fall from heaven, and it is a deceptive obstacle for believers as well. Pride has to do with thinking that our way is best, putting more faith in our ability than God’s promises, and desiring praise. Anything we do out of pride is rebellion against the Lord.
Whatever the cause, sin never leads to the Lord’s best for our life. God’s way is the only road resulting in fulfillment and peace.
The enemy wants to lure us with doubt and pride – both feel right and are easily justifiable from our human perspective. But believers should follow Joshua’s wisdom instead: “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
Commentary from Charles Stanley’s In Touch devotional, November 21, 2017.
Exalted Refuse
When tempted, no one should say,
‘God is tempting me.’
For God cannot be tempted by evil,
nor does He tempt anyone;
but each one is tempted when,
by his own evil desire,
he is dragged away and enticed.
James 1:13-14
“But whatever the nature of the composite object, you must keep him praying to it-to the thing that he has made, not the Person who has made him.” The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis, pg. 18
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