Can we ever get past focusing on sin, all that we do wrong and what is wrong with us, all the time, in our Christian life? That is without diminishing the sinfulness of sin or perverting the grace of God?
I've heard the sayings about "be-ing" versus "do-ing" and that does not really hold water since any being will also lead into doing. If the being is right the doing will also be right. If the being is flawed the doing may be able to pretend for a while but it will not be able to keep the charade up for long.
So are we stuck in the verses in Romans 7 that keeps us forever bound to doing what we hate and hating ourselves for doing it? Are we truly forever stuck at staring at the cesspool of sin, never being able to de-focus? Who shall deliver me from this body, this vehicle of sin and brokenness? Paul does give an answer in the last lines of the chapter... Through Jesus Christ we are free from the sin focus in our lives.
NO, it does not mean that we ignore it. It means that we deal with it when it comes in view but our focus, our faces, are toward something totally different.
Ever had a toddler in a grocery store screaming for something? One of the ways to get them to forget the object of their tissy fit, is to present something more desirable.
I am convinced that the focus on NOT doing sin has the exact opposite result as what is desired. This approach creates immature Christians that are constantly cowering under the weight of guilt and shame. Where there is no or little maturity, the church is also very weak in battling things like sickness, oppression, division and other attacks. We do not generally sent children to battle, do we?
We usually change, sub-consciously, into what we focus on. So, do we really want to focus on sin, on how dirty we are or was? Can that ever change us from the inside? And if such a change by the sheer power of our human will come, will it endure?
How about this: Let us focus on the greatness of our God. Becoming enthralled with Jesus, having a heart captivated by Him, changes our entire being. Beholding, looking at Him will change us into Him. Falling in love with God so that all else fades will change us. When we get involved in Him. When our hearts start to ache for more of Him... not more church or more ministry or more religion... No. just God, just more of Him. When your insides cry: " I've got to know You God." When your deepest desire is reduced to: "I love You, Lord." .... When this happens in our inside, we do not have much time and energy for sin.
We see sin as a hindrance to our pursuit of the One we love. We see attitudes and inner bitter root judgments and fears as obstacles to our reaching the goal of knowing Him as He knows us. (Phil 3:10-14)
The revelation, the understanding, of these two things will create a personal revolution. Love as we are being loved. Love because He first loved us. (Romans 5:1-6)
And then one day you find yourself not remembering when the last time was when you were tempted to do some sinful thing that kept you in bondage for years. This purely happened because you loved God more than the thing you could not let go of.
