repentance & faith

Rom 7:4	Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
Rom 7:5	For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were arousedby the Law, were at work in [fn3]the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
Rom 7:6	But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the [fn4]Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Rom 7:7	What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except [fn5]through the Law; for I would not have known about [fn6]coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT [fn7]COVET."
Rom 7:8	But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me[fn8]coveting of every kind; for apart [fn9]from the Law sin is dead.
Rom 7:9	I was once alive apart [fn10]from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;
Rom 7:10	and this commandment, which was [fn11]to result in life, proved [fn12]to result in death for me;
Rom 7:11	for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.
Rom 7:12	So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Rom 7:13	Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
Rom 7:14	For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold [fn13]into bondage to sin.
Rom 7:15	For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what Iwould like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
Rom 7:16	But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law,confessing that the Law is good.
Rom 7:17	So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
Rom 7:18	For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
Rom 7:19	For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
Rom 7:20	But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
Rom 7:21	I find then the [fn14]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
Rom 7:22	For I joyfully concur with the law of God [fn15]in the inner man,
Rom 7:23	but I see a different law in [fn16]the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner [fn17]of the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24	Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [fn18]the body of this death?
Rom 7:25	Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Rom 8:1	Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Rom 8:2	For the law of the Spirit of life [fn1]in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Rom 8:3	For what the Law could not do, [fn2]weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of [fn3]sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
Rom 8:4	so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

how to be a hypocrite:

"do as i say, not as i do"

but... doesn't that nullify word that comes out of your mouth? sure been sitting under that a lot this week.

no one expects you to be perfect, but if it's a recurring issue, you need to check yoself and eat some humble pie!

2:15  "We {are} Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;

2:16  nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

2:17  "But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!

2:18  "For if I rebuild what I have {once} destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.

2:19  "For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.

2:20  "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

2:21  "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness {comes} through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."

a cross-section of my current (rather frazzled) stream of consciousness... excuse the disconnect

it shouldn't be considered a 'light bulb,' more a 'reminder light bulb' rather than an 'epiphany light bulb'... but i was reminded today about how we as naturally selfish and prideful beings really are so blinded to our indwelling sins because we are so caught up with examining others'...

chapterTEN: happiness

"Happy is that people whose God is the Lord." Psalm 144:15

Are you happy?

Let me warn you to remember that the salvation of your soul, and nothing less, is closely bound up with the subject. The heart cannot be right in the sight of God which knows nothing of happiness. That man or woman cannot be in a safe state of soul who feels nothing of peace within.

In this paper, Ryle seeks to clarify:

• Some things which are absolutely essential to all happiness.
• Some common mistakes about the way to be happy.
• The way to be truly happy.

false emotions

"False emotions may seem to melt the heart for a time, but in the end they harden it. People under the influence for false emotions eventually become less concerned about their sins -- their past, present and future sins. They take less notice of the warnings of God's Word and the chastenings of his providence. They become more careless about the state of their souls and the manner of their behaviour. They become less discerning in what they say and do. Why? Because they have such a high opinion of themselves. They have had religious impressions and experiences. So they think they are safe. When they were under conviction of sin and fear of hell, they may have been very conscientious in the duties of religion and morality. However, now that they think they are no longer in danger of hell, they begin to forsake self-denial, and allow themselves to indulge in their various lusts.

Such people do not accept Christ as their Saviour from sin. They trust in him as the Saviour of their sins! They think Christ will allow them the quiet enjoyment of their sins, and protect them from God's displeasure."

--Jonathan Edwards ("The Experience That Counts!" p 104; abridged version of "Religious Affections")