Alesaggio
09-07-2006, 03:52 PM
The secret of victory over sin is -- "walk in the light."
Paul prayed that saints might "be sincere and without offense" (Phil. 1:10). Sincere comes from two Latin words - sine and cera, which mean "without wax."
It seems that in Roman days, some sculptors covered up their mistakes by filling the defects in their marble statues with wax, which was not readily visible--until the statue had been exposed to the hot sun awhile. But more dependable sculptors made certain that their customers knew that the statues they sold were sine cera - without wax. Unfortunately, many churches have been invaded by insincere people, people whose lives cannot stand to be tested by God's light. We need more sine cera people in our pews and in our pulpits.
There are three motives for obedience. We can obey because we have to, because we need to, or because we want to. Slave - has to. Employee - needs to. Christian - wants to. (Jn. 14:15) -- "If you love me, keep my commandments." Sincere obedience is obedience from the heart. “Doing the will of God from the heart.”
It was said by C.S. Lewis once, "No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good." This "Lewisese" is the essence of Paul's message in Romans 7:14-25:
"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 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. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, that one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, But I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 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."
Paul states that, "the Law is spiritual" meaning it has its origins with God and is in harmony with His character. Paul also says, "I am of flesh and sold into bondage to sin," and ". . .whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” A servant is in bondage to His Master – he cannot do what he wants.
In the Bible there are two types of slaves and two types of Masters. There is the Good Master and the Harsh Task Master and there is the servant who serves because the Master reigns over him and the bondservant as Paul commonly describes himself who chooses of his own volition to serve but has power to stay or go.
The Roman army was, at the time of Paul's writing, the most powerful military force in the world. The Roman soldier's superior armor and weaponry was largely responsible for the Roman military's might and success. Paul likens God's powerful spiritual resources or virtues for we Christian soldiers to the battle armor and weaponry of the Roman soldier.
The reasons why most Christians do not have strong victorious spiritual lives is because (a) They do not know what their spiritual armor and weaponry consists of and/or, (b) if they know about their armor and weaponry, they simply fail or refuse to use them.
The first piece of equipment that Paul mentions is the belt. Around the waist, a Roman soldier wore a wide belt. Strictly speaking, one could assert that the belt is not truly armor. However, the belt was essential because it had two vital purposes: (1) the belt held the rest of the armor in place and supported the sword, (2) the belt acted as a girdle which collected together the soldier's garments about the waist. This ensured that the garments would not trip-up the soldier in combat and it provided needed support and additional strength.
Paul says that our belt is "truth". The Greek word translated "truth" here is aletheuo. Aletheuo can be understood as objective truth or subjective truth. As objective truth, it would refer to spiritual facts or knowledge. Subjective truth, however, is personal truth. It is being genuine, without hypocrisy. We call it sincerity.
Paul is saying that our belt is spiritual "sincerity" rather than just spiritual "facts" or "information." Sincerity for the Christian soldier performs exactly as the belt did for the Roman soldier--it held everything else in place.
When the Scriptures speak of sincerity, it means a genuine and singular desire to please the Lord. It means that our heart's one longing and our mind's one aim is to serve the Lord and promote His glory. God has always desired and required this virtue of sincerity in His people.
True Sine Cera -- without wax.
--+--
Paul prayed that saints might "be sincere and without offense" (Phil. 1:10). Sincere comes from two Latin words - sine and cera, which mean "without wax."
It seems that in Roman days, some sculptors covered up their mistakes by filling the defects in their marble statues with wax, which was not readily visible--until the statue had been exposed to the hot sun awhile. But more dependable sculptors made certain that their customers knew that the statues they sold were sine cera - without wax. Unfortunately, many churches have been invaded by insincere people, people whose lives cannot stand to be tested by God's light. We need more sine cera people in our pews and in our pulpits.
There are three motives for obedience. We can obey because we have to, because we need to, or because we want to. Slave - has to. Employee - needs to. Christian - wants to. (Jn. 14:15) -- "If you love me, keep my commandments." Sincere obedience is obedience from the heart. “Doing the will of God from the heart.”
It was said by C.S. Lewis once, "No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good." This "Lewisese" is the essence of Paul's message in Romans 7:14-25:
"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 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. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, that one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, But I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 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."
Paul states that, "the Law is spiritual" meaning it has its origins with God and is in harmony with His character. Paul also says, "I am of flesh and sold into bondage to sin," and ". . .whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” A servant is in bondage to His Master – he cannot do what he wants.
In the Bible there are two types of slaves and two types of Masters. There is the Good Master and the Harsh Task Master and there is the servant who serves because the Master reigns over him and the bondservant as Paul commonly describes himself who chooses of his own volition to serve but has power to stay or go.
The Roman army was, at the time of Paul's writing, the most powerful military force in the world. The Roman soldier's superior armor and weaponry was largely responsible for the Roman military's might and success. Paul likens God's powerful spiritual resources or virtues for we Christian soldiers to the battle armor and weaponry of the Roman soldier.
The reasons why most Christians do not have strong victorious spiritual lives is because (a) They do not know what their spiritual armor and weaponry consists of and/or, (b) if they know about their armor and weaponry, they simply fail or refuse to use them.
The first piece of equipment that Paul mentions is the belt. Around the waist, a Roman soldier wore a wide belt. Strictly speaking, one could assert that the belt is not truly armor. However, the belt was essential because it had two vital purposes: (1) the belt held the rest of the armor in place and supported the sword, (2) the belt acted as a girdle which collected together the soldier's garments about the waist. This ensured that the garments would not trip-up the soldier in combat and it provided needed support and additional strength.
Paul says that our belt is "truth". The Greek word translated "truth" here is aletheuo. Aletheuo can be understood as objective truth or subjective truth. As objective truth, it would refer to spiritual facts or knowledge. Subjective truth, however, is personal truth. It is being genuine, without hypocrisy. We call it sincerity.
Paul is saying that our belt is spiritual "sincerity" rather than just spiritual "facts" or "information." Sincerity for the Christian soldier performs exactly as the belt did for the Roman soldier--it held everything else in place.
When the Scriptures speak of sincerity, it means a genuine and singular desire to please the Lord. It means that our heart's one longing and our mind's one aim is to serve the Lord and promote His glory. God has always desired and required this virtue of sincerity in His people.
True Sine Cera -- without wax.
--+--