By David ReayFriday 1 Nov 2013LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Romans 8:12-14
12 Therefore,dear brothers and sisters,you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates,you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. (NLT)
It is the dream of social engineers to be able to compel human goodness. In novels like Brave New World and A Clockwork Orange,scenarios are described which have human beings subject to such treatment as to make them good citizens. Society cannot tolerate disorder and criminality so it is to be abolished,programmed out of existence. The problem being that to do so involves violating human freedom. Being good becomes the only option for that is what the individual is programmed or bred to be.
Generally this has been regarded as a price too high to pay for encouraging social cohesion. So we live with those who choose to do the wrong thing rather than somehow compelling them to do the right thing. We reckon the freedom of choice is essential to true humanity.
The Bible encourages us to do good. But we do so with the empowerment of the Spirit of God. We are not pre-programmed to be good or genetically manufactured so as to choose to do good. We only do so with the encouragement of God himself. Paul’s exhortation for us to live this way implies a freedom to choose not to live this way. Christians are free to do good or not do good.
We follow God’s ways not because of our genetic make-up or because of a set of laws compelling us to do so. We follow God because his Spirit within nudges us,prods us,taps us on the shoulder. Our obedience is not forced but freely enabled.
Blessings
David Reay