Many passages of scripture written by Paul describe our freedom in Christ and the unfathomable love of God. This is the power of Christ’s sacrifice. We have received the grace of God that covers all sins. It has purified us and removed the penalty of eternal separation from God.
And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:11-12
“Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up. 1 Corinthians 10:23
To grasp that truth and stop there would be a distortion of a true relationship. We were created not just to receive God’s magnificent love, but to love and glorify Him in return. We are told this all over the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. Given and kept out of love, the commandment is not an obligation. It is a natural reciprocal response in a healthy relationship. Our aim shouldn’t be to test the safety net of God’s love for us. He wants good for us. He doesn’t want us to be ruled by the multiplicity of false ideals that steal our joy. It is because of His care for us that we should love Him and obediently follow His ways.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5
I am going to be honest. I am not always nailing this reciprocal love we are meant to have with Christ. I wouldn’t even give myself a passing grade sometimes. In my rebellion, I often want to do things my own way simply to prove I can. The words of Paul in Romans 7:22-24 reveal my conflict all too well. I feel that last exclamation in verse 24 deeply; “What a wretched man I am!”. I don’t choose His ways over my wants, even knowing His way is better. Understanding God desires my permanent joy over the temporary feelings of accomplishment should be enough to persuade me. It isn’t always the case. I still give credence to my own faulty plans.
For in my inner self, I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 7:22 – 8:4
God has never been moved by my rebellious ways. He doesn’t flinch as I obsess over self-created fixations and pursuits. At times, I have allowed fear to embed itself into my heart by justifying my weaknesses or overestimating my own strength. But God’s love is never revoked. His promises are never redistributed to a more deserving candidate. The saving work of Christ has been sealed. Beyond the once-for-all atonement, He continually remains faithful even when I fail to pursue Him.
He does what only He can do. His love burns like fire, illuminating my sin. It hurts. It is uncomfortable. It is healing. It is the perfect love of God. In our disobedience, He is still willing to cleanse us. We don’t have to suffer awhile to learn a lesson, though some of us choose to. Through Christ’s sacrifice, all things have been declared lawful. We don’t lose our salvation because of imperfection. All things are lawful. We aren’t abandoned because of struggles with sin and pride. All things are lawful. We don’t lose our access to God because we have idols in our life. All things are lawful, but because of the love God has for us, He offers something better than unrighteousness, sin, and the distress they cause.
If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed, just keep coming to God. Even when it feels like He has turned away, know that He hasn’t. Hebrews 13:5 references an Old Testament promise from Deuteronomy 31:6 when it says, “He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” Allow yourself to be secure in that truth. If you feel like you chose your problems, know that God doesn’t point fingers and isn’t looking to place blame. He is all-knowing. There is nothing that comes as a surprise. No new information will present itself that will disqualify you from the redemption and love of God.
If you think you are less worthy of receiving help to overcoming hindrances in your life, remember that Christ ministered to healing to those who acknowledged their brokenness and reached out for help. The biblical accounts of Christ’s life are testaments that He was called to the hurting, struggling, imperfect, and needy. By beckoning us to receive God’s grace by drawing near to Him in humility, James 4:6 reminds us that that hasn’t changed.
But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:6-10
Who you are and what you do will never change His love. Let that depth of love permeate through your heart and be a catalyst for a deeper and greater love of who God is. All things are indeed lawful, but let’s seek out those things that draw us near to an unfailing love that purifies, strengthens, and fulfills our deepest desire for purpose. Let’s put our security in God.