Know Thyself

KNOW THY SELF

Romans 7:21

18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

There is no way of anyone coming to a knowledge of themselves and their relationship with God, which is necessary to repentance, if we we follow a law to ourselves. If we decide what is right and wrong according to our life-style and our knowledge we have not the benefit of the greater law of love. If in our own minds, we find no fault with our actions, we do not view them as unlawful. When Cane killed his brother Abel, there was no law outside their own consciousness. Until the flood, people did what was right in their own hearts. There was not a book of guiding principles. No one thought that they were wrong in their deeds. But in Chapter 6 verse five Noah wrote: “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” There were no guiding principles. Romans 2:14 “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Everyone did it their way. The way of man in the flesh is evil. They have no thought of some heavenly being pressing them ti know him. Darkness overshadowed them. “sin comes by the law; where there is no law there is sin, Apostle Paul wrestler with this thorn in the flesh, the human scrambles law of Moses verses the will of his Converted mind and heart. Psalms 78:5 “For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:” Exodus 24;12 “And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.” Moses obeyed. Paul had been well instructed, too well. Paul was a special selected man of God and he knew what was necessary in keeping solid standing according to God’s rules recorded by Moses. Their same basic rules apply to us today. Knowing them will be necessary to a coming to a knowledge of our standing with God..

In Paul’s own case the apostle would not have known the sinfulness of his thoughts, motives, and actions, until he rightly applied the law governing Israel. He knew very well the letter of the law, it was the spirit of the law that he misunderstood. The more humble and spiritual any Christian is, the more clearly will they perceive that the apostle describes the true believer, from his first convictions of sin to his greatest progress in grace. St. Paul was once a Pharisee, ignorant of the spirituality of the law, having some correctness of character, without knowing his inward depravity. When the commandments came to his conscience by the convictions of the Holy Spirit, and he saw what it demanded, he found his sinful mind rise against it. He became spiritually aware that nothing is so good that a corrupt and vicious nature will not pervert. The law may cause death through man's depravity, but sin is the poison that brings death. Not the law, but sin discovered by the law, was made death to the apostle. The ruinous nature of sin, and the sinfulness of the human heart, are here clearly shown. We can’t honestly deny sin in our walk once we know ourselves as we must. Paul learned himself. That did not remove the old nature but he prayed to God for help and God told him, in essence, that it is not possible to remove the Adam nature but love of God and humankind is sufficient to overcome temptation. Know thyself inside and out and know God,know peace. Amen. 01-24-2020 BLL