a tremendous statement for a highly educated and talented man to make. Many people for this, as well as an other reason, find it extremely diffi cult to come to this point. There needs to be the standard of refer ence which is only acceptable in God’s sight. Most people like to measure themselves by their own standards, or at least by the stand ards of the world. But when our lives are placed alongside of God’s perfect law, we see that there isn’t anything inherently good in us. After we have been to a summer conference or heard a stirring mes sage from the pastor, we come up with the assertion, “Oh, I’m going to be different!” There is the desire but no dynamic. The law of sin and death is operative within you. The first statement is one of discovery, the second statement one of disillu sionment, but this third one of dy namic decision. The indwelling pres ence of Jesus Christ gives us the power over sin and death, if we will but lay hold of it and claim it for ourselves. Like any law of dynamics, it must be applied in order to be ef fective. Can you say today, as your personal testimony, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” ? RELEASED LIFE PART II W e hear much about freedom to day; however, s p i r i t u a l l y speaking, the way a person is set free from sin and death is through the operation of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Again, we un derscore that the Bible doesn’t teach a principle of sin eradication. It shows us rather counteraction. The Spirit of Christ in the Christian is greater than the principle of sin and death (I John 4:4). Unfortunately, many Christians appear to be rather ignorant concerning the principle of 12
capacity to engage in things which we do not like to see in others. Paul knew that there were certain things he ought to do, and yet they were not his practice. All Christians have something about themselves they ut terly hate. It may be a sin, a charac teristic, some part of their tempera ment. Whatever it is, it is obnoxious to them and they would like to be rid of it permanently. Have you ever looked back and discovered that you have a tendency to do things you hate? Pointing up the final reason for his conclusion that he is sold under sin, Paul illustrates: half of me rec ognizes what ought to be done, but I am like a split personality. Half of me has understanding of spiritual realities, but there is something else in me that is diametrically opposed to all of these things. He comes to the only conclusion that it is sin that dwells within. When you arrive at ■this point, you begin to know some thing of the law of sin and death in your members. Paul’s testimony was the realiza tion that within his sinful flesh was no good thing. Philippians shows us that this is something he could have gloried in. This chapter gives us his impressive human pedigree. To say, “There is no good thing in me” is
Mrs. Martha S. Hooker (left), recently retired from the Biola College faculty in the Christian Education Department, meets a new freshman student coming from the western Caroline Islands, Dakio Syne.
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