Would I be happy in God's presence or would I be tortured? I had never thought of not going to heaven from this perspective before. God doesn't allow people in that wouldn't be happy there because it would be worse for them than facing hell. So in which category do I see myself; overjoyed or miserable? To be honest after really thinking about it, I haven't been able to come up with an answer. I truly have no idea where I stand.
I know a few of you are thinking, "What?!? You're so good, why wouldn't you be happy in heaven?" Okay, so maybe I have that "outward correctness of behavior" but what is in my heart? My "good" I feel like comes from "education, culture, the exercise of [my] will [and] human effort." I do not feel that I have the inner working of Christ. Yes, I need Christ. I long for Christ. But I wonder if I truly feel that I need Him.
Remember in this chapter where it talks about Paul and how he longed for purity and cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?" I, too, long for purity or for Jesus in my heart but I...(please do not take this the wrong way, I'm just trying to be honest)...I do not see myself as wretched. I see myself as a descent person. How can I fully have Christ if I don't see my need? How do I become like Paul and say "O wretched man that I am?" How do I realize my need?
What are your thoughts?
Hey Tash! Great response to the chapter, I read it as well this morning and this is a great synopsis of what the chapter is all about. My thoughts... In Romans 7:24, 25 Paul talks about how the flesh and the mind are separate...
ReplyDelete24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Here Paul is saying that no matter how righteous or "un-wretched" we may see ourselves we must realize that we are born into sin and our bodies are dead by default because of it. Only through Christ Jesus may we be saved by making a conscious MINDFUL decision to give our lives to Christ and to get rid of anything that will deter that from happening completely. Tash, even if you see yourself as descent, and even if you truly are a "good person" you need Jesus in order to be saved. Of what worth is your "goodness" if it is not for God or of God? I guess my overall point here is that yes we may be perfectly acceptable individuals in society's eyes or even our own eyes, but the real point is that without Jesus we are doomed... regardless of what we've done or who we are.
I love this blog Tash! Its great to dig into these questions and find real answers! I can't wait to read more! Let me know if I've miss spoken or if you have any other inputs. These are just my opinions :)
Jimmy