Category: Top articles

The Christian struggle against sin

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JEFF TURNER

Paul’s description in Romans 7 of failing to do what he wants, while doing what he hates, might initially sound like the confession of someone still living apart from Christ. In reality, this internal conflict describes the experience of a believer, not an unbeliever.

Those without Christ simply sin without this kind of internal struggle, since even their good actions are ultimately driven by self-interest rather than a genuine desire to honour God, whether motivated by feeling good, gaining approval, or avoiding consequences.

The conflict Paul describes only exists because believers possess a new nature that genuinely loves God’s law and desires righteousness, while simultaneously still battling the lingering presence of sin within them. This tension, loving truth and holiness while continually being undermined by sin’s persistent influence, marks the distinctly Christian experience that unbelievers simply do not share.

How do you react when you realize your own sin?

For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.

Galatians 5:17

Abraham fathers all believers through faith, not through bloodline

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Romans 4 describes Abraham as the father of all believers, a statement that raises a natural question given that Abraham is also the physical ancestor of the nation of Israel. In that sense, Abraham serves as the earthly progenitor of the Jewish people, since the nation descended directly from his family line. The fatherhood Paul describes in Romans, however, points to something different from ancestry.

Genesis 15 records that Abraham believed God, and this faith was credited to him as righteousness. This moment introduces the concept of salvation through faith and the doctrine of imputed righteousness, meaning God’s righteousness was applied to Abraham on the basis of his trust rather than his actions.

Abraham was justified by faith alone, and all who come to God through faith, regardless of ethnic background, become his spiritual children in this sense. Before this act of faith, Abraham was an idol worshipper with no claim to righteousness of his own, and his story shows us the pattern followed by everyone who has ever been saved throughout history.

Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.

Galatians 3:7

Jesus confronts Peter’s return to fishing with a call back into ministry

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

After his resurrection, Jesus instructed Peter and the other disciples to go to Galilee and wait for him there. Instead, weighed down by guilt over his threefold denial of Christ, Peter returned to his former occupation of fishing rather than waiting as instructed, likely feeling unworthy to serve after his failure. Jesus finds him in that setting and asks whether Peter loves him more than “these,” a reference to the boat, nets and fishing equipment that represented Peter’s old way of life.

The question calls for a renewed commitment from Peter, asking him to choose between his former livelihood and the ministry Jesus intended for him. Each time Peter affirms his love for Jesus, he receives the same response: feed my sheep, feed my lambs. The exchange happens three times, the same number of times Peter denied Jesus.

Isn’t the point here that even Peter, who denied Jesus, can be redeemed? Peter gave three denials followed by Jesus asking him three times if he loved Him. This led to restoration of a fallen disciple, humbled his self-confidence, followed by Jesus trusting him with leadership of the early Church. Jesus offered Peter a public opportunity to reverse his failure without humiliation, shifting his focus from boastful self-reliance to profound trust in Christ.

Jesus redeemed Peter. He can redeem you.

“Feed my sheep.”

John 21:17

Sustaining grace carries believers through life’s weakest moments

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

God’s strength is most evident during the moments when a person feels weakest and uncertain.

Paul went through insult, pain, and difficulty. When I read the bible, I see that these are not meant to push believers toward giving up. Instead, God’s power, made available through sustaining grace, remains sufficient regardless of the circumstance.

2 Corinthians 12:9 comes in the context of Paul describing a “thorn in the flesh,” a persistent hardship he repeatedly asked God to remove. Instead, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul therefore learned to rely on Christ’s strength rather than his own.

Consider the lives the apostles lived and the problems they faced. They didn’t accomplish everything they wanted. Instead, they were drawn closer to God through their sufferings. In Philippians 4:13 Paul explains that he has learned to be content whether he has plenty or is suffering from hunger and need. When he says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” he means that Christ gives him the strength to endure every circumstance and remain faithful, not that he can accomplish anything he desires.

Do you turn to God when times are tough?

Paul’s warning against receiving grace in vain

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

In writing to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul urges believers not to receive the grace of God in vain. This warning can be understood in two distinct ways. The first considers the possibility that some members of the Corinthian congregation were not genuinely converted, prompting Paul’s later instruction that they examine themselves to confirm they were truly in the faith. People can sit under gospel preaching for years without the message taking root in a saving way.

The second application addresses believers who had truly received God’s grace but had drifted into legalistic living. Paul’s letter to the Galatians raises a similar concern, asking whether those who began their Christian life through the Spirit were now trying to reach maturity through their own effort. Grace can be rejected outwardly by those who never truly believed, or it can be replaced inwardly by a reliance on works among those who did believe. Both represent ways of receiving grace without letting it accomplish its intended purpose.

You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace.

Galatians 5:4