Shield's UP! - Part 2A - 8-14-17

[Rev. Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

      Photo Reference: www.hopefaithprayer.com

The root cause of sickness is sin! Not necessarily your sin, but Adam’s sin! If you don’t know who you are in Christ, you are still carrying around Adam’s sin and the results of his sin (or any sin), is death (sickness, disease, and infirmities, goes with death)! Romans 6:23 tells us clearly, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (biblegateway.com – AMP).

Sickness is a curse caused by Adam’s sin of disobedience, in the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam specific instructions, to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but he allowed Eve to eat from it anyway. God told Adam what would happen, if he ate from the tree; he would die-Adam died spiritually and physically, when he disobeyed God. Adam’s sin brought spiritual and physical death to all mankind, separating us from God (Genesis 2:15 – 3:24). BUT God sent His Son Jesus, to restore us back to Himself; Jesus took our sins, delivering us from the power of sin and its effects like, sickness, disease, infirmities, pain, sorrow, grief, guilt, etc. and gave us His righteousness (Isaiah 53:1-6) (Romans 6:23)!

Romans 5:12-21 tells us: ¹² Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men^[a^] because all sinned— ¹³ for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴ Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass^[b^] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness^[c^] leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:17 lets us know, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (biblegateway.com – NKJV). When we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we become BORN AGAIN (“reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified”-John 3:7); we are no longer under the law but under grace and truth, through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:14)!

Paul tells us in Romans 6:12-15, not to let sin reign in our lives because we are not under the law, but under grace. Paul then goes on to tell us, just because we are not under the law, but under God’s grace, we are not to sin (verse 15). Jesus freed us from sin, so we could be restored to God and live for Him; not so we can go back under the bondage of sin and do what we want! Remember, Adam’s disobedience, is what caused sin to come into the world anyway; so why should you want to continue in the same thing, that has cause so much chaos and death, down through the ages? We should be so glad to get out from under the bondage of sin, that even the presence or the appearance of sin, makes us run-as Joseph did from Potiphar’s wife,  who tried to seduce him (Genesis 39:10-12).

This is what Paul says in Romans 7:6-25 – I am writing out the complete verses because it is important for us to understand this (biblegateway.com – AMP):

⁶ But now we have been released from the Law and its penalty, having died [through Christ] to that by which we were held captive, so that we serve [God] in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter [of the Law].

⁷ What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, if it had not been for the Law, I would not have recognized sin. For I would not have known [for example] about coveting [what belongs to another, and would have had no sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, “You shall not covet.”

⁸ But sin, finding an opportunity through the commandment [to express itself] produced in me every kind of coveting and selfish desire. For without the Law sin is dead [the recognition of sin is inactive]. 

⁹ I was once alive without [knowledge of] the Law; but when the commandment came [and I understood its meaning], sin became alive and I died [since the Law sentenced me to death]. ¹⁰ And the very commandment which was intended to bring life, actually proved to bring death for me. ¹¹ For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, beguiled and completely deceived me, and ^[a^]using it as a weapon killed me [separating me from God]. ¹² So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³ Did that which is good [the Law], then become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, in order that it might be revealed as sin, was producing death in me by [using] this good thing [as a weapon], so that through the commandment sin would become exceedingly sinful.

The Conflict of Two Natures

¹⁴ We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am a creature of the flesh [worldly, self-reliant—carnal and unspiritual], sold into slavery to sin [and serving under its control]. ¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not practice what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate [and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity]. ¹⁶ Now if I habitually do what I do not want to do, [that means] I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good (morally excellent). ¹⁷ So now [if that is the case, then] it is no longer I who do it [the disobedient thing which I despise], but the sin [nature] which lives in me. 

¹⁸ For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity]. For the willingness [to do good] is present in me, but the doing of good is not. ¹⁹ For the good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. ²⁰ But if I am doing the very thing I do not want to do, I am no longer the one doing it [that is, it is not me that acts], but the sin [nature] which lives in me.

²¹ So I find it to be the law [of my inner self], that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. ²² For I joyfully delight in the law of God in my inner self [with my new nature], ²³ but I see a different law and rule of action in the members of my body [in its appetites and desires], waging war against the law of my mind and subduing me and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is within my members. ²⁴ Wretched and miserable man that I am! Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt, mortal existence]? 

²⁵ Thanks be to God [for my deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness, my sinful capacity—I serve] the law of sin.

WOW!!! As you see, we are in a war; inwardly, as well as externally-but we are not alone; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), God the Holy Spirit, lives in us! Our sinful nature, the old man, the soulish man, is fighting to regain control (if you have been Born Again-“reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified”- John 3:7); if you have not been born again, your soul is already in control-it is in a battle constantly, with your spirit man.

Remember, we are three-part whole beings – spirit, soul, and body. The 1599 Geneva Bible version of 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says it like this: “Now the very God of peace ^[a^]sanctify you throughout: and I pray God that your whole spirit and soul and body, may be kept blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (biblegateway.com).

We are a spirit first (we are made in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit’s image and likeness – God is our Creator – Genesis 1:26-27). Our spirit determines our identity; who we are in God (hence, if you are not carrying the Spirit of God, you are still being led by your old sinful nature and being controlled by the devil).

Next, we have a soul, which has to do with our personality – our soul house our mind [thinker], our emotions [feeler-if you have emotional problems, the issue is in your soul]; and will [chooser]. The third part of man is the body, which is the dwelling place for the spirit and soul. In our body, we also have our 5 senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch), a speak center, and an action center (act out what is happening in our soul or spirit). The body enables us to either praise God when all is well with our soul or enables us to act in an ungodly way, when it isn’t-click here for complete teaching on “The Three Parts of Man.” Of course, the soul wants to stay in control, but we must ask Holy Spirit to empower us with His strength, so we will NOT give in to the soul, which causes us to do things contrary to the Word of God! Paul lets us know in verse 18 of Romans Chapter 7, there is NOTHING good in our flesh, our sinful nature! When we want to do good, our sinful nature wants us to do evil and tries to pull us back into sin!

Paul then goes on to tell us in verse 25, who will deliver us from the power of sin; Jesus is the ONLY One, who can deliver us and has delivered us from the power of sin, along with ALL it’s effects-sickness, disease, infirmities, and death (Isaiah 53:1-6)!!

HOWEVER, if you have not accepted Jesus as YOUR personal Lord and Savior (“reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified”-John 3:7), you are still living under the power of sin, and ALL it’s effects-sickness, disease, infirmities, and death! Jesus HAS completed the work for you too, He is not coming back to do what He has ALREADY done-IT IS FINISHED (Romans 6:10; 1 Peter 3:18). But now, YOU must accept what Jesus has done (His death, burial, and resurrection-His FINISHED work), in order to obtain eternal life!

Do you see what the definition of being born again mean in John 3:7? It means, to be reborn from above and reborn from above means to be spiritually transformed, renewed, and sanctified! ONLY the Word of God can accomplish this in us; we MUST allow Holy Spirit to do the work in us-after we have accepted Jesus as our PERSONAL Lord and Savior! 

Click here for PDF version of “Shields Up!” Part 1 - 8-4-17

Click here for PDF version of Shield's UP! P2A-8-14-17

Click here for PDF version of Shield's UP! Part 2B-8-14-17

Shields UP!!!

Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks