Why do we do things that we end up regretting?
Jan 8, 2010
Case For Grace - part fifteen in a study of the book of Romans
Mike Gaudet
Why do we do things that we end up regretting?
"I never imagined that I could do something like that!”
We like to believe that we can “keep ourselves in line.”
When we “get out of line” we feel ashamed of ourselves.
Why do we do things that we end up regretting?
“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:20-23
What does it mean to be “slaves to sin?”
A “slave” is someone who is forced to do what someone else wants.
A “slave to sin” is someone who is forced to do what sin wants.
We imagine that we are free to do what we want to do. We assume that sin comes from having the freedom to choose. In reality, sin comes from not having the freedom to choose! Sin is an enslaving power. Sin cracks the whip and forces obedience to its wishes.
What is the result of being “slaves to sin?”
You can look back on your life and remember doing “things you are now ashamed of.” We all can recall saying and doing hurtful, harmful things. Deep down we regret what we said. We regret what we did. We feel ashamed of ourselves. We use blame to bury shame. “It was their fault.” “It was my fault.”
We blame others.
We blame ourselves.
We don’t blame sin . . . and this is where the blame belongs.
In Jesus’ day, some Roman slaves were forced by their masters to perform sexual acts. Would we blame the slaves for being immoral? No! We would rightly place the blame at the feet of the master. Sin is the master. We are sin’s slaves. Sin's intent is to control us until everything we value is destroyed and we are dead. The future for slaves of sin is grim. “Those things result in death.”
What can emancipate us from slavery to sin?
The answer is bittersweet . . . becoming “slaves to God.”
We value freedom. The thought of being anyone’s slave is deeply disturbing. The thought of being “slaves to God” becomes less disturbing when we realize that the only other option is being slaves to sin. We cannot choose if we serve as slaves. We can only choose who we serve as slaves.
The thought of being “slaves to God” becomes more appealing when we notice that serving God leads to “holiness” and “eternal life.”
You and I have a master.
Sin pays wages . . . “the wages of sin is death”
God gives gifts . . . “the gift of God is eternal life”
Which master would you rather serve?