“Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it really is; in my mind I obey God’s law but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” (Roman’s 7:24-25 NLT)
I so appreciate Paul’s transparency here. Often times, we feel stuck in our sin nature, our broken thinking, our cyclical reactions with others. We tend to want to hide this internal fracturing, afraid we are alone in our anguish between right thinking and right doing. Yet Paul, so pivotal in the planting and tending of the infant church, was barefaced about his own personal struggles.
Truthfully, this is a terrifying way to lead: to openly admit of inner battles against sin. But all the same, I am beginning to wonder if it’s the only authentic way to lead, the only way to experience any Kingdom success at all? Without vulnerability and self-exposure of our shortcomings, aren’t we Pharisees at best? Pretending to be perfect and heaping up laws that no one can stand under?
Paul was genuine about his struggle. His people felt him rail against temptation, heard his disgust over his flesh nature and witnessed his gut-wrenching sorrow over his sins. Having a window to his inner world connected him intrinsically to the body of Christ; we still study his writings two thousand years later! Through his total transparency, the people of God were united in their fight against sin, agains powers and principalities, not people and personalities. Paul’s frail nature rendered him approachable, a necessary rendering for sure.
My friend, don’t be discouraged by your struggle. As long as we struggle against our sin nature, we are gaining ground. It is when the struggle ceases that we must be concerned, when the fight has flown away from us and we just give ourselves over to our desires quietly. That is when we truly begin to lose ground.
Paul made his struggle public for accountability and prayer support. This required courage, but it also meant he knew he couldn’t make it on his own. This is a good conclusion for us to arrive at as well. Our solo melee against sin will wear us out and down. We’ll be defeated if we fight alone. But if we are brave enough to be open about our shortcomings, some other loving brother or sister will step in and fight alongside us when we are losing our way. What hope of victory will parade across our path when we are almost whipped by the enemy but reinforcements arrive; fresh troops take the ground at the very last hour.
Vulnerability is essential for connectivity, accountability and for victory. It is scary to be honest about our appetites, but it may just be essential for Kingdom wins.
“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT)
Paul ultimately recognized that Jesus was the only cure for what ailed him, for what ails us all. He realized that we are each incurable apart from Christ. So Paul pulls close and encourages us to pull close, too. To each other for accountability and camaraderie in the battle against our flesh, but also to Jesus Christ, the only right answer for our sin.
Lord, make us brave. It is so hard to be vulnerable, especially after being brave has opened us up to hurt. We read Paul’s words, though, and understand that vulnerability is key in Kingdom success. We will not win this battle if we fight alone. Give us courage to share our struggles and desire to show up on the battlefields for our friends, our brothers in arms. Satan starts to lose when we come close to You and each other. Amen.