Themes
The Concepts of Sin
One of the significant themes appreciated in the course is the concept of sin and its various tenets. The New Testament has played a substantial role in explaining the meaning of sin and how human beings relate to it. Paul in his teachings to the Romans attempts to illuminate more on this concept by differentiating sin from sins. In the book of Romans, Paul explains that sin in its singular form refers to an innate state of being as opposed to a series of wrongdoings. Therefore, this body of sin was washed away from humanity after the joint crucifixion with Jesus Christ. Therefore, when Paul discusses the concept of sin, he refers to the natural state in which human beings fail to meet the standards as defined by God. On the contrary, Paul refers to the “sins’’ in the book of Corinthians in reference to the wrongful actions which Jesus died for in the cross. Therefore, in this regard, Paul highlights two different types of sins one which associates human beings to an inborn failure to meet the standards of God, and that which refers to the wrongful actions committed on earth.
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a symbolic act in the cleansing of these two types of sins. The death of Jesus on the cross was significant in liberating humanity from their sinful nature. It is this regards that Paul questions the Romans whether they would want to continue existing in the fallen nature when Christ had already removed them from such a state of being. Therefore, the death of Jesus delivered people from their sinful nature. On the other hand, the blood of Jesus cleanses humanity from their sinful acts. Therefore, Paul is cognizant of the fact that the activities at the cross liberated people from their sins holistically. In furthering the concept of sin, Paul likens sin to death by asserting that anybody liberated from sinful actions will not be affected in any way. He intimates that a person dead to their sinful nature no longer lives in it and thus they are free to live in another way. Paul also draws the idea of baptism where he asserts that it is an essential step in evading the sinful ways because one is immersed in Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus asks people to follow his ways and stay with him as the only way of avoiding sin.
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The Concept of the Flesh
In the biblical perspectives, flesh is not used to refer to the physical condition of the body but rather the moral character and conduct employed by human beings. In understanding the concept of flesh in its entirety, human beings must first know that it is the most vulnerable part of human beings towards the commitment of sin. As such, the flesh is prone to will and is a significant part of the opposition of the will of God. In associating the flesh to believers, one critical point to note is that every believer has a flesh, but however, believers should not proclaim the possession of the flesh but rather their willful choices. Human beings or believers, through their will, tend to sin. The Holy Spirit is an essential component of the flesh possessed by human beings. As such, a lack of guidance by the Holy Spirit is the major reason that the flesh causes sin. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit dwells on every individual who believes in Jesus Christ. As such, there is a close relationship between the flesh, sin, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The flesh is vulnerable to sin due to lack of guidance from the Holy Spirit that only comes when one believes in Jesus Christ.
There is a thick line separating the flesh from the spirit. The desires of the flesh are entirely different from those of the spirit. However, critical to appreciate is the fact that the body is not evil. The only problem is that it forms a site for the existence of evil where the impulses that result to sin exist. The body many times opposes some good things that make an individual holy and embarks on those which jeopardize the existence of the spirit in a person. The body easily gives in to the temptations that lead to sinful actions. However, the Bible teaches that for anyone to minimize the influence of the flesh, they must employ habits that reflect habits and the ways that reflect the life of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Christians have an obligation to ask for God's assistance in overcoming the temptations of the flesh. As such, they should walk with the spirit in a bid to denounce the sinful nature and further embrace Christ. From this teaching, people get to learn the dual nature of humanity and how the flesh and the spirit are in an antagony with each other. However, the Bible teaches that human beings must always embrace what is good for the spirit and not for the flesh.
The Nature of the Spirit
Understanding the concepts of sin and flesh would also require one to assess the nature of the spirit keenly. As earlier intimated, the Holy Spirit guides humanity from committing the sins of the flesh. The bible further highlights that the beginning of the existence of the spirit depends on whether one has accepted to walk in the path of Jesus Christ. Therefore, immediately one believes Jesus Christ as their savior, the Holy Spirit begins working in them. The spirit performs essential functions in the body most importantly enabling Christ to exist in the heart of the believer. It further helps an individual to conform to the life Christ and his character. Therefore, the believer gets the security of knowing and understanding that they are children of God. Such teaching is important to a Christian because it gives them an understanding that indeed the inception of the spirit in the body is the beginning of life in the way of Christ.
However, every Christian is called upon to appreciate the difference between indwelling of the spirit and filling of the spirit. The indwelling of the spirit happens to everyone who believes in Christ. It occurs when one not only believes but also accepts to be born again. Therefore, the indwelling of the spirit only occurs once. On the other hand, filling of the spirit means something different from the idea of indwelling. It refers in principality that one has received the spirit and therefore decides to walk in it. Filling in spirit is consequently one of the important parts of avoiding the desires of the flesh. Whereas indwelling occurs once and is a permanent process, filling in the spirit is a repeated process where one is required to ask God for it continuously. Therefore, since human beings are required to ask for the redemption of the spirit in them constantly, it is prone to get lost when one acts in rebellion against God. Also, another critical factor to note with the filling of the spirit is that it results in the accumulation of power in a person's life. The major take away for Christians in this teaching is that they must understand the nature of the spirit and how it is acquired. Whereas people can acquire the spirit permanently through the process of indwelling, they are required to redeem it through the process of filling continually.
The Concept of Legalism
Every Christian is expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the stipulations in the bible. Legalism mainly highlights some of the limits within which Christians are required to operate. Therefore, in the legalistic teachings, Christians are not only rallied behind Christ but given information on what to do or what not to do. However, one major criticism fronted with regards to legalism is that it does not teach the Christians how to walk in the spirit. As such, a believer, through legalism, might tend to act morally right but fails to gain the Holy Spirit because they are not born again. Therefore, whereas legalism is good in terms of ensuring that Christians live a morally astute life, they need to go an extra mile in asserting their strength through attaining the powers of the spirit.
Furthermore, the emphasis on legalism is concerned with rules and regulations required for one to achieve salvation. It is therefore opposed to grace, as believers are mainly required to adhere to strict rules. However, critics stress that it comes with a major error because it gives a distorted view of God who is the creator of law. One of the most commonly held belief is that the main reason why God gives the law is to deprive humanity of their much-needed joy. Therefore, critics suggest that they are in a continuous loss of joy if they devote their lives towards glorifying God. Therefore, legalism reduces the value of salvation and fails to emphasize on perfectionism. It is therefore criticized for its association with fear and the fact that it does not build on faith.
Implications of the Themes to My Life
One of my biggest take on the themes and studies undertaken in class is the fact that a lack of vision aligning through the churches makes it difficult to worship as a body. With the increasing number of churches in the recent years, we have seen differed interpretation of the Bible and life of Jesus Christ, a factor that has led to a consistent lack of vision in the church. The biblical teaches of the flesh and its vulnerability to sin. It further asserts that the ultimate solutions lie with the incorporation of the spirit into the flesh that guides humanity from the sinful ways. The lack of vision in the church is as a result of the culmination of the lack of emphasis on the spirit. People have consistently become the slaves of the flesh and thus resulted in many sinful ways and the opposition to the ways of God. Therefore, this has led to disunity in the church as individuals; including those who are mandated to interpret the word of God have fallen victims to the flesh. A lack of vision can also be analyzed through the differed interpretations of the bible. Those who view the bible through the lenses of a legalism concept see the will of God as a factor that attempts to limit the joy of human beings. Therefore, such factors continue making it difficult for people to worship as a unit.
My second biggest lesson learned from the themes is with regards to sin. Through Paul's teaching about the two types of sins, I have appreciated the fact that as a human being, I have to do a lot to ensure that I strengthen my purity. Paul reminds the Romans and the Corinthians that human beings have two types of sins, the innate and that which they continuously perform on a day to day basis. The death of Jesus on the cross and his subsequent shedding of blood cleanse these two types of sins. Therefore, as a person, failure to live by the standards of God waters the efforts made by Jesus through his death on the cross. My biggest lesson therefore here is that acting against the will of God or living against the set standards is tantamount to committing the two sins highlighted by Paul. It is only imperative that I follow the laws of God because through the death of sin, he had already relieved me of the burden of the innate sin that comes with humanity.
The final lesson that I have appreciated from the reading is concerned with the idea of legalism. As a controversial issue that continues to polarize believers, it calls for critical understanding by everyone. Through legalism, Christians are required to take note of what and what they are not required to do as believers. However, critics note that this does not drive us to the spirit where the true abidance to God begins. Many have also cited that the strictness that comes with legalism has played a critical role in denying Christians their much-needed joy. However, on my part, I believe that legalism should always be combined with the spiritualization of an individual's life. When I take in both concepts, legalism will ensure that I live a life that is morally right hence ensuring that I do not perform any sinful act. Secondly, when I accept the spirit, I will be creating a firm foundation on which to avoid falling a victim of the flesh and acting in a manner that least pleases God.
