The Catch-22 of Why 'Self' Can't Win
Sun, April 1, 2012 | Post a Comment | 
Our Sin nature doesn't think it needs God
Our "self," the nature we were born with is rebellious. It's not our fault, we were born with it. It's been passed down from Adam and Eve and their decision to disobey God in the Garden of Eden.
The result of one trespass was condemnation for all men. (Romans 5:18)
Some of you non-Christians reading this probably are saying to yourself right now "no it's not,", but you're wrong and you know it.
Parents, what is one of baby's first words?
No. Why is that? Rebellion—they were born with it just like you.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5).
It's a natural response, whatever you want them to do, they don't want to do. Otherwise, why wouldn't they at least once out of a hundred times say yes?
Which glass gets broken first?
Stand up two sheets of glass. Tell everyone "Whatever you do, don't break the glass on the right." So, which glass do you think gets broken first? The right. Why? The sin nature, the nature that rebels against any law.
I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:18-19)
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. (Romans 7:14)
God says we must be saved—self says "no, I can do it."
Our sin nature does NOT want to admit it needs God. It wants to stay in control. It wants to forget about all of the lifetime of sins already committed and says to God..." Just tell me what to do and I'll do it".
When Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments and read them, the people said, "Great, no problem, we'll obey them, you can count on us! Amen, Hallelujah."
So what did they do?
They broke them all, over and over—backwards, forwards, upside down, inside out. Anyway you could break them, they broke them.
God knew they would
So why did he give them? To teach them about their sin nature. For them to realize they had a fatal problem. He wanted them to realize they needed a savior. Otherwise when Jesus came they would be saying what do we need Him for? We are doing just great by ourselves. Actually we do have a BIG problem and it’s no accident that the word sin is used 387 times in the Bible.
The Ten Commandments taught them about Catch-22 of Self
The catch is that although Self desperately wants to prove capable of living to God's standard without any help from God, it can't. It can't because it's nature is rebellion. So, as soon as Self is confronted with what God wants, even if it desperately wants to do it, it can't. Because its rebellious streak is so strong. Self may keep up an act for a while, but sooner or later it comes tumbling down.
In the very stubborn, that happens over and over
It's actually a very good thing for self to fail because that's when it's got a chance to wake up and realize it's fighting a losing battle. You've heard that it's insane to do the same thing over and over expecting a different result? That's what the Sin and Self nature controlled people do, caught in the losing battle of Catch-22 with the rebellious Self nature...life a dog chasing his tail, running in circles and never getting anywhere.
For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)
The way out?
Turn from trusting yourself to win this losing battle, and put your faith in God's way, the Salvation he provided for us all, the Lord Jesus Christ.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John3:16-17)
