Appetites and Temptations (Romans 6:1-14). – November 23, 2014
Appetites and temptations are both liars. Our young people know that their new life in Christ is supposed to include something about old things being passed away and all things becoming new. They have to wonder sometimes why the appetites of the flesh still seem to be in full working order, and yet their power to control them seems to be out of order. I know that I wonder it sometimes. Romans 6:1-14 deals with this challenge with an explanation about our liberty in Christ. Though we shouldn’t want to continue to serve sin because Christ lives in us, our appetites live there too and we are given full liberty to choose what we will do. We usually choose poorly and try to satisfy the appetite by feeding it. It comes back quickly and wants a bigger fix.
The truth is that we have the power to overcome this, but find it hard to yield to the holy, when the unholy is so flashy and attractive. We are tricked pretty easily by the shiny, tasty, good feeling or good sounding bait. This is not a cruel situation that we are left with, rather a testimony to the true unconditional nature of the love of God that never forces nor coerces but gives us full liberty to serve Him or serve sin. The key is to think of ourselves as dead to the appetites of the old life and know that we have the power to refuse the old and replace it with the new things. The challenge is that at the same time, we have the liberty to do either. We should remember that our appetites lie about how much they want and the temptations of this world lie about their ability to fulfill the wants! We have the power to stop serving liars and yield ourselves to Christ.