City Life Starter

The Word

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Romans 7:21, 25

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Ephesians 4:28

If we do not believe in decent behavior, why should we be so anxious to make excuses for not having behaved decently?

These, then, are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human being, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it.

C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity, Chapter 1 “Right and Wrong”

Exegesis

Paul, in the book of Romans, describes his painstaking and consistent struggle with the desires that his sinful nature brings. He looks forward to the end of this life and to that of being with Christ for eternity. Still, the earthly struggle is real for Paul…and it’s also real for us.

I find it odd that, as Christians, we assume most individuals understand the term “sin.” It is mentioned all over the Bible and when we read verses such as the one above from Romans, we think that the person who hears it, knows exactly what we mean. It’s a common misconception, and at the same time, there’s this understanding that everyone has in regards to what sin is. Thus, the term itself may be unfamiliar, but few would disagree on its definition.

Paul, in many letters to the churches would give a quick description of positive and negative behavior that he can appeal to. Assuming that the readers are well aware of them. The verse in Ephesians regarding stealing is a very interesting one. Stealing, in most, if not all religions, is seen as something we should not do. The selfishness that we have, even as kids, is shown by the fact that no one should take what belongs to us. Stealing is thus a sin that most can agree on, and yet, we may be tempted to steal or have done so at certain points in our lives.

Application

I am a big fan of the TV series called Community. In the series, there is an episode where one of the characters lost their favorite pen and every one of the eight people were thought to have a motivation to be the thief. It got to the point where they locked themselves into the libraries study room in order to find out who did it. The accusations fly back and forth while the real culprit escapes unharmed. (semi-spoiler alert)

This episode is a great example of how we view “right and wrong” in our society. Stealing would not be a bad thing if survival of the fittest and evolutionary biology led the way for societies to live. Many atheists would argue that there is no such thing as a moral code, yet, try stealing their wallet and see what happens! Thus, this is a great example why sin exists and why C.S. Lewis uses this argument to tell us how quarreling works and why we appeal to a higher level of right and wrong.

Prayer

Father, thank you for giving us the ability to understand the difference between right and wrong. Let us live to seek to do all that is right and not give in to the temptations of sin. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.