“As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous – not even one. No one is truly wise; not one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.’” Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
Have you ever tried to explain something to someone and you’re thinking: “I might as well be talking to a tree?” Can we even begin to understand how difficult it is for God to communicate with us before we’re saved? It’s hard enough, especially early on, for Him to communicate with us as His child, but once we have the Holy Spirit residing in us, it makes it so much easier.
As believers in Jesus, part of the reason it’s so hard sometimes for us to understand what God is saying is due to the hardness of our heart. Even as a professing Jesus follower, we wrestle with sin and its deadly implications. There’s a constant battle raging in our heart and mind as the Holy Spirit pulls us to God, while our sinful nature seeks with relentless effort to pull us away.
Paul describes the battle perfectly when he writes in Romans 7:24: “Oh, what a miserable person I am? Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” Then he answers in verse 25: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” With the clear implication, “I don’t have any choice!”
This is an easy passage to misunderstand, as, on the one hand it seems to say life in Christ is confusing, tiring, trying, and to some extent, not worth the effort, yet, as he explains in chapter 8, what he’s describing in chapter 7 is primarily our plight when we’re seeking in our flesh to be good enough to be acceptable to God, which, of course, is humanly impossible.
We have no capacity to hear and understand the voice of God without the help of His Holy Spirit. On some levels it’s like trying to teach Algebra to an infant. They may “hear” our voice, but they have no capacity to implement into their lives what we’re trying to teach them. Lost people, like we were before we met Jesus, are “deaf” to God’s voice unless and until the “ears” of their heart are quickened by God’s Spirit.
How does that happen? Prayer is the simple answer, but it’s more involved. Paul explains in Romans 10:14-15: “But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say; ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Human beings don’t have the capacity to understand the things of God, not even about salvation, unless and until they are instructed. First, given awareness of God’s presence through the ministry of God’s Spirit, then engaged in conversation with someone, in person or in writing, who can give them understanding and guidance in the things of God. Rowland Hill wrote: “Unless you live in Christ, you are dead to God,” which is reflected in Paul’s words in Romans 6:11.
So, here’s the bottom line, if you’re struggling to understand even the simplest things regarding the Lord Jesus, the Bible, things you hear in a sermon or read in a book, you may need to start by going before the Lord, confessing your sin, then getting in touch with someone you know and trust to help you be certain you’re saved. If you don’t have anyone like that in your life, email me at walkingwithjesus09@gmail.com.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 