In Romans 1:16, Paul says; ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.’
In the gospel, the power of God himself is seen, transforming us from the inside out. It’s the outrageous gift of grace that makes us completely new, freeing us from the grip of sin and giving us the Spirit of God to live differently, in line with his good word.
Yet this isn’t the reality that I see day by day – although I know that I am a new creation in Christ, I don’t always feel like that. The battle rages within. I want to live in the way I know is best for me, as God would have me live, but so often the temptation to behave in ways that satisfy my sinful desires feels stronger. Particularly in the area of sexuality, my attractions, desires and longings frequently don’t seem to align with God’s good design.
I try to remind myself that the fact that there is a battle at all should actually be an enormous encouragement – the battle is a sign of life!
This battle means I can often feel exhausted and frustrated. But when I’m feeling like that, I try to remind myself that the fact that there is a battle at all should actually be an enormous encouragement – the battle is a sign of life! I care about my sin now in a way I didn’t before. When I find myself stumbling back into old patterns of behaviour, or giving in to a particular temptation again, the mark of my new creation is that this is often accompanied by disappointment or discouragement. That is the evidence that the Spirit is at work within me, giving me a new desire to live for God’s glory.
Living with this new desire, living as this new creation, isn’t something that just happens passively to me; it’s something I need to work at, by God’s grace and in his strength. Romans 8:13 says we should ‘put to death the misdeeds of the body’ by the Spirit, that we might live. ‘Putting to death’ is a strong challenge, but sin is serious, and so I need to take significant and sometimes brutal action to help myself in the battle against it.
This is the same for all of us. It means we shouldn’t play games with sin. We shouldn’t try and wean ourselves off it or pretend that we can keep it under control. We shouldn’t just avoid the things we know are sinful; we should avoid even those things that might lead to the sinful actions.
But we must remember that this is all done because of the wonderful news of the gospel, and not in any way to earn God’s love or approval. Wonderfully, our status as God’s children is unchangeable because of Jesus’s actions at the cross, and nothing that we do, however bad, can ever change that. And as we live as children of God, as new creations, we will flourish because we are living as he has designed us to live. His way is best – even when it feels hard.
Accountability: A tool to help us flourish
One of the things that has really helped me grow in living God’s way is having accountability with another Christian. At times when I have felt in particular need of help, I have asked a trusted friend to support and challenge me as I have tried to live in faithful obedience to God’s word. These relationships have always been mutually encouraging, and some of my most precious friendships have deepened through these accountability conversations. God has given us one another to live this life together, in fellowship. We don’t need to do this life alone.
God has given us one another to live this life together, in fellowship. We don’t need to do this life alone.
One of the most reassuring things I find about the gospel is that we are all on a completely equal footing. There are no ‘better’ Christians, no one is superior to another, and no one has more of the Spirit than someone else. The worst of all of us is out there for everyone to see; the perfect Son of God had to die on the cross for us. It cannot get any worse than that.
Isn’t that gloriously liberating? There’s no need for us to hide our sin or pretend that we are better than we are! Being honest with one another about our struggles is a beautiful expression of gospel freedom. It’s not a sign of weakness; it's a sign that we believe that Jesus has dealt with our sin and we now want to live lives that reflect his goodness.
Accountability isn’t about shaming each other into change; it’s about encouraging one another to live out the glorious truth of who we already are in Christ, allowing us to flourish as new creations, bringing glory to God with our changed lives.
Where might you benefit from being honest with someone about the ongoing struggles in your life? Is there a battle that you’re facing at the minute that is particularly frustrating and exhausting? Why not think about who you might feel comfortable sharing that with and pray for an opportunity to start that accountability conversation with them. Give it a try – and I’m sure it’ll be worth it as you enjoy the blessings that relationship could bring.
