Jesus Loves Me

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 7:15-25

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, for I am weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me, yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

I know, I know, you know that song. But do you know the second verse?

Jesus loves me when I’m good, when I do the things I should. Jesus loves me when I’m bad, even though it makes Him sad. Yes, Jesus loves me, yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

Many people know that first verse and it makes all the difference in the world. To know that Jesus loves you and that He went to the cross for you makes all the difference in the world – it means that you know that your sins are forgiven and that you will spend eternity with Him. Praise God! It means that you have a clean slate, a fresh start, a new life in Him! Your sins are forgiven, you have a new life in Him!

But what if in your new life in Him, you screw up and sin again? What if you take your fresh start and screw it up? What if you still sin even though you know that you shouldn’t? What if you accept Jesus and give your life to Him but you still do the things that you shouldn’t and don’t do the things that you should? Who will rescue you from yourself?

Thanks be to God that He does! He rescues us from our own sinful, self-destructive tendencies! Many Christians know the first verse – that Jesus loves them – but they don’t know the second verse – that He loves them even when they screw up and sin even though they know better. They don’t understand that the love of God not only covers their sins in their life before they accepted Christ, but it also covers their sins in their new life in Christ. Many people think that they accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, then tried to live the Christian life but failed or were hurt by other Christians, so they quit going to church or even quit following Jesus and now they feel that they are doomed to finish their lives without Him. Some might even feel that they are doomed to go to eternity without Him. How sad!

They don’t know that the blood of Jesus covers their sins after their confession of faith as well as before. The difference is that before they accepted Jesus, they really didn’t know better. They were simply carried along their sinful, self-destructive path by their own sin nature and the ways of this world. However, after coming to know Jesus and understanding about His sacrifice for them, they understood what it cost Him and how much He loves them. But still they made mistakes, they sinned, and sometimes even people who have put their faith in Jesus feel like they tried it once but now it is too late, they had their second chance, their new life in Him, but they failed all over again and now there is no hope for them. No forgiveness, no new life, no eternity in their Father’s house because they couldn’t live what they thought was the Christian life.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Even if we sin after we have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, we still have salvation in His name. Yes, it makes Him sad if we sin, as the second verse in the children’s song says, but we still have forgiveness. Our sin, though, makes Him sad because we could have the abundant life He offers – not only peace with God for all eternity but also love, joy, and peace in this life, right now! When we sin after giving our lives to Jesus, we don’t necessarily forfeit our eternal salvation but we do cheat ourselves out of the abundant life that He offers.

In other words, if we give our lives to Jesus but our hearts are still full of hate and unforgiveness, we don’t necessarily forfeit our salvation but it is very hard if not impossible to sense His presence and experience the love, joy and peace of the abundant life in Him. Or, to put it another way, if we know that we can have victory over sin in Christ Jesus but continue to feed our addictions and self-destructive behavior patterns instead of feasting on the Word and spending time with Him, it makes Him sad because we could have so much more in this life than the misery of being in bondage to sin.

The solution, the way to experience not only eternal life but the abundant life of love, joy, and peace in this life, is to reckon ourselves dead to our sin nature, to understand that we no longer have to submit to every temptation that comes along, whether it be anger, unforgiveness, greed, lust, covetousness, immorality, idolatry, addictions to alcohol or drugs, pornography, whatever it might be. We who have faith in Christ and believe that He died so that our sins might be forgiven can begin to thank Him for His work on the cross and ask Him to save us from our own fleshly temptations and help us to live in His presence, in the love, joy, and peace that He offers. We no longer have to be carried away by every sinful tendency, we can say “No!” in the name of Jesus.

Jesus offers us a better life in this world as well as in the age to come. Don’t let the world or the culture around you tell you different. Don’t buy into the lie that you will be trapped in sin forever. Receive from Jesus not only the eternal forgiveness of sin but the power to not sin and live a holy life in Him. You will be glad you did!

Let’s Pray Together: Lord, forgive me for the times when I wallow in my sins and addictions instead of bringing them to You and gaining victory over them. I know it makes You sad to see me stuck in hatred or unforgiveness or lust or greed instead of enjoying freedom over those things. I know it breaks Your heart to see me caught in a web of isolation and destruction instead of being close to You and other believers. Help me to gain victory over those things that keep me from enjoying abundant life in You. Forgive me these sins and give me victory over these issues that I bring before You now...(keep praying as you feel led…)

Scriptures: Romans 6:1-8:13