Rebels By Nature

     Children for some reason often rebel against their parents. I never did! Why so? I loved and respected them. That did not mean that I did their will all the time but knew they were behind me 100%, and their love was immutable without regard to what I did. My own parent's attitude toward their children is much like God's attitude toward his creatures. Let's examine my contention for a moment:

Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

      God's children were the Hebrew people. They were chosen by God to be His and were continually blessed. In spite of God's love which was demonstrated by nourishing and growing the Hebrew nation, they rebelled against Him. Familial (storge) love is important because it is indicative of the relationship between God and His people - divine (agape) love. In response to their rebellion, God said this in to Isaiah:

Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.

     That is a statement with a promise: honor Me and you shall prosper. Have we read that before? Let's look at the Fifth Commandment:

Exod 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

     Isaiah 1:2 and 19 above could just as easily have been said: Honor your Father and your days will be long.  The Hebrew people were rebellious in spite of God's love, and their days were short in their land. They were scattered all over and ten tribes were lost to oblivion! God gave a promise with Isaiah 1:19 and it was no different than the only command with a promise - the same promise!
     Children who rebel against loving parents are foolish. Likewise, God's children who rebel against Him are even more foolish (Psalm 69:5)! Even when Christians disobey, God stands firm in His love as even my own Dad stood firm in his love when I did my own will.
     Those types of agape and storge love both are preventative against sin. I often did Dad's will because he loved me so! That helps me to do God's will because He so loved me. (John 3:16). I didn't want to disappoint Dad (nor Mom) and I don't want to disappoint God. However, I did disappoint Dad and Mom, and I do disappoint God. That dualistic nature is my own internal battle between my will and God's will which is the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Mat 26:41).
     Sinning is inborn and we can't keep from sinning. However, we can be willing to not sin! That willingness to do God's will is the way failing Christians honor God. He knows our hearts. My desire is never to sin but still I do! I hate sin but still sin because that is my nature. Paul said it about himself:

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

     In spite of Paul having a nature toward sinning, he desired to do good? Why so? Because he honored His Father in Heaven and His Will!  He sought to do God's will but continued to do his own. God looks at the heart. Christians are to loathe sin; that is the new creation. The disdain for sin is validation that the new birth was real even when the reborn still sin! It's difficult to explain but the willingness to obey is the sign that the rebirth was efficacious even when one sins.
     I remember an old lady at a wedding several years ago. Her nephew told me that she was an alcoholic. Each drink she drank was followed by an expression of disgust. Here nephew told me that she hated the taste of whisky but still she continued to drink it. That's because she was addicted to alcohol. Likewise, when Christians sin, they may disdain the sinful behavior but continue to do the same sin over and over because sin is addictive. To get over the "addiction" which is inherited, the old creature must be crucified on the cross with Jesus and a new creature arise from the cleansing (Gal 5:24). That crucifixion is sanctification. That's when the Christian starts depending on God to deliver from sin and quit trying to deliver oneself from sin. That is putting belief into action!
     I tried to quit smoking for years. I desired to quit and willing to try, but I still failed. I continued to be a smoker while wanting not to be! In a last-ditch effort to quit, I turned my habit over to God, and with His strength, I quit, not by my own strength but God's! That's the same with any sinful behavior. God looks at our intentions and disregards our actions unless the intention is to sin which is rebellion against God.
     Satan wants me to believe that I have failed when I sin. However, God credits me for not sinning when my will is not to sin. Because He suffered the flesh, God knows the weakness of it. He empathizes with us because He knows the power of the flesh. Even though God overcame the temptations of Satan, He knows why we don't. That is grace! We don't need be sinless but desire not to sin. That desire is service to God, and is a far cry from rebellion.