Keeping Poodles Out of Portraits

The truth is the average believer in the church runs the risk of putting on the dog more than he or she would ever want to admit.

Whether it is the Sunday morning look, maybe it's the pious attitude, maybe it's using spiritual vocabulary just at the right time in front of the right people, maybe it's showing up at church at just the right time, maybe it's volunteering for only certain duties that seem to show you have spiritual culture and class, you name it, we are frankly, as people, more comfortable putting on the dog than showing who we really are. Hello and welcome to Wisdom for the Heart. This is the Bible teaching ministry of pastor and author Stephen Davey. We're currently working our way through an in-depth look at Romans 7.

Let me ask you a question. How are you doing in your pursuit of holiness? All of us should expect holy living to be an uphill climb.

It's not easy. And it wasn't easy for the apostle Paul either. If Paul had to battle with sin, so will we. When God made you alive in Christ, he called you to a life which is a battle with sin. And today Stephen returns to this passage.

When it comes to your sin, you'll be exhorted to face it, expect it, and fight it. For centuries, the royalty and aristocracy of Great Britain and Europe showed off their wealth in a number of rather pretentious ways. People of course still do to this day, but I found it interesting to read. Beyond castles and coachmen, which were the signs of financial independence, the women of aristocracy spent lavish amounts of money to purchase and breed small dogs for pets. It was not uncommon for a woman to have her portrait painted with her tiny dog in her lap. The lap dogs became status symbols, speaking that these were women of culture and money.

In America in the late 1800s, men became very wealthy almost overnight through oil and real estate and railroads. And their wives, without any real connection to their distant cousins in England, wanted to show that they too had status and culture. And so they spent lavish amounts of money to import and breed their own small dogs. If they didn't even have one, they would have a dog painted into their portrait sitting in their lap. One of the favorite kinds of dogs for this in America was the poodle. I always knew they were stuck up dogs, didn't you? Cynical observers in the American scene observed this practice and came up with a phrase that these women were putting on the dog.

The phrase still exists to this day. Whenever we want to speak of someone who's being pretentious or trying to show a little more culture or class than they probably have, we say they are putting on the what? They're putting on the dog. The truth is the average believer in the church runs the risk of putting on the dog more than he or she would ever want to admit and in more ways than they would ever want to reveal. Whether it is the Sunday morning look, maybe it's the pious attitude, maybe it's using spiritual vocabulary just at the right time in front of the right people, maybe it's showing up at church at just the right time, maybe it's volunteering for only certain duties that seem to show you have spiritual culture and class, you name it, we are frankly as people more comfortable putting on the dog than showing who we really are to one another. Transparency is extremely difficult.

It's easier to hide behind a poodle. It's one of the reasons it's so difficult to come to this text as we began to explore last Lord's Day and imagine that Paul is actually talking about himself. If Paul didn't have holy living down pat, none of us can say we've mastered it either.

We're really not used to somebody speaking so honestly about the battle within as Paul will speak. Let's go back to this text and just read through the paragraph, follow along as I read it and let's try to climb into his skin and wear his sandals and feel his agony and his heart cry. We know the law is spiritual, he writes in verse 14 of Romans 7, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing I do not understand, for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the law that is God's holy standard confessing that it is good.

So now no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh, for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God and the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who will set me free from the body of this death.

Wow. Paul speaks in first person and in present tense and his openness is shocking, it is revealing, and frankly it is uncomfortable. Paul says at least three things about himself that are true though of those who do believe in Christ and those who are truly maturing in faith in him. One, he says that a true believer in effect has an aversion to sin. I am doing the thing I hate to do. I hate sin. An unbeliever will never say he hates sin. He doesn't even really feel sin.

He feels the consequences. He hates the agony that consequences bring, but he feels no weight of sin. But the person who comes to faith in Christ can identify with this. The true believer has an aversion to sin, a loathing to sin. Second of all, a true believer has an abiding love for God's law.

We found Paul writing in two times he mentioned this, how he loved the law of God, how he concurred with joy with the standard of God. Only a believer can feel that way. Third, a true believer has a longing for God's pleasure that's found only in holy living. He says, I am not practicing that which I love. I love to do things and I don't do enough of them.

Sometimes I don't do them at all. Obviously then a believer is pulled in two directions. With his flesh, he is pulled towards sin. With his spirit, he is pulled toward holiness. And using himself as an example in this powerful text, Paul has taught us in fact already that as an unbeliever, we were owned by sin. That's Romans six. Now as believers, sin cannot own us, but it can still master us.

That's chapter seven. David would write who can discern his errors. Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant from willful sins. May they not rule over me. Psalm 1912. Paul like David then says in effect, before I was under the grace of God, sin owned me. When I came by faith to Christ, I still wanted to own sin because of my flesh.

Now what does he have to say about it? This testimony of a believer engaged in the holy pursuit of God at holy living. If you take out your pencil or maybe a pen and if you feel comfortable writing in the margin of your Bible, which I encourage you, it is your manual for living.

You might just divide it with me. It's easily divided into three sections. The first section you could bracket or circle is verses 14 to 17. The second section is verses 18 to 20. And the third section is verses 21 to 24. Each section begins with an exposure of the battle within, followed by an example of the battle. And then finally, the explanation of the battle.

So you have in each of the three sections, exposure, example, and explanation. Paul exposes his heart and his battle for the first time in verse 14, when he says, I am a flesh sold in the bondage to sin, literally sold in the bondage to the sin. He isn't saying I just can't help committing these little sins. He's saying I have this internal principle of sin. It is my flesh. I am sold into bondage to the sin, this power, though delivered from the penalty and ultimately the power through Christ of sin.

He is still bound to the principle of sin and being bound to the principle of sin makes the possibility of sin ever present. He gives his first example in verse 15. For that which I am doing, I do not understand.

The English language is a little bit limiting here. The word understand could literally refer to an intimate love of. It's the same verb used in the Old Testament, the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, where the word no is used as it refers to the relations of a man and his wife. It says that Adam knew Eve, intimately aware and in love with Eve.

That's the word he uses here. Paul says, I believe the sin that I commit I really don't love. In fact, he goes on in verse 15 to say, for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. He goes on to explain in verse 16, but if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the law. I say that God's standard is holy and right and good and righteous. So now verse 17, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.

Well, that sounds like an excuse. Is Paul saying, well, it's sin's fault. Paul is actually owning his actions. He's actually taking responsibility for his sin by admitting that sin lives within him, that he is in effect a sinner that can control his flesh. He's admitting he is sinful. The unbeliever would never admit to sinful inner corruption. He would say, the devil made me do it.

If he somehow could see that what he did was wrong, he'd find an excuse. It's my parents' fault. It's the devil's fault.

I just can't help it. That's his excuse. Adam said, well, it's Eve's fault. He gave her to me, Lord. And Eve said, it's the serpent's fault. Ultimately, it's your fault, God, because you allowed the serpent in here.

Someone else is to blame. Paul is saying in effect, I have living within me, this evil propensity to sin and sinfulness lives in my flesh. And while the new me, the new I, the new nature, which came by faith in Christ, it wants to do the right thing. The new me, the real me wants to be holy.

Sometimes the person that I no longer am gives into the very thing I have now come to truly hate. So Paul lives with this tension between who he is in Christ, clothed in righteousness, seated as it were already in the heavenlies, with his old flesh still bound to him, sometimes allowed to control his actions, constantly at war with his spirit while on earth. Let me pause here long enough to say this, the internal principle and dynamic of sinful flesh will try to do two things to the believer. One, it will try to deceive your mind.

And second of all, it will try to control your body. The unbeliever's mind is already deceived by sin, entirely blinded by sin. His body is already under the control of sin. The believer has been liberated, but still battles the pull of his flesh back into the old ways of sin. That's why Paul would actually warn believers with these kinds of words. Chapter six, verse 12, do not let sin reign in your mortal body that is your flesh. Why would he write it?

The implication is it can happen. He would write in verse 13 of chapter six, do not go on presenting, surrendering the members of your body. That's a warring term of a general giving his sword to the conquering general. Don't give him your sword, literally your body parts to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Paul would challenge the Philippian believers committed to Christ. He would say to them, you conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, the implication is that we can act in a manner unworthy of the gospel of Christ. He would write to the Colossians, but now you put these things aside, you believers, you church and colossi anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech, but put on the heart, the attitude of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Here's the truth about the battle question. We will be delivered eventually from the flesh for all eternity, but we must do battle now with the flesh daily.

Paul moves to his second exposure. Look at verse 18. He says, for I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

He's basically repeating himself, just using a little bit of a different phraseology. I know that nothing good dwells in me. Well, he must really be an immature believer.

To come to the point after 25 years of saying there isn't anything about old Paul, it's good, but he's actually very honest. The more mature a believer becomes, the more aware he is of God's holiness and the more aware he becomes of his sinfulness, right? Our flesh will never accomplish one good thing because not one good thing dwells in our flesh, apart obviously of Christ and his new nature he's given us. But when you do something through Christ, which is good, what happens to your flesh? Even when you do something motivated by Christ, even when you do something for the glory and honor of Christ, as soon as you've done it, what happens? As soon as you spend an hour praying, what does your flesh say?

You are something else. I wonder how many other people at Colonial ever spend an hour in prayer. As soon as you talk to somebody about your faith in Christ, you leave saying, am I ever courageous or what? You lead somebody to the Lord and what happens? You begin to get puffed up with pride. Spurgeon said of his church, somebody kills a mouse, they have to publish it in the Christian Gazette. We've got to get it out.

We've got to let somebody know. But no sooner are you complimented for doing something that is good, that your flesh doesn't rise up and say that really was good. You beg God to help you be a good father or a good mother. And somebody comes along with a good spirit and good meaning and says, you are an amazing parent. I'm just in awe of what you're doing and I'm watching you. And it's been so encouraging and motivating to me and they walk away and you, what do you do? I guess I really am a good parent. Wow.

I wonder who I can tell. Forgetting that you begged God to make you that way and then you get that way and you get caught up with a compliment. The most dangerous 15 minutes in a preacher's life are immediately after the service.

He stands back by the door and everybody files out. Marvelous sermon. Wonderful sermon. Great story.

You're so interesting. By the time they're through with him, he's totally corrupted. Howard Hendricks told me and others in my class to never stand at the back door and I to this day don't and make everybody file past you. He said, they'll only feel obligated to say something nice to you and you don't deserve it.

He called that 15 minutes of handshaking that takes place at the back door of sanctuaries all across America on Sunday, quote, the glorification of the worm ceremony. The older you become in Christ, the more aware you are of how impossible it is for you left alone in your flesh to do and think and speak anything holy and how easy it is for you to do and think and speak on holy things, right? This is the mark of maturity.

There isn't anything about me that I trust. You have to be careful because the moment you think you've arrived, you've just lost it. A couple of days ago, I read about this little dilemma. Two men died and waited at the pearly gates for admission. Don't you love these theologically corrupt stories?

They're waiting to get in and Peter comes along and declares, listen, we've got room for only one more. Which one of you is more humble? Do you think Paul was tempted with his flesh? Do you think Paul was tempted with pride?

Do you think Paul didn't hear what people said about him? He would compose more biblical books than any other living human being. He would receive more revelation than anybody in the church age. He would be the one to introduce the bride to the bridegroom. He was the great apostle, personally tutored for three years in Arabia by the Spirit of God. Do you think he ever got caught up?

He did. And he would write his own testimony in another passage of how God caused him to suffer, just like God causes you to suffer to keep him humble. He writes this, listen, because of the incredible greatness of the revelations God gave to me. For this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh to buffet me, to keep me, Eugene Peterson paraphrases it, from getting a big head.

That's it. God gave Paul something and he gives us something along the way to keep us from swelling up, to keep us dependent upon him. Would it have worked? It did work in Paul's life because he comes to this great treatise and he's talking about the new life in Christ and the old corrupt flesh.

And he could have used a number of things. He could have talked about a lot of other people, but he uses himself as his illustration. He says, there is nothing in Paul that is good. He gives his third exposure in verse 21. He says, I find the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.

And he repeats his example. I joyfully concur with the law of God and the inner man. You could render that in our vernacular at the bottom of my heart, at the very bottom of my heart. I love the law of God, this new heart that God gave me.

That's what I love. However, he goes on to say, I'm waging war against the law of my mind. It makes me prisoner of the law of sin, which is in my members. Paul, by the way, in that text, verse 22 says two things an unbeliever can never say.

You could translate it. I love the law to the very bottom of my heart. An unbeliever can't say that. He also says, secondly, even though he loves the holy standard of God, his flesh makes him a prisoner of sin. An unbeliever can't say that he becomes a prisoner of sin because an unbeliever is already imprisoned. He can't talk about being uncaptivated and later captivated by sin because he's already captive. Only Paul can talk about becoming captive to the flesh and the old way of life. How do you explain it, Paul? He explains it in verse 24. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me? Who shall set me free from the flesh, this body of corruption and decay? You say that a believer sins?

Yes. Does the believer excuse his sin? No, Paul never does. What happens when an unbeliever sins? Nothing.

It adds only to his condemnation. What happens when a believer sins? A lot of things. A lot of things.

Let me give you 12 very quickly. One, he grieves the Holy Spirit. When a believer sins, he hurts the heart of God, as it were, Ephesians 4.30. Second of all, his prayers go unanswered. If you're here as a believer, a son or daughter of God, and you are cherishing sin, you are hiding sin, don't pray. You don't need to pray.

He isn't listening. He's waiting for you to confess and restore your fellowship with him. Third, when a believer sins, his life disqualifies him from productive ministry, 1 Corinthians 9.27. Fourth, his praise of God becomes unacceptable to God, Psalm 33.1.

Don't even sing, but confess. God's blessing, fifth, is withheld. Jeremiah wrote, your sins have withheld good things from you. 2 John 1, verse 8, talks about the believer with unrepentant sin, forfeiting his full reward. He forfeits sixth joy in salvation. You remember David when he confessed eventually, he said, Lord, please restore unto me the what?

The joy of my salvation. He experiences seventh God's discipline, Hebrews 12. Number eight, his spiritual growth is stymied.

It is hindered. Because of unconfessed sin, a person may grow old in the Lord, but he may not grow up in the Lord, right? Number nine, his service for Christ is limited. Paul wrote to Timothy, therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, go back to 2 Timothy 2.21 to look at these things in the previous verses, he then will be a vessel for honor, useful to the master, prepared for every good work.

Number 10, the length of our lives is endangered on earth. 1 Corinthians 11 reveals that some within the community of believers in that church in Corinth that already died early because they came to the Lord's table unworthily. They came cherishing sin.

So God says, I took them on home. If that isn't enough, number 11, the testimony of the church is damaged. 1 Corinthians 5, you, ladies and gentlemen, are a reflection of this local assembly. The local assembly's testimony is no better, is no holier, is no purer than the testimony of every individual person in their world who identifies publicly with this assembly.

Our reputation rides upon your testimony and it rides upon mine. 12, God ultimately is dishonored when a believer sins. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, glorify God in your body, you belong to him. The implication is when you live sinful lives, you do not glorify him with your body. No wonder the true believer hates sin. No wonder the true believer is filled with guilt and sorrow. No wonder the believer wants to battle the sin. One of an unbeliever, he feels no battle because for one thing, the enemy does not come against him. He's already captivated by the God of this world and blinded. But for the believer, the devil, the world, the flesh, they cannot have your soul.

They will have your song. They will take your testimony. But for the unbeliever who was unwilling to admit the corruption of his flesh, he simply goes along deceived and blinded, ultimately in judgment before God.

I received an email from somebody who doesn't attend this church, but was encouraged by somebody outside of our church, by someone who was part of our church to write me for advice and for counsel. Although I don't believe this man wanted any counsel, he probably was as deceived as anybody I've ever encountered. He wrote about a wedding that was going to be upcoming, but he wanted to make sure that he and his bride could keep their wedding vows. And so they determined before God, he said, to make sure that they were compatible in every way, including in the marriage bed, even though they were unmarried. He went on to say he wasn't really convinced that the Bible forbade sexual relations outside of marriage. I assumed he hadn't read much of the New Testament. Then he got to the interesting point.

I've heard all that other stuff before. This isn't really sin and God really is a gracious God, but he went on to say this. He said, you remember when Jesus was tempted by the devil that the Lord told him, thou shalt not put the Lord thy God to the test. This man went on to say that applies to us.

We want to make sure that we can keep our vows. For if we make vows before God and we do not know that we're compatible in every way, then we are putting the Lord our God to the test. So what is sinful now becomes a righteous thing. What God calls sin, we now engage in, God endorses it. In fact, it becomes sinful if you do not commit that sin. The end is his email by saying, please send me your thoughts.

So I did. This may sound strange and I hope you understand what I mean when I say this. For the unbeliever, sin doesn't matter now. It will one day when he stands and the books are open and he is judged by those things which he did. For the unbeliever, sin isn't really a very serious issue. It will be on the edge of eternity. But for the believer, sin is a very serious issue now.

So much is at stake. Our salvation is secure. But so many of these other things that we've referenced are at stake on earth when we sin. With all of that in mind, why do we sin? Because God didn't do a good enough job cleaning us up when we came to faith, because he didn't give us a completely new nature, because he didn't entirely pay for our sin.

Or maybe we haven't learned the correct formula or we haven't learned some secret or whatever. No, we sin because we are sinners, even though we are saved. And sin is bound up in our flesh. And while we live in the flesh, we battle this propensity to do what the flesh wants to do, which is sin. And you come to this point over and over again in your life. You're not moving through Chapter 7 to live in Chapter 8.

They happen at the same time. You are on your face before God saying, Oh, wretched man that I am. Oh, I thank God through Jesus Christ my Savior. Oh, wretched man that I am. Thank you God for your incredible grace.

I hope today's time in Romans 7 has encouraged you as you face your own personal battle with sin. This is Wisdom for the Heart with Stephen Davey. I'm your host, Scott Wiley. We have a special place on our website where Stephen answers questions that have come in from listeners like you. In fact, you might enjoy going online and looking at what other people have asked and reading those answers. But anytime you have a question regarding the Bible or the Christian faith, send that question to info at wisdomonline.org. Thanks for joining us. Make plans to join us again right here on Wisdom for the Hearts. We'll see you next time.