May 6, 2020-Chapter 6: "O Wretched Man That I Am"- Question: 6

QUESTION: 6

The “Almost Delivered Man” is a man who is still a “captive” of this “body of death”. What must this Almost Delivered Man come to realize in his life that God is trying to get him to understand? When can we truly find the power of obedience, the power of victory and the power of real holiness in our walk with God? (Page 63-64)

ANSWER To Question 6 (As stated by the Author)

God does not work by His Spirit as He works by a blind force in nature. He leads His people on as reasonable, intelligent beings and therefore when He wants to give us the Holy Spirit whom He has promised, He brings us first to the "end of self", to the conviction that though we have been striving to obey the law, we have failed. When we have come to the end of that, then He shows us that in the Holy Spirit we have the power of obedience, the power of victory, and the power of real holiness.

This chapter has highlighted for us the process of a Christian believer of what we go through to help us find what true rest means in one's life. It begins in The Regenerate Man, then moves on to The Impotent Man, The Wretched Man, and then to The Almost-Delivered Man.

It is through this process that we come to understand that we must fully rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and not our "self-will' in making the decisions of our life. It is through recognizing that we have come to love God's word, but realizing that we are impotent in living up to the standard that God wants for us, because we can't, and then come to recognize that we are wretched sinners by nature, even though forgiven, and then come to absolute surrender of all to Him. It is then, and only then, can we find true rest in our relationship with God and our Lord, Jesus Christ! Praise God for His unwavering love for us.