instrument of what?

i have been thinking about sin alot lately. from the fact that it so easily entangles us and can carry us far from where we need to be and also how, even as hard as it is, we can resist it and travel upstream, if you will, against it with the ever enduring power of grace. the scriptures that keep coming to mind are 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 and Romans 7:7-25.

in the Corinthians passage Paul instructs us to look at the children of Israel and not to follow in the path of their idolatry. this was essential for the Corinthians to hear in their context as well for us to hear and understand. so often 10:13 is quoted and it should be because it is an encouragement that shows us the power over sin that grace gives us but i think verse 14 is just as important. Paul says flee from idolatry, he does not say to stick around and see what happens, or in reference to 13 he does not say get out from under it but stay close to see if you can stand it. he is clear, flee.

and then the passage in Romans is a clear and confusing depiction that we have with our fleshly desires. doing what is bad and not doing what is good and wanting the converse, it is a confusing and raw yet simple and clearly real piece of prose that Paul presents us with. but with all he has to say about how the law is not sin but shows us sin and goodness, is all very confusing and hurts my brain unless i get the point of verse 25 that our mind needs the law (grace) of God but our flesh needs the law of sin. this means that we must live out in our hearts the fact that there is such a thing as grace and we can never be perfect but our flesh needs rules and needs to what it can and can't do and where it can and can't go. these two processes are married, they cannot be separated they must work in harmony for us to see that it is God's desire for us to sin less as we mature and rely on him.

so now i am confused, you are confused. these two seemingly unrelated passages appear to have gotten us nowhere and i am wishing that i would just stick to the weekly roundup and not issues like this where i can be critiqued, but i have already written too much to press delete. where does this all come together fleeing and serving the law of God with our minds and the law of sin with our flesh. i believe that Romans 6 has some answers.

on sunday i was enlightened with verses 13 and 14. here is what they say:

13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

do not present your members as instruments for unrighteousness but as instruments of righteousness. the light bulb clicked when i read this. this helps realize the tangibility of grace and how we must make the effort to live in that grace by desiring righteousness in our lives. so in the Corinthians verses and the Romans 7 verse this all comes together under the principle of striving for righteous living. fleeing and submitting to the law of God is simply longing for his righteousness. now this may sound simple to most of yo and you may have already gotten this but i needed to hear this, that grace worked out is me being righteous, saying that i do not deserve to be righteous but through Jesus, God has given me the ability to be that way. so when i am faced with temptation i am able to get out from underneath and and when i am confused about what is good for me and not good for me i know to look to the shining beacon of righteousness in my life that is Jesus through his word and then i can be and instrument of his goodness.

i love the fact that this life of following Christ is a journey. that i can know more tomorrow than i did today. that i can see Jesus differently next week than last and that in two months when i come across these passages again they may not fit together and they may have a whole different meaning for me. i want to be an instrument of righteousness, knowing that i will never be perfect in this life but knowing that there is hope that i can sin less.