Fixed vs Growth: Criticism and the Success of Others, Slaves of Only One Master

Many false religions of the world hold up a model of perfection as if it were attainable through a lifetime of human effort.  Christianity is unique in that it holds up a model of perfection and declares that it is not attainable by human effort, but instead is a gift of God in Christ.  In 1John 2: 1 – 6, John restates similar ideas to those found in chapter 1. He reminds us that when we do sin, we have One who speaks in our defense, Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice for sin.  “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2: 6).  That’s our standard, the perfect, sacrificial love of Christ.  We will fall short of that, there is no way around it.  But He is both our model and our Savior.  The growth mindset challenges us to find inspiration in the success of others, not be intimidated or threatened.  With a fixed mindset, it would be easy to view the perfection of Christ and feel despair.  With a purely human growth mindset, we could delude ourselves into believing that His perfection might be achievable by our own efforts.  Instead, as Christians, we balance fixed and growth perfectly:  we view Him as the perfect example of love that we will always fall short of, but one we continue to emulate; and the perfect source of forgiveness when we do fall short.  

Romans 3: 26 describes God as both just and the One who justifies.  God is perfect, and accepting less than perfection violates His nature; yet He is also love, and behaving with less than perfect love would also violate His nature.  The solution of Christ’s sacrificial death on behalf of sinners satisfies both God’s love and His holiness—sin is punished as Christ died for sin, and sinners are declared righteous because of that sacrifice for sin.  Earlier verses (19and 20) tell us the purpose of the law is to shut our mouths, to hold us accountable before God as we become aware of our sinful condition.  In verses 21 through 25, we are told where righteousness comes from:  never from the law or any attempt at obeying it, but through faith in Christ Jesus who justified us by His sacrificial death to atone for our sins.  God is both just and the One who justifies; this is His identity, and in Him we have our identity:  redeemed children of God living by faith.  Skipping ahead to Romans 6, Paul tell us to reject sin, because we are united with Christ in His death through baptism, given new life and freed from the slavery of sin and death.  We are called to lives of righteousness, rejecting sin and offering our lives to God as holy sacrifices (Romans 6: 11-14).  Sin is repeatedly referred to in this section of Romans as slavery and bondage. 

Our discussion has contrasted “fixed” versus “growth” ideas; we can also contrast concepts of “bondage to sin” and “freedom in Christ.”  We are described as powerless (Romans 5:6), slaves to sin (6:17, 20; 7:14), controlled by the sinful nature (Romans 7:15), slaves to fear (8: 15).  These are very “fixed” terms:  without Christ, we are stuck.  But in Christ, a new vocabulary of growth and potential unfolds.  We are called justified, saved and reconciled (5: 9, 10), made righteous (5: 19), raised to new life (6: 4).  Paul still describes us as slaves, but slaves of righteousness not of sin—that is, our new Master is the Righteous One, Jesus Christ, and by His grace we recognize both our sin and His righteousness, and He both forgives us and empowers us to choose what is right and what pleases Him—a power we lack without Him.

1)      Read Romans 7: 14 – 23.  If possible, read it out loud as the language Paul uses is a little tricky.  Summarize in your own words what Paul is saying about the struggle in his mind and heart.  How do you see this struggle in your own life?

2)      In verse 24, Paul cries out that he is a wretched man in need of rescuing.  Who rescues us from the quicksand of sin and evil in which we founder (see vs 25)?

3)      We are no longer condemned and trapped by our sin and spiritual death.  We now live according to the Spirit of God, which sets our minds and hearts on God’s goodness, life and peace.  When we experience criticism—as we invariably will—we can rest on the goodness of Christ, not on any of our own merit; and we know that God’s Spirit enables us to grow in righteousness and godliness.  Read Romans 8: 12 – 17.  What concepts of growth, life and hope do you find here?  How does this comfort you when you sin or experience failures or setbacks.

     We are called children of God, we have the privilege of calling God our Father and He views us as His children, “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (8: 17).  In Matthew 3: 13 through 17, we read the story of Jesus’ baptism, where God the Father declares in a voice from heaven that Jesus is His beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased.  Through Christ, we also are God’s children and He says the same about us:  He is well pleased with us.  The baptism of Christ initiated His active earthly ministry, and the words of God declaring Christ to be His beloved Son affirmed Christ’s work as God’s work.  We are baptized into the death and the new life of Christ, buried with Him, united with Him and raised to new life in Him (Romans 6: 3 – 6).  We are free from sin and free from the fear of death, and God our Father declares that He is pleased with us.  We are privileged to serve Him, and as His children on earth, our work is His work and will give Him glory.  Criticism and the success of others mean nothing to us; we rest securely in our position as God’s beloved children, redeemed by Christ and called to serve Him.  We are no longer stuck in sin; we have new life in Christ.  We can grow, thrive, overcome obstacles, be successful and contribute to the success and growth of others; we reject the slavery and entrapment of sin and death and rejoice in new life both here on earth and in eternity.