The
Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem serves as a popular modern parable about pride and ego.
When
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the donkey thought it was all
about him. The people were cheering, they laid down palm branches so he
would not get his hoofs dirty - it was so exciting!
While
the Bible doesn't describe the donkey's thoughts, the story is often
used to illustrate how easy it is to mistake the "glory" of a moment as our own doing, rather than realizing we are simply the vessel or "beast of burden" carrying something much greater.
After Jesus got off the donkey, we never hear about the donkey ever again.
As
the saying goes, "If the donkey thought the cheers were for him, he was
sadly mistaken when he returned to the stable alone."
Carrying the Gospel of the Kingdom to every nation and making disciples is the duty of all Christ-Followers. ~ Luke 9:23. We carry Jesus with us when we accept His gift of salvation. It is
never about us, it's always about Jesus and His finished work at the
cross. When we become a new creature in Christ, our old sinful nature
is never heard from again.
However,
we still live in the flesh, and the flesh is prone to want what it
wants. In Romans 7:21–23, Paul admits the battle between flesh and
spirit in his own life: “So I find this law at work: Although I want to
do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in
God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the
law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within
me.” Each battle with temptation is won or lost based upon how fully we
are surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16–17)
The
book of 1 John was written to Christians. The apostle says, “If we
claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8–9). It is
clear from this passage that even those who have begun the process of new birth and
redeemed by the blood of Jesus will still sin. Through thought,
attitude, or action, we will “grieve” (Ephesians 4:30) and “quench” (1
Thessalonians 5:19) the Holy Spirit at times. But this passage also
reassures us that God offers continual, ongoing grace whenever we agree
with Him about our sin and ask for His cleansing.
Other passages clarify the boundaries of this ocean of grace. First
John 3:6 says, “No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who
continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.” Verse 9 says that
those who have been “born of God” will not continue to live sinfully.
The implication is that this is not a matter of trying harder. Rather,
it is the equivalent of saying, “A fish cannot remain on land for long
because its nature is to seek water.” A fish could flop onto the shore
and survive for a short time. But it was not made for land and cannot
continue there. When we obey God, our nature changes, and we
cannot continue in sin. Christ not only erases our past sin; He also
transforms our hearts so that we no longer desire to sin. (Colossians
2:13–14)
You are cordially invited to share your Christian experience with Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group
The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong. To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.
