Moreover, if Paul were not understood to affirm lack of potency, his argument would be without force; for Paul’s whole aim is to make grace necessary to all men, and if they could initiate something by themselves, they would not need grace. As it is, however, they need grace, just because they cannot do this….’Because of transgressions,’ he says; not, indeed, to restrain them, as Jerome dreams, for Paul is arguing that the removing and restraining of sins by the gift of righteousness was promised to the seed that was to come; but to increase transgressions, as he says in Rom. 5: ‘The law entered, that sin might abound’ (v. 20). But that sins were not committed in abundance without the law; but then they were not known to be transgressions and sins of such awful import, and the most and greatest of them were held to be righteousness! As long as sins are unknown, there is no room for a cure, and no hope of one; for sins that think they betoken health and need no physician will not endure the healer’s hand. The law is therefore necessary to give knowledge of sin, so that proud man, who thought he was whole, may be humbled by the discovery of his own great wickedness, and sigh and pant after the grace that is set forth in Christ. (Luther, Bondage of the Will)
Jesus Christ is the Physician of souls and He tells us that those who don’t think they are sick will not come to Him. Christ came for sinners and not the righteous. It is so easy for people to smile to themselves because they know that they are sinners and so they think they are fine. They know that they cannot save themselves and so they ask Jesus to save them. The problem, however, is that they ask Jesus to save them from wrath and not from sin. Oh, perhaps some want to be saved from some bad habits or inconvenient sins, but they only want to be saved from the sins they want to be saved from. But Jesus saves sinners who want to be saved from the guilt of sin and from sin itself. He saves sinners who see that they are the worst of sinners and need new hearts. Jesus saves sinners who have become so sick of sin that they are ready to suffer whatever it takes to be rid of that vile thing that lives in their hearts. Jesus saves sinners who are like little children and know that they need to be turned by Him. Jesus saves sinners who are tired of their own pride and pitiful works. Jesus saves sinners who are tired of trusting in their own righteousness and see that their best of works is as filthy rags. Jesus saves sinners who are contrite and broken in heart. Jesus saves sinners who are so tired of their own hearts that they stop defending themselves. Jesus saves sinners who pant after the grace of God in Christ. Jesus saves sinners who want nothing but grace alone.
So many today think that a prayer or a tear is enough. They think that as long as they have admitted that they are sinners that they have confessed enough. They think that as long as they have shed a tear or prayed a prayer that they have done enough. What they don’t see is that God requires a heart that is His in all ways. What they don’t see is that Christ will save from all sin or none at all. A sinner that truly wants to be saved by grace is one that gives up all rights to self and all rights to sin. A sinner that truly wants indwelling grace desires for grace to deliver from the bondage and power of sin.
Wanting to be saved from the sins we want to be saved from is not an honest way to deal with the heart and is not a desire to be saved from sin. In fact, if the heart of sin is self and pride, wanting to be saved from some sin and not all sin is simply self wanting to be rid of some inconveniences for self. Jesus as Physician is not satisfied to just deal with things that are comfortable, He will deal with the real issues and the real sins of the heart. Jesus will deal with the things of self and work a true repentance in the heart of the sinner that is dead in sin. As long as sinners don’t want to be delivered from sins and transgressions, they don’t really want to be delivered from sin into the kingdom of grace. The Law reveals what is sin from God’s viewpoint which is precisely what man needs. As long as human beings are without the Law and without the Spirit’s work using the Law, they will not understand the true nature of sin and therefore of repentance and grace.
When sinners see parts of themselves that are not sinful or are whole, they will resist the hand of the Healer in those areas. This shows the utter paucity of evangelism today in that people think of Jesus as One who helps them some, but not as One who must utterly start with less than nothing. A sinner needing some help is not the same as a sinner who is dead in sins and trespasses and who sees that s/he has no ability to come to Christ or believe in Christ. Christ as Healer must make the sinner alive and He must bring the sinner to Himself in order that the sinner can come to the Father. When the sinfulness of sin is not made clear to the sinner, the sinner will not see the utter need and power of grace. When the sinfulness of sin and its power over the soul is not preached so that the sinner does not see his or her inability, the Law is not been preached and the power of Christ is not either.
God Loves... Himself 
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