GOOD
INTENTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH
ROMANS
7.14-15
JULY
6, 2008
WESLEY
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Douglas
Norris
A
man was church-shopping. He worshiped in a different church every
Sunday, trying to find one where he felt comfortable. One Sunday, a
congregation prayed the prayer we prayed this morning, “We have
left undone those things we ought to have done, and we have done
those things we ought not to have done.” The man relaxed, breathed
a huge sigh of relief, and said to himself, “At last I have found a
church where I fit. These are my kind of people.” He was an
example of the bumper sticker, “I finally got it all together, but
forgot where I put it.”
The
apostle Paul had similar experiences. In the lesson read today, Paul
lamented (Romans 7.15), “I do not understand my own actions. For I
do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Paul’s
experience is ours as well. There is a struggle going on within each
of us-- a battle, a wrestling match, a war. A sign in front of a
Baptist Church read, “If you’re tired of sin, come in!”
Underneath someone had written, “If you ain’t, call Freda,
253-0001.”
Paul
lamented, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I
hate.” Good behavior, acts of righteousness, require more than
good intentions. Last Sunday, Pastor Dick Corson encouraged us to
move from spectator to disciple by even small actions—giving a cup
of cold water. Acts of discipleship, however, require more than good
intentions. Paul wrote in verse 18, “I can will what is right, but
I cannot do it.” Good intentions are not enough. Good intentions
do not have the power to overcome the will to sin. Good intentions
are not enough for us to do what is right.
Good
intentions cannot rationalize or excuse behavior. It is popular
today to believe that good intentions are enough. “You may not do
what you want to do, you may not be able to do what is right, but as
long as you have good intentions, your behavior is acceptable!” In
other words, does it not matter what you do as long as you have good
intentions? Does it not matter what you do or believe as long as you
are sincere? Are good intentions enough? Are you satisfied when
your husband says, “Oh, by the way, happy birthday. I intended to
get you a present, but something came up.” Are his good intentions
enough?
Our
culture also excuses incompetency. Standards of performance,
standards of excellence are lowered or ignored today. How many
stores offer competent service? In one of my churches, the secretary
was a gentle, mild mannered saint. But, one day she was calling one
of these giant stores. Evidently she had been shuffled from one
department to another, until I heard her holler (and my office was
down the hall), “Doesn’t anyone know anything over there?”
How
many purchases do you return because there is something wrong with
the product? We accept mediocrity, inconsistency, failure and
mistakes, all in the name of good intentions and sincerity. As a
result, good intentions are even compromised to “I’ll do just
enough to get by.” Most of us don’t get overly concerned with
this nonchalant approach to standards. But, when I had my
colonoscopy last week, I was thankful that my surgeon had skill as
well as good intentions! I was thankful that she didn’t say, “I’ll
do just enough to get by!” When you are flying on a jet, wouldn’t
you hope that the air controllers and pilots are competent, as well
has having good intentions?
Do
you realize the United Methodist Church has no mechanism with which
to deal with incompetent pastors? They are moved often, every few
years, from church to church. We can predict that the church to
which he/she is appointed will suffer, begin to decline, and people
will be hurt; but we tolerate incompetent ministers. Oh well, they
have good intentions. They are sincere. We have procedures to deal
with immoral and offensive pastoral behavior, but not incompetency.
Incompetent public school teachers are also tolerated. Once a
teacher has tenure, it is almost impossible to terminate an
ineffective teacher. It takes a principal with courage and careful
work to build a case for the dismissal of an incompetent teacher.
Our children lose, but good intentions are acceptable criteria in our
country. “I can’t do what I want to do,” is excused!
In
contrast, according to current emails making the rounds, Bill Gates
spoke at a high school and made the following statements:
Life
is not fair—get used to it!
The
world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you
to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
If
you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
If
you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine
about mistakes, learn from them.
Before
you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They
got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and
listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were.
Your
school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT.
In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give
you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't
bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Good
intentions are not enough. For the apostle Paul also, good intentions
were not enough. He was baffled by his behavior. He was bothered
and agitated when he failed to live up to his good intentions. He
judged himself, not on the basis of intention, but on his actions.
And the discrepancy between what he intended to do, and what he
actually did made him miserable? Verse 7.24, “Wretched man that I
am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Paul believed
that God judged him on the basis of his actions, not his intentions.
“Who
will deliver me?” he cried. We rationalize and excuse, but Paul
cried for deliverance. The traditional Jewish answer was the law.
If you study God’s law, if you use your wisdom and reason, the evil
impulse can be defeated. But Paul knew that the law in itself was
not enough. Paul knew that it took more than head knowledge. “I
can will what is right, but I cannot do it,” he cried. Knowledge
is not enough. Good intentions are not enough. “Who will deliver
me?”
Paul
answered his question in 7.25, “Thanks be to God through Jesus
Christ our Lord.” God has acted on our behalf, and continues to
act on our behalf. Jesus is the way out of the moral dilemma. Good
intentions are not enough, but Jesus is! Praise God! Through the
life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit can
move in our lives, redeeming us, changing us, giving us the power to
do what we intend.
When
good intentions fail us and we don’t do what we want to do, there
is forgiveness, restitution, and reconciliation. God offers second
chances, third, seventy times seven chances. But, forgiveness in
itself is not enough, and this is where our culture gets mixed up.
Forgiveness in itself becomes excusing. An air controller makes a
mistake and two planes collide. Do we forgive him and say, “Too
bad, but you are only human. After all, you had good intentions.”
We might even rationalize his mistake and say, “You must have been
tired.” But, people died because of his mistake. Is excusing him
adequate? No, forgiveness in itself is not enough.
Forgiveness
in the gospel includes the admonition, “Go and sin no more.” And
Jesus gave not only the admonition, but the instruction, the means
and the power to sin no more. In modern terminology and experience
this might mean that we forgive the air controller, but we also send
him back for more training, or give him more experience as an
apprentice, or change the system so that not too much is expected of
one person, or change the procedure to allow for more rest. Or,
forgiveness as empowerment might mean, “You might be better suited
at another profession, and we’ll help you choose one and prepare
for it.”
Forgiveness
in itself becomes excusing. Forgiveness with empowerment offers a
new chance. God doesn’t leave you forgiven in order for you to
repeat. God forgives and enables you, empowers you through the Holy
Spirit, to do what you intend.
When
you don’t do what you want to do, turn to Jesus. Come to
Communion this morning and ask to be forgiven. Ask for guidance to
learn from the failure, to grow from the experience, and to take
steps that will move you from good intentions to actions.
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