Obstacles To Grace Series

The Bible clearly shows us that “Sin is pretending that we are the center of the universe.” You and I want to be “the master of our fate, and the captain of our soul” rather than allowing God His rightful place to be the rightful Lord of our lives. It has been said, “The problem with Sin is the ‘I’ in the middle of it. Perhaps two people that clearly show us this truth are Elsa Schraeder and Max Detweiler, two of the supporting cast in Roger’s and Hammerstein’s musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC. In the song “No Way to Stop It,” they boldly proclaim:

“And there’s no way to stop it,

No there’s no way to stop it

And I know though I cannot tell you why

That as long as I’m living,

Just as long as I’m living

There’ll be nothing else as wonderful as I!

I, I, I

Nothing else as wonderful as I.”

[--Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II, “No Way to Stop It,” THE SOUND OF MUSIC (New York: Williamson Music, Inc., 1959), vocal score, 147-9.

You and I both have been there and perhaps continue to battle that temptation even now.

Wanting to take God’s place at the center of the universe was the basic temptation of Satan that led our Fore parents Adam and Eve into sin in the beginning. Satan told Eve in Genesis 3:4, “For God know that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,” and from that time on each of us has “wanted to be like God.” “Sin is pretending that we are the center of the universe.” Instead of being God-centered, we are self-centered.

Sin separates us from fellowship with God. The New Testament word for sin is an archery term that means “to miss the mark or target.” Sin is any obstacle that cause me to miss the target of God’s will for my life, anything that would separate me from loving God and my neighbor as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor ad yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’’

There are two primary types of obstacles to grace: those that hinder our relationship with God and those that hinder our relationships with other people. We were created to enjoy two primary relationships. The first one is a vertical relationship between each of us and God, our Creator. Sin, or Obstacles to Grace, that often block that relationship may include:

Idolatry, Blasphemy, Resisting God, Ignoring God, Disobedience, Unbelief, Ignorance, Pride, Unforgiveness.

The sins or Obstacles to Grace that may ruin our relationships with others might include: Murder, which is more than a physical act of violence., for we can murder others psychologically, emotionally, and even spiritually by our words and attitude; addiction and abuse; lying; gossip or slander; stealing; coveting, which is not being satisfied with what we have and which can include an unhealthy desire for position, power, property, or a relationship that others have; laziness, and dishonor.