Baseball determines a player’s batting average by dividing his total number of hits by the number of times he’s batted. If a player hits the ball every time he bats, he’s batting 1.000 (or one thousand). For as long as baseball has been around, no player has ever batted 1.000. And just as no baseball player has ever achieved batting perfection, so no follower of Jesus has ever been perfect either. No one would have understood this better than the apostle Paul. Romans 7 reflects Paul’s personal admission of not being able to bat 1.000. It emphasizes that believers in Jesus will be made perfect one day, but will still struggle with sin this side of heaven. In these verses Paul taught the Romans at least three important principles:
• Christians can and should continually grow in sanctification through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Though they will never bat 1.000 in living holy lives, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try (Romans 7:6).
• Christians will struggle with sin throughout their lives (Romans 7:21; Galatians 5:17). No follower of Jesus has ever nor ever will bat 1.000.
• Daily deliverance from this constant tension is found in the once dead and now living Jesus, the only One who ever batted 1.000 (Romans 7:25; Hebrews 4:15).
As followers of Jesus, we should be profoundly aware of how far we fall short of God’s absolute of righteousness, and how important it is to allow the One who lived a perfect life to live through us. Also, we should continue to feed our faith, shower people with grace when they fail to reach the goal, and refuse to become discouraged when we miss the mark.
Repent, receive God’s forgiveness, forget the past, and move on. You’ll never bat 1.000, but a perfect Savior walks with you.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 2:41-52
More:
Read Matthew 26:69-75 and John 21:11-19 to see how one man who didn’t bat 1.000 was treated by Jesus.
Next:
How do you respond when you sin and fall short of God’s absolute standard? In what ways can you let the living Christ live through you day by day?
eppistle on June 14, 2011 at 8:43 am
When Satan mocks us for striking out again and batting way below 1.000, we can reply as Daniel Mann did: “Satan, you’re right! I am totally unworthy to serve God… I don’t deserve the slightest thing from Him. But I have an incredible God who is everything to me. He loves me with an undying love and will never let me go. He has given me the privilege of serving Him… Besides, I’m so glad that I’ve been reminded of my unworthiness, because this just prompts me to be grateful and makes me want to sing His praises.”
Or in the words of the hymn writer:
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin (I John 2:1,2).
I am so glad it’s Christ’s righteousness and not my own that gives power and meaning to life.
marvin williams on June 14, 2011 at 1:43 pm
eppistle, thanks for adding your voice here. I am still trying to grasp the depth of God’s grace. When we’re slumping and swinging at balls way out of the strike zone, God gives us the grace and mercy to get back in the batter’s box and keep swinging. I am so grateful for Christ’s righteousness as well. It motivates me, not to sin, but to live rightouesly.
alegria on June 14, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Amen! “Washed in his righteousness alone, Faultless I stand before the Throne.”
marvin williams on June 14, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Alegria, On Christ the solid Rock I stand! All other ground is sinking sand. The line you just quoted is one of my favorites in the song. I love Jude’s doxology: Now unto him who is able to keep you from stum”bling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, . . . “