Samson is often viewed as an anomaly.
For my non-native English speaking readers out there, “anomaly” means…
…“something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected”.
And that’s exactly what Samson was…
Especially when compared to the other judges.
However, there’s one way in which Samson was very much like us…
But I think we have a tendency to overlook this part of Samson…
Here’s what I mean.
Samson presents to us quite an accurate picture of how every believer is a walking and talking bundle of hypocrisy and contradiction…
For instance, consider former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard.
He was famous for ranting against the evils of premarital sex, adultery, and gay marriage.
Until he was caught in a gay sex scandal that is.
A male escort named Mike Jones came forward to testify that Haggard had been his client for years.
Oops…another one bites the dust.
But my point is this kinda thing is far, far more common than we’d like to even contemplate.
I ain’t ever had gay sex (thank God!) but I’ve had my own struggles with sex in other areas.
We all have.
The next time you go to worship service at your local congregation, take a look around you at all the men attending.
The statistics show that over 50% of those in attendance watched pornography that very week.
That’s almost a guarantee.
And yes that would even include the preacher pontificating from the pulpit.
I ain’t judging.
There was a time in my life when I would have been firmly within that 50% every single week.
My point is there’s a Samson in all of us.
There’s a Ted Haggard in all of us.
And there’s a me in all of you.
We all struggle.
If you’re a normal and fallen human being that is…
The Apostle Paul probably articulated this better than anybody when he said…
“I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do I do not do,
but what I hate I do.
And if I do what I do not want to do,
I agree that the law is good.
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it,
but it is sin living in me.
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me,
that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out.
For I do not do the good I want to do,
but the evil I do not want to do—
this I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want to do,
it is no longer I who do it,
but it is sin living in me that does it.”
-Romans 7:15-20
That’s the naked and unvarnished reality of what we’re dealing with folks.
It’s also a sobering reminder that if we’re to have any hope of being saved from our sin predicament, it’s from grace alone.
Remember that homies.
We are saved by grace.
We have the Holy Spirit of God living in us, not because we deserve or have earned it…
But only because a Holy God has declared us CLEAN and HOLY due to our faith in His son…
And in spite of our failings…
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“…for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God”
-Romans 3:23
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