M-G: 8.27.20 // Winning the Dogfights, Part 4 of 4

What if I told you that even the Apostle Paul struggled with that black dog? If you ever pay a visit to Romans 7, the present tense of the verbs in Rom 7:14-25 argue that Paul struggled between the two natures like we all do. Though he was a man of great spiritual stature, he was not a stained-glass saint. Paul’s usage of the personal pronoun, I, (26x) in this passage indicates that this is highly personal, and he is telling us under inspiration that he continues to wrestle with his old nature, even as an Apostle! Here is a sample of the palpable tension between Paul’s two natures,

(Rom 7:22) For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

(Rom 7:23) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

(Rom 7:24) O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

(Rom 7:25, emphasis mine) I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God (the white dog), but with the flesh the law of sin (the black dog). 

Some maintain this illustrates Paul’s spiritual struggles before spiritual regeneration as Saul of Tarsus. This is untenable for at least two reasons. Paul did not possess the Holy Spirit apart from salvation, but the tense of the verbs argues that his struggles are presently and continually.

I don’t know if this makes you feel better or not, but if the man, who wrote 13, maybe 14, of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament, struggled with his old nature, that black dog, we will also grapple with the flesh or sin nature just as the Apostle Paul did. If any so-called believer makes the spurious claim that he has no sin or has the victory over sin and no longer sins anymore, read what the Apostle John had to say about that,

(1Jn 1:8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

(1Jn 1:9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1Jn 1:10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

There is a propensity of others to lay the blame on someone or something else for their sinful behavior. We never read of Paul using his struggle with the black dog as an excuse for disobedience to God, like, “Nobody is perfect.” There is no valid reason for that since the Holy Spirit lives within the heart of every genuine believer (cf. 1 Jn 4:4). They either do not have the Holy Spirit (lost), or they are feeding the black dog. 

Winning the dogfights between the black and the white dog is as we said from the outset is predicated on which dog you feed more. The best we can do to prevent the black dog from winning is to quit feeding it and starve it to death, figuratively speaking, to kill the activity. We feed it with having fleshly thoughts and doing the deeds of the body that involves the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn 2:16). It is not an addiction; it is a choice of faith not to do so.

There seems to be a problem with believers feeding the white dog. We know we feed the white dog with the Word and doing the will of God for our lives. Here’s the problem. Though we have more biblical literature today than at any time in human history, many who are claiming to be evangelical Christians are continuing to feed the black dog. Thus, the black dog grows and becomes stronger and more dominant in our lifestyle, while we sing love, love, love, holy, holy, holy while holding our hands high into the air. “Isn’t God good!” There’s a disconnect, and it is concerning.

Have you ever heard about Robert’s Ratio; it is great spiritual advice for those feeding the black dog. Unfortunately for black dog feeders, which we all are if we are not careful, it is counter-intuitive because believers are not in the Word as they should be (contrast Josh 1:8-9).

Years ago, I don’t remember the date, maybe in the late 1970s, I was taking a class on ecclesiastical polity or church government, the structure of church leadership. Our teacher was out one day and had another adjunct professor scheduled to fill in for him. Our substitute said something I have never forgotten which is why I remember the topic but not the year; go figure!

On that day, our topic of discussion was on submitting to the authority of Christ (Acts 20:28; Col 1:18; 1 Pet 5:2), following the Scriptures in the role of a spiritual leader, and sharing careful forethought in handling the various ideologies in the world that conflicted with Scripture in a wise manner.

Dr. So & So spoke about his son, who was a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at that time. He confessed to the class that he was concerned over the potential dangers to his son's spiritual vitality in being heavily exposed to the ideologies set in array against Christianity; that somehow, he would allow it to unwittingly erode his spirituality and responsibility before the Lord.

He grabbed hold of everyone’s attention with that remark. Candidly, he expressed to us that he was not thrilled in the least that his son elected to pursue that particular discipline in his educational journey. He wanted his son to pursue a Th.D. instead. I never did find out how his son turned out, but I vividly recall the advice he gave to his son and in the loving manner in which he relayed it to us.

“For every page of pagan philosophy read, read 10 pages of Scripture.” 

Not too long ago, I came across a statement from a commentator who quoted a young Scottish Presbyterian preacher by the name of Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813-1843),

“For every look we take at ourselves, we should take ten looks at Christ.”  

I immediately thought of this adjunct professor who obviously modified M’Cheyne’s principle and applied it to his son’s situation. Now I know where he got the concept, from Robert’s Ratio. It’s funny how things are imprinted on your brain, making lasting impressions! We all need to grab ahold of that principle and heed the advice whether it’s an egocentric problem or a fascination with pagan philosophical systems. 

Let's be frank for a moment; I know this is perceived as an impractical ratio because so many believers do not see the need of Scripture in their daily life! And besides, given our fast-paced culture, time will be considered an issue. You know what time stands for? Time Is My Excuse. So which dog is getting fed the most with the lame excuses of not reading the Bible? The black one.    

Robert’s Ratio reveals the seriousness of not recognizing the value of Scripture (2 Tim 3:16-17) and investing more time into things that are everlasting (knowing and doing God’s will, sourced in the Scriptures) than those things that are passing away or neverlasting. Not knowing how to differentiate between the temporal and the eternal is a very scary spiritual scenario for a believer, and this is what this rigorous ratio is addressing, adjusting your priorities to that which counts.

 You can dismiss Robert’s ratio as quickly as you read it and never entertain the thought again, mainly because many do not like to read. But what if we could get everyone who claims the name of Christ to read a verse of Scripture per day, now, wouldn’t that be something! It is pitiful to treat God’s Word that way (contrast these samplings: Psa 119:93, 97, 105, 112, 114, 131, 167). When I read verses like this, I tell myself that I have got to do a better job. When it comes to spiritual health, it is far wiser to compare your thinker, feeler, and chooser to Jesus rather than keeping up with the Joneses.

DL Moody once said, “The Bible will help you stay away from sin, or sin will keep you from the Book.” There’s that dogfight again between the black dog (the old man) and the white dog (the new man)! If more time is spent in the secular or temporal sphere (out of the will of God), the bigger and stronger the dark dog will become to our spiritual detriment. Want to hear of a no-brainer? What do we like more, blessings or burdens?

Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s original ratio of “One look at self and ten looks at Jesus” is not only great spiritual advice from a man who never reached the age of 30, but it also serves as a warning to us that there is a danger of worldly thinking, which leads to wrong behavior; that’s black dog stuff! Less on self and more on the Savior is an outstanding idea that has the backing of Scripture.

Here’s one other thought. There is nothing secular in the knowing and doing of God’s will for a believer, nothing. If we are to glorify God in everything, then nothing is secular. The caveat is it must conform to the teaching of Scripture. Whatever we say or do, if we say or do it heartily as unto the Lord it will have eternity in it. If what we are knowing and doing does not conflict with the teaching of Scripture, our thinker, feeler, and chooser are running as they should.

You can bet a Gal 5:16 lifestyle starves the old man or puts a shock collar on the black dog; I hate that black mutt. Why believers (including me) continue to want to pet that hound that will turn on a believer in a heartbeat is beyond me! Keeping the old man at bay is a choice of faith. Unleashing the dog is a choice of foolishness. Been there done that. Paul has a better idea.

And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:24, emphasis mine). 

I want to point out something in this verse to emphasize how vital it is to feed the new man (Gk., kainos anthropos) or the white dog with the Word. This phrase new man appears in Eph 2:15; 4:24, having a different quality or nature than the old man (Gk., palaois anthropos, Eph 4:22; Col 3:9) or the black dog. We can send the black dog to obedience school 24/7, and it is not going to obey. Surround it with utopia, if you will, and it will still buck on you (cf. the rebellion in the Garden and in the future millennium). Paul is exhorting believers to put on [like a garment] his or her new man or the new nature. “The idea is to ‘change into’ a different conduct” (Guzik). Boy, the conduct of the white dog and the black dog is graphically stark as light is to darkness!

Have you noticed that when you were born again and became a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), this new man was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:24), but this new creation did not come stocked with the Word of God, and you were not born again as a spiritually mature adult either? The cupboards were bare. That is why the black dog barks and growls so much at the white dog’s intrusion into his marked territory, leading to a dogfight at every avenue that leads to Christlikeness rather than Cain-likeness!  

This black dog is not going to let up this side of eternity, but we can starve it with the Holy Spirit’s help! It will be gone forever once we are glorified, no more black dog, ever! Until then, winning the dogfights is not about checking off some lengthy list by the list-makers! It really is based on love (agape) for Jesus (Jn 14:15). 

If we learn the Word, love the Word, and live the Word, the white dog will grow bigger and stronger than the black dog, and that is a surefire recipe for winning the dogfights. But if we let up for a moment, thinking it is okay, we will get bitten by that black mutt! <><

End of Series