The short answer to this statement is that we have free will and can exercise that free will in any way we wish. That would make a very short blog. The dilemma we face is not that we do and not do what we should; but rather why we place ourselves in these situations in the first place. I want to state right up front that I, like Paul, am the greatest of sinners. That being said, like Paul, I am forgiven by the grace of God brought to me through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Because of this I recognize that there is nothing good inside of me save the grace of Jesus. Without the grace of God, I would be dead spiritually and bankrupt in all other areas of my life. All of this thanks to my free will and choices that I either do or do not make.
"Why?" This is such a short question that hasn't left our lips from our first ability to speak until this very day. We live as Christians in a very split world. On the one side are all those choices that show we belong to Jesus. On the other side are all those choices that show we still belong to the world. Why choose one or the other? Are all choices based on the world we live in wrong or bad? Do all the choices we make for Christ really show the world that we belong to Him? There are lots of good people who claim to be Christian who, like me, sin more often than not. Remembering we are not perfect; we are unable to live a day sin free. Thus when we encounter a situation the real question is whether or not we choose to sin. If we make the choice to sin, the input was from he world. If we choose to do the righteous thing, the input was from the Lord. We all know this to be true. Yet, day in and day out we do that which we shouldn't do and do not do that which we should.
Robert Schuler once said in an interview that he didn't use the word "sin" because everyone already knew they were one and didn't need to be reminded of such a negative concept. Psychologists and philosophers have pushed the envelope for centuries justifying all of our choices both good and bad. We look around us and see people who are worse than we are and we congratulate ourselves on being such good people. Slowly the mandate of Christ's setting of the first church has been eroding away to the point where "bad" is "good" and "good" is bad. It's important that we share the gospel to and with all people. However, when all is said and done, it's more important that we let Christ live his life through our surrendered lives. Most people don't live life as if Christ is the center of their lives. They, instead, let Jesus have the back seat and only ask him after arriving at the destination of their choosing if this is where he wanted them to go. Why? Because we don't really want to do what it is we should do and really want to do that which we are to not do.
Part of the choice we make in our free will entails what we consider our loses versus what Christ gains. Peer pressure, the need to retain a job, keeping relationships with friends, being accepted as a viable part of our family, group, church are all reasons why we deny Christ those parts of our lives. We simply do not believe that God can really take care of us if we really do what Christ wants us to do. In fact, we have ceased to listen to God as a Christian (sic) group and as a Christian (sic) individual. To do so simply costs us too much of our free will which in turn aids in the nature of the beast. The beast as in the one who goes about the earth seeking whom he may devour. The god of this world, Satan, wants you to do just what the title says. We deserve to have our free choice and deserve to make our choice based on our thinking. We also deserve to go to hell if we do not choose Jesus. When we do not do what we should do we deny Christ the opportunity to work through our surrendered lives and change people. Is that what we really want? Is the focus and goal of Jesus Christ ours as well?
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