The Gospel of Animation Pt. 2: Wreck it Ralph; There is some Good in Me

Introduction

The other day I had the opportunity to sit down with Dominique and watch the movie Wreck-It-Ralph. For those unfamiliar with the plot, the movie takes place inside a video game where Wreck-It-Ralph is the “bad guy” whose character is programmed to wreck the building and home of the Nicelanders, who, at least to Ralph, aren’t very nice.  Fix-it-Felix is the hero of the game who fixes what Ralph breaks with just a touch from his golden hammer.

Unhappy in his role as the bad guy, Ralph visits “Bad Anon,” the support group for “bad guys” and villains of all the video games, where they end every meeting by saying together, “I’m bad and that’s good. I’ll never be good and that’s not bad. There is no one I would rather be than me.” But, one night, Ralph leaves his game land in search of a gold medal from another video game that will make him the “good guy” and hero he’s always desired to be. I won’t tell you the end of the story. But, after I finished the movie, I couldn’t help but think about the Wreck-It-Ralph in all of us.

The Apostle Paul addresses the struggles and concerns of humanity in . The Pauline authorship of Romans has rarely been seriously questioned. The evidence indicates that Paul was in Corinth when he wrote the letter. Granted that chapter 16 is part of the original letter (see the discussion of ‘The Integrity of Romans’, 13–14 below), we have a reference to greetings sent by ‘Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy’ (16:23), to the believers in Rome. He is most likely to be identified with the Gaius who was one of those in Corinth whom Paul baptized (). Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (D. A. Carson, Ed.) (p. 12). Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.

When Paul wrote Romans, the empire was under the rule of Nero Claudius Caesar, the fourth of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (Tiberius [14–37], Caligula [37–41], Claudius [41–54], and Nero [54–68]). Nero’s early reign was regarded as the best period since the death of Octavian (Caesar Augustus). Nero had not yet become the murderous tyrant of his later years. As capital of the empire, Rome attracted peoples from all over the Mediterranean region. It is estimated that in the mid to late 50s Rome had a population of about 400,000 made up of ‘slaves (30%) and freed men and women (30%), and freeborn (40%)’. It is also estimated that about 10 percent of the population were Jews. Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (D. A. Carson, Ed.) (p. 1). Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.

The specific concerns weighing on my heart as I consider the sermon being prepared is the fact that sin has a way of rearing its ugly head. The moment we think we are doing good, that is the moment when the enemy directs our path. The moment when we think we are at our worse, that is the moment we try to do our best. The reasoning behind my choice of sermon text is to help us understand that our flesh and our fleshly desires weaken us. To help us understand that without the power and presence of God in our lives, we will always act out of our flesh.

The thing that I struggle with as well as Paul and Ralph in Wreck it Ralph is the ability to do what is good and right. There is always this constant struggle or fight between the flesh and the spirit and we must understand that the more we give in to the flesh the more we find ourselves doing what is wrong. We must remind ourselves that if God has saved us and set us free then we must go back to the place of our salvation and know that we are free in Jesus Christ.

The proposition that states that he does not understand what to do, but what he does is not in line with the will of God, therefore, there is a wrestling that takes place between the Spirit and the flesh. The question that this passage answers is "Who will deliver me from this sinful nature?" The way in which tension can be maintained to provide a solution is to constantly remind persons that we are sinful people and we have two things warring within us, the flesh vs. the spirit. As we hold these tensions together in light of our struggle, we must realize that there is a way out. We have to know that we are not all bad, and there is some good in the worst of us and some bad in the best of us.

The problem or concern that the text addressed in its context was the law came to protect us and give us boundaries, but as human beings we were and are concerned about satisfying our flesh.

What Shall I Do?

In the movie Wreck It Ralph, Ralph is dealing with a self-esteem problem because the video game that he is a part of only celebrates the good things that happen. Ralph is not a part of the community because he does not live in the Penthouse, but he lives on the brick pile. When Ralph does not get his way or is challenged in some way, he wrecks just about everything that is around him. Ralph in his quest to be somebody and for people to notice him seeks to win a medal.

After he wins the medal he is attacked by an alien and then is carried out of the video game to a game called Sugar Rush by spaceship. It is here that Ralph seeks to maintain the medal he has won, but he loses it to a citizen in the sugar rush land. He does everything in his power to get the medal back. He struggles with whether or not he will wreck everything in sight or be the nice guy.

Paul acknowledges that the law is of the spirit and it is good, but the flesh is weak and we have a hard time obeying the law. And so, he expresses the fact in verse 15 that he does not know what to do and he agrees that the law is right. We must understand that good does not live in us, but the desire to do what is good resides in us. Our problem is that we have the desire to do good many times, but our flesh and sin causes us to do the direct opposite. Let me put it to you this way, we can tell our children to stop doing this and stop doing that, but the moment you say it, they continue to do what they want to do. They have within them a desire to listen and obey what you say, but the need to please the flesh or self takes over.

The understanding of what the law is. The word law in this culture or context simply means the culturally or divinely prescribed regulations for living. The regulations always carry a punishment for disobedience. They don't necessarily affect the understanding of the passage, however, not abiding by the law can cause one to live a life of sin.

The thing that we share in common with the ancient audience is that all of humanity struggles with sin. The difference that this passage should make in the lives of the congregation is that no matter how much we might struggle with sin, God through Jesus Christ has made a way of escape for us. It is through Jesus Christ that we are deliver from the bondage of sin.

Winning the Fight

Paul helps us to understand that the good we should turn into the bad we shouldn’t, and it is all because of our need to satisfy the flesh. It seems like every time we turn around evil is standing there knocking on our door. And the reality is that we know what to do when evil comes knocking, but there is always something on the inside of us at work. We find ourselves warring with our members; there is a fight between the inner man and the selfish man. And the more we feed the selfish man, the more it seems to grow. If you want self to decrease and God to increase, then you will have to feed yourself the Word of God. The more of God’s Word in your heart and spirit, the more your spirit grows and your flesh decreases.

The one thing that Ralph had to make a decision about was whether or not he would live according to his flesh or live according to the spirit. Ralph was in a position to help Vannelope participate in a race. The one thing you must know is that he did some wonderful things to help her and put her in position to win. Isn’t it amazing that when we try to do the right thing, there is always somebody lurking around plotting and scheming as to how they can sabotage our plan. Ralph found himself listening to the King of Sugar Rush and decided that Vannelope would not benefit any from winning the race.

There are some people who have and are conspiring against you and they do not want you to be successful or get ahead in the game. There are some people out here who just want what they can get and they will do anything to get it. The king presented Ralph with his medal and told him to advise Vannelope not to race. Ralph even went so far as to break up the race car. ‘When our flesh wants to take over, we must understand that there is a war going on and if we are going to win then we must have Jesus and the Holy Spirit deep down within. Winning the fight means that we have to stay woke against the plots and the schemes that seek to tear people down and render them powerless. Winning the fight means that we have to make decisions as to how we will stand on the issues of the day. Are we silent on the ICE raids or are we believing God that every human is of dignity and worth? Ralph had some decisions to make as he went back to Niceland, only to find those who were a part of his community gone. If we are going to win the fight, then we must decide to listen to the Spirit and not the flesh.

The Knock Out

Dealing with sin and the consequences of sin has a way of messing with your mind and causing you to feel miserable on the inside. Sin has a way of getting you off course. That is the reason Paul asks the question in verse 24, “Who will deliver me from this sinful nature or dead corpse?” Just when you think that sin has won, just remember that you have a deliverer and his name is Jesus. You don’t have to continue to be a slave in your body if God has freed you in your mind. The bible reminds us in that whomever the Son has set free, they are free in deed. The good that I should, the bad that I shouldn’t can be kept in check when we obey the Spirit of God in our lives.

When we are seeking a legitimate application of to ourselves today, we are likely to find verses 4–6 to be crucial. For these verses set the two orders or ages and covenants or testaments over against each other in sharp antithesis as the old way and the new way. Both are called ‘service’, but the old was characterized by ‘letter’ (a written code), while the new is characterized by ‘Spirit’ (his indwelling presence). In the old order we were married to the law and controlled by the flesh, and we bore fruit for death, whereas as members of the new order we are married to the risen Christ and liberated from the law, and we bear fruit for God. We need then to keep a watch on ourselves and others, lest we should ever slip back from the new order into the old, from a person to a system, from freedom to slavery, from the indwelling Spirit to an external code, from Christ to the law. God’s purpose is not that we should be Old Testament Christians, regenerate indeed, but living in slavery to the law and in bondage to indwelling sin. It is rather that we should be New Testament Christians who, having died and risen with Christ, are living in the freedom of the indwelling Spirit.

But verse 25b stands stubbornly there in all the manuscripts, and we have no liberty to erase it or move it. Moreover, it is seen to be an appropriate conclusion if the whole passage describes the continuing conflict within Old Testament believers. The two egos, two laws, two cries and two slaveries together constitute the double reality of people who are indeed regenerate but who are still living under the law. Indwelling sin masters them; they have not yet found the indwelling of the Spirit. Nor has Paul yet alluded to it. Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God’s good news for the world (p. 214). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God’s good news for the world (p. 214). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

This passage points us to Christ because the struggles we may face in life will not overtake us. God has given us opportunity to realize freedom in the midst of our pain and struggle. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and we can find deliverance in the power and name of Jesus. We are not controlled by our flesh, but we are empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We must understand that our deliverance comes from God through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Ralph realized that he could either be selfish or he could win the fight against the flesh and help some people out. Ralph decided to go back and help Vannelope win the race.

Conclusion

The enemy will always try to get you off course, but know that you have a deliverer and his name is Jesus. Amen.