Romans 7:15-25

Romans 7:15-25

• Victory over Sin:
  • Romans 6 – the CHOICE – do not continue in SIN
  • Romans 7 – the BATTLE – we still struggle with SIN
  • Romans 8 – the VICTORY – we overcome SIN by the power of the SPIRIT!
  • Not the Law…
  • Having given us the CHOICE – slave to SIN or a slave to the LORD – Romans 6:16
  • Paul moved on to HOW we can WIN the BATTLE over our FLESH – and live a victorious life…
  • We tend to look to RULES [Law] – but the LAW does not give us VICTORY for THREE reasons…
  • FIRST – because we died to the LAW when we put our FAITH in Christ [example of marriage]
  • So that we could bear FRUIT – not by the LETTER but by the SPIRIT!
  • Revealing Sin…
  • SECOND – Not that the Law is BAD [sin] – the Law is how we KNOW what SIN is…
  • Paul thought he was a GOOD person till he read – do NOT covet [thought] – Exodus 20:17
  • The LAW that was meant to bring LIFE – instead brought DEATH…
  • Sin deceived Paul – and the RULES could help – they could NOT change his HEART!
  • Not Perfect… fought
  • THIRD – the LAW is perfect – every COMMAND is good…
  • But like a MIRROR all it can do is show us how BAD we really are [cannot change us]
  • Because we are CARNAL – in and of ourselves we have NO power to overcome our SIN nature!
• 1^st – Seeing the War… vs. 15–20
  • 1^st – The Battle… vs. 15
    • Confusion…
    • For what I am doing I do not understand!
    • Having shown us that the LAW cannot HELP us win the WAR against sin…
    • It ONLY has the power to reveal how SINFUL we are [sold to sin]
    • Wanting to RELATE to us and our struggles – Paul shared his own BATTLE…
    • He did NOT understand [γινώσκω] what he was [present] DOING [κατεργάζομαι]
    • This was NOT a SINGLE bad choice – or an OCCASIONAL mistake…
    • Paul could NOT understand why he KEPT making BAD decisions in his life!
    • There are THREE ways people look at the BATTLE Paul lays out…
    • FIRST – Paul is speaking about himself BEFORE Christ…
    • But this does NOT seem to be the case – as he describes himself in the PRESENT tense…
    • And describes an INWARD desire to do what is GOOD…
    • SECOND – Paul is speaking about specific SINS that he struggled to overcome…
    • This also does NOT seem to be the case – this is NOT a confession…
    • Paul does not identify any particular sin he struggled with…
    • THIRD – Paul is speaking about what happens if we try living a GODLY life in the FLESH…
    • This fits the overall context best – Paul wants us to see the LAW can show us what is RIGHT…
    • But it does NOT have the power to win the BATTLE – the VICTORY comes in – Romans 8
    • Right and Wrong…
    • For what I will to do that I do not practice – but what I hate that I do!
    • Paul DESIRED [θέλω] to do GOOD [present] as a HABIT [πράσσω]
    • Meaning there was NO question as to WHAT he should do…
    • He KNEW what the LAW said – he KNEW the difference between right and wrong…
    • And if we asked – his CHOICE was to do what was RIGHT…
    • But [ἀλλά] instead he kept [present] DOING [ποιέω] what was WRONG…
    • Although he HATED it – he found himself in a life defined by FAILURE!
    • No one needs to tell us what GOOD and BAD is – we already KNOW…
    • We KNOW we should read our BIBLE – PRAY – go to CHURCH – FORGIVE others…
    • We KNOW we should not STEAL – LIE – be ENVIOUS – be BITTER…
    • What causes CONFUSION is why when we want to do GOOD – instead we do BAD!
    • We have the KNOWLEDGE of what to do – and we have the DESIRE to do it…
    • Yet somehow those things do not translate to our ACTIONS…
    • We are left to wonder what is wrong with us – we do NOT understand what we are doing!
  • 2^nd – The Problem… vs. 16-17
    • Good Law… vs. 16
    • If then I do what I will not to do – I agree with the law that it is good!
    • SINCE [indicative] Paul was doing [present] what he do NOT want to do [οὐ θέλω]
    • He [indicative] AGREED [σύμφημ] the LAW [τῷ νόμῳ] is GOOD [καλός]
    • His CONVICTION the RULES are correct – showed the Law was NOT the problem…
    • But his failure to do what was RIGHT – was the evidence of the BATTLE within him!
    • Many times I have met with people who DOUBTED their salvation…
    • Some even wondered if their CONSTANT struggle meant they LOST their salvation…
    • To be clear we CANNOT lose our SALVATION [somehow misplace it]
    • Though there is a DANGER of SIN hardening our heart – Hebrews 3:13
    • But people who are NOT saved – do NOT desire to live Godly…
    • It is the BATTLE that gives us the confidence the Spirit is within us – Romans 8:16
    • The question is how do we as CHRISTIANS find the ability to live RIGHTEOUSLY!
    • Not the solution… vs. 17
    • But now it is no longer I who do it – but sin that dwells in me!
    • Since Paul had the DESIRE to live Godly…
    • But found that he was NOT able to follow the LAW on his own…
    • He realized it was NOT his desire to live GODLY that was the problem…
    • It was looking to himself for the solution – to his SIN nature [singular]
    • Paul is NOT blaming his FLESH for his FAILURES…
    • He is stating the FAILURE of his sinful nature to help him live GODLY!
    • A person who has fallen into a pit – CANNOT pull themselves out…
    • They need someone from the OUTSIDE to help pull them up!
    • If we are looking to ourselves to try and live a GODLY life…
    • It should come as NO surprise when we continually FAIL…
    • The solution to our SINFUL nature – is NOT found by looking to our SINFUL nature…
    • We need to look someone else – to SOMEONE else – to DELIVER us!
  • 3^rd – The Realization… vs. 18-20
    • Nothing Good… vs. 18
    • For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells!
    • For [γάρ] Paul could SEE [εἴδω] that in him [his flesh]
    • There was [present] NOTHING that was GOOD [ἀγαθός]
    • GOOD [ἀγαθός] – carries the idea of being MORALLY right!
    • When we are BORN again – our SPIRIT is given NEW life – I Peter 1:23
    • But we do NOT get a NEW body until heaven – Romans 8:23
    • Until then we are STUCK in a fallen BODY that can do NOTHING to help us live GODLY!
    • Failure… vs. 18-19
    • For to will is present with me – but how to perform what is good I do not find.
    • For the good that I will to do I do not do – but the evil I will not to do that I practice!
    • For [γάρ] the DESIRE to live Godly was [present] PRESENT…
    • PRESENT [παράκειμαι] – to PLACE [κεῖμαι] right NEXT to [παρά] – it seemed so CLOSE…
    • Yet he could NOT find a way to [present] DO [κατεργάζομαι] what was GOOD [καλός]
    • Because [γάρ] – he did NOT [present] do the GOOD [ἀγαθός] he DESIRED [θέλω]
    • But [ἀλλά] – the EVIL he did NOT want to do – that he [present] PRACTICED [πράσσω]!
    • If you have ever locked your keys in the car you know the feeling…
    • They are so CLOSE – if you could just get them – everything would WORK…
    • But they are just out of reach – you can see them – but your still stuck!
    • We SEE what we should do – and we WANT to do it…
    • But if we are looking to ourselves [flesh] as the MEANS to get it done…
    • Then the GODLY life is going to be FRUSTRATINGLY out of reach…
    • The LAW put the keys right in front of us – but the FLESH cannot open the door!
    • Sin nature… vs. 20
    • Now if I do what I will not to do – it is no longer I who do it – but sin that dwells in me!
    • SINCE [indicative] Paul was [present] DOING [ποιέω] what he did NOT want [θέλω]
    • It was clear his FAILURE was NOT the WORK [κατεργάζομαι] of his SPIRIT [inner man]
    • But [ἀλλά] the WORK of the SIN nature [singular] dwelling in his FLESH…
    • Again – Paul is NOT blaming his FLESH for his FAILURES…
    • He is recognizing his FAILURE to live GODLY came from him looking to the wrong SOLUTION!
    • I had a counseling session with a young man who was struggling with GAMBLING…
    • He stole money from his parents just so he could gamble [and lose it]
    • When I asked him why he did it – he told me he was ADDICTED to gambling…
    • We have lots of terms to justify our SIN: angry – abused – alcoholic – poor…
    • All of them are just ways of trying to avoid the real issue – us!
    • I have noted TWO different reactions to the FAILURE of the FLESH…
    • FIRST – there are those who become DISCOURAGED – and give up…
    • They just ASSUME that the Christian walk is meant to be DISAPPOINTING…
    • And they ACCEPT that SIN will have DOMINION over their lives…
    • SECOND – there are those who LEARN the lesson…
    • If something does NOT work – it is because it is the WRONG answer…
    • Since looking to ourselves to try and live a GODLY life consistently FAILS…
    • Then there must be ANOTHER way – a BETTER way to fight this BATTLE…
    • The question becomes – are we ASSUMING defeat or are we ANTICIPATING the victory!
• 2^nd – Losing the Battle… vs. 21-25
  • 1^st – Two Laws… vs. 21-23
    • The rule… vs. 21
    • I find then a law – that evil is present with me – the one who wills to do good.
    • Paul found that as a general RULE [τὸν νόμον]
    • That while he [present] wanted [θέλω] to do [ποιέω] GOOD [καλός]
    • That EVIL was PRESENT [παράκειμαι] within him…
    • PRESENT [παράκειμαι] – 2x in NT – both of them in this chapter…
    • Just as doing RIGHT was right NEXT to Paul [just out of reach] – Romans 7:18
    • Doing WRONG was there as well – moral failure was ever present!
    • When Jesus asked Peter whom men said that He was – Matthew 16:15
    • Peter told Him – You are the Christ – Son of the Living God…
    • Jesus answered that FLESH [σὰρξ] had not revealed this to him – but the Father in heaven…
    • Yet a few verses later Jesus told Peter – get behind me SATAN…
    • It only took a moment to go from SPIRITUAL clarity to FLESHLY reasoning!
    • The RULE that we will all live with till the day we see Jesus…
    • Is at ANY moment – we can either yield to the SPIRIT – or operate in the FLESH…
    • We can have incredible VICTORY – see God move POWERFULLY…
    • And the very next moment – turn back to the FLESH…
    • Because the victory yesterday does NOT guarantee success today…
    • We must continually depend upon the SPIRIT!
    • The war… vs. 22-23
    • For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
    • 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!
    • Because [γὰρ] – Paul took pleasure in doing what was GOOD in his INNER man [spirit]
    • Rejoicing with [συνήδομαι] with the LAW of God [τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ] on what is GOOD…
    • But he saw a DIFFERENT kind [ἕτερος] of LAW in his members [body]
    • At WAR [ἀντιστρατεύομαι] – only here NT – to WAR [στρατεύω] AGAINST [ἀντί]
    • This NEW law was fighting with the LAW of God in his MIND [νοῦς]
    • Bringing him into CAPTIVITY to the law of SIN [τῷ νόμῳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας] in his BODY [members]
    • We are made up of THREE parts – body – soul – and spirit – I Thessalonians 5:23
    • We live in a BODY [members] – have conscious MIND [νοῦς] – and an eternal SPIRIT [πνεῦμα]
    • The question we face every day – WHAT controls our THOUGHTS [νοῦς]!
    • Galatians 5:17 – “The FLESH lusts against the SPIRIT – and the SPIRIT against the FLESH – and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
    • We make all of our decisions with our MIND [νοῦς]
    • But our MIND is a continual BATTLE ground between our BODY or SPIRIT…
    • And whenever we try to fight that battle in our own strength — the FLESH wins!
  • 2^nd – One Answer… vs. 24-25
    • The question… vs. 24
    • O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
    • Seeing the BATTLE Paul had to fight on a DAILY basis – he cried out…
    • WRETCHED man – 2x in NT – meaning to be miserable – worn down by the struggle…
    • Paul went through a LOT of TRIALS – because of his BODY of death [looking to himself]
    • To which he asked the most important question – WHO will deliver me…
    • Note he does not say WHAT – or HOW – but WHO!
    • People come up with all kinds of solutions to the SIN nature…
    • They will try BOOKS – that can give us INFORMATION…
    • They will try PROGRAMS – that can give us STRUCTURE…
    • They will try RELIGIONS – that can give us RULES…
    • All of these things seem to have WISDOM – and might even say things that are RIGHT…
    • But they are missing the point – they CANNOT change our HEART!
    • The Solution… vs. 25
    • I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!
    • Paul knew there was only ONE answer to the WHO – our Lord Jesus Christ…
    • Because Jesus is the ONLY one who can do what NOTHING else can…
    • He has the POWER to be able to CHANGE our HEART!
    • II Corinthians 10:4 – “For the weapons of our warfare are not [fleshly] but mighty in God.”
    • Every believer in Jesus understands we are at WAR…
    • We experience the BATTLE every day – the STRUGGLE to control our MIND…
    • But too often we come to FIGHT with the wrong weapons [stick to a gunfight]
    • Most Christians come to the WAR against SIN woefully unprepared…
    • They come depending on THEMSELVES – then are confused when SIN wins the BATTLE…
    • It is only when we realize we CANNOT change our hearts – we look for a better answer…
    • We understand we need to cry out to JESUS – the one who can change our HEART…
    • Jesus changes our desires – so we do NOT want to do the things that are wrong…
    • Instead we want to do those things that please the Lord!
    • The Continuation… vs. 25
    • So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God – but with the flesh the law of sin!
    • Therefore Paul concluded – the BATTLE would NOT end…
    • His MIND [νοῦς] would go on desiring to SERVE the LAW of God [νόμῳ θεοῦ]
    • While his FLESH [σάρξ] would continue to want to SERVE the LAW of Sin [νόμῳ ἁμαρτίας]
    • But that did NOT mean he would not have VICTORY this side of heaven…
    • Because KNOWING the battle – and WHO to go to help win the WAR…
    • There is now no CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ Jesus – Romans 8:1
    • Only the Lord knows where your heart is this morning…
    • We are all in the BATTLE – the WAR is real – we face it every day…
    • But are we ASSUMING we have to live in DEFEAT – dominated by SIN…
    • Or can we SEE that LOSING the battle is meant to teach us a LESSON…
    • We were NEVER meant to look to RULES – depend on OURSELVES to win…
    • We were always meant to run to Jesus – come to the One who CHANGES hearts…
    • Are we ANTICIPATING no condemnation – the VICTORY that comes through Christ!