This scripture from Romans is kind of confusing at a first glance, so we're gonna take a closer look and break it down to try and better understand it...many of you will probably relate, I know I do!
In Romans 7, verses 14-25 Paul is talking about the struggle he has with sin. To him, and to many of us, the struggle with sin is a spiritual battle we face everyday. We are "sold into slavery under sin"...our human lusts and desires are sinful...they are of our old nature...before we were Christians, before we knew better. Those old desires are still there...they want to resurface and rebel against God. "I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Have you ever felt that way? I have...for example, I'll be running my mouth and something totally dumb will come out. I've prayed for God to help me hold my toungue, but I'm so used to just talking, it's hard to stop myself! "But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but the sin that dwells within me." This verse isn't an excuse to sin. You are still responsible for your actions and you should still use self control. Your old self is used to sinning, and that's what's gonna happen without God's help. Pray for strength...God will give it to you. "For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh." I don't think Paul was refering to his flesh literally...our flesh literally is good...it is God's creation. I think Paul, when speaking of his flesh, was refering to everything in him that was of his old way of living rather than his new found obediance to God. "I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." We want to be obediant to God in our hearts, but our old desires get in the way...only with His help can we defeat sin and follow Him fully. "So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand." When we do good things and honor God and bring glory to Him, it makes Satan mad...and I mean furious! He'll do anything he can to get you to turn away from God back to your old sinful ways...and you've gotta fight it! Be prepared when you do good to fight off Satan. Be careful because if you don't stay plugged into God, Satan will rip you right out of His hand and you'll backslide right to where you started! Again, pray for God's protection and strength to fight off Satan and his lies and temptation. An example of how Satan tries to mess stuff up...I went on a mission trip this summer. We went to Georgia to re-roof houses with World Changers. One of the guys from our youth group fell of the roof and broke his arm. One of our leaders fell through the roof and hurt his foot. And the brother of another one of our youth groupies died while we were there. Satan knew that we were doing God's work and pleasing Him and helping others, so he got ticked off and tried to mess things up. To bad for him, God held us togeather and the trip was awesome! "For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members." Our hearts, our souls, truly want to follow God, but again, it's tough because to do so, we have to fight our old selves...we have to change. It's not going to happen over night. It will take awhile, but you can change with God's help, and your old sins can be overcome through Him. "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" When Paul was really struggling, he turned to God. When you are struggling with sin, go back to the beginning of your faith. Remember that sweet moment when God revealed Himself to you and called your name. If you can't remember a pin point time when God opened your eyes like that, pray that God will come into your life in a big way. Ask Him into your heart...He will change your life! "So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin." Paul repeats himself again here...we are always battling our old sinful selves with our new selves in Christ. Our hearts want to follow Him, our flesh wants to stay stuck in sin. It's not an easy battle and sometimes Satan will get the best of you, but God will always be right by your side, fighting for you, and with God on your side, Satan doesn't stand a chance!!! |
