Why are we struggling with sins (and not surrendering)?
16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me… 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me… 22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:16-17, 20–25 (NIV)
In Romans 7:14-23, Paul lays out the inner struggle that every believer faces. On one hand, as Christians, we now identify with God’s law in a way that was impossible before conversion. We see it as “spiritual” (Romans 7:14), desire to keep it (Romans 7:15, 18), and agree that it is good (Romans 7:16). Paul even says that in his “inner being” or “true self,” he delights in God’s law (Romans 7:22).
However, Paul also acknowledges a powerful force of sin and rebellion still at work within him. He recognizes the reality of conflicting desires, but asserts that for Christians, our deepest identity, the “true self”, is now found in Christ. The sinful desires are no longer the true “him” (Romans 7:20). Though sin remains a strong influence, it no longer controls the believer’s core identity and life. Even in defeat, the Christian has a new consciousness: the real “I” loves God’s law, while sin is the unwelcome intruder (Romans 7:23).
Yet this ongoing struggle can be discouraging. Paul describes it in stark terms, saying, “I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin” (Romans 7:14). Some may wonder, if even the great apostle struggled in this way, why bother striving for holiness? Isn’t sin’s presence in our lives just normal and inevitable?
While it’s true that no believer, not even Paul, achieves sinless perfection in this life, this fact should never lead us to complacency or “sinful normativism.” Here’s why:
- First, Paul’s anguish over his sin (Romans 7:24) shows that he is far from content with it. His ongoing struggle is a mark of his new life in Christ, not a sign of spiritual apathy. The “true self” hates sin and struggles against it since we want Christ.
- Second, Romans 6 reminds us that we have died to sin and been raised to new life (Romans 6:1-14). Though the battle continues, we are no longer slaves to sin, but to righteousness (Romans 6:15-23). Struggle is not an excuse for surrender.
- Third, we have the assurance of ultimate victory in Christ. Paul’s cry of distress is followed by a shout of confidence: in Christ, we will be delivered (Romans 7:25). The “true self” won’t rest in despair. Our present fight is shaped by this future hope.
- Finally, throughout his letters, Paul calls believers to active, Spirit-empowered resistance against sin (Ephesians 4:22-24; Romans 8:13). The presence of struggle is never a reason for passivity, but a summons to press on. The “true self” would experience victories, not just defeats.
In summary, Paul’s example in Romans 7 is not a license for “sinful normativism,” but a realistic portrait of the Christian life. It calls us to honest self-assessment, deep humility, and unbending resolve in the fight of faith. As we embrace our new identity in Christ and lean on His grace, we can experience growing victory over sin, even as we await the day of final deliverance. The struggle is real, but so is the strength God provides. In Christ, the battle is worth it.
Have you ever been tempted to “sinful normativism” – the idea that since struggle is inevitable, holiness doesn’t really matter? How does Paul’s example and teaching challenge this mindset?
[This material for Romans 7:7-25 was drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You“]
I would say that as a believer, I don’t think I’ve ever fallen into the false idea that holiness doesn’t really matter, but I have certainly, at times, been discouraged and disheartened by the thought that it might be unobtainable! There have been particular besetting and recurring sins that have caused me to doubt any hope of victory over them- but, praise be to God, in time, God has been faithful to deliver me from them! This has been a great source of hope for victory over sin in other areas of my life and even that which lurks in the deepest, darkest regions of my heart. As a matter of fact, I have found that often times God will bring me to the point of hopeless despair over my own sin, which in turn works to highlight the reality that He is my one and only hope. His light shines brightest in the darkest moments, and this is true even in the struggle against our own sinful nature. However, I have also found that He also requires us to continue to do our part in the strive for holiness. This would include continual self-examination, humility, and repentance. Yet, though the battle may be fierce, we know that ”in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us,” (Romans 8:37). So, along with Paul, though we know the depths of our own depravity and wretchedness, we can still exclaim, “thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
I am the opposite of complacency, I am not happy about my progress but I don’t believe I will give up. Although, I think Brian’s perspective help me to not beat myself up so much when I inevitably fail again and again. I think if my faith in God’s grace is strong enough, I shouldn’t despair knowing that God will always forgive me but because of my own strive for perfection, I don’t think I will be complacent. I won’t just give up on trying to be better. In some ways, this is from years of playing video games :-). I will play and replay a scenario over and over until I get the best outcome from the game. The perfect ending is what I try to achieve and because of this obsessive tendency – which I now believe is also something the Lord built into me 🙂 – this along with my terrible memory which allow me to easily forgive all previous trespasses give me the tools to try for perfection :-). God uses all things to achieve His goals. He uses all my flaws to make me better! The Lord is great!