{"id":225492,"date":"2024-06-18T08:33:54","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T15:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/?p=225492"},"modified":"2024-06-18T08:33:56","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T15:33:56","slug":"ra12c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/ra12c","title":{"rendered":"RA12c"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why are we still struggling with sins?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

14<\/sup>For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15<\/sup>For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16<\/sup>Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17<\/sup>So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18<\/sup>For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19<\/sup>For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20<\/sup>Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21<\/sup>So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22<\/sup>For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23<\/sup>but 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. 24<\/sup>Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25<\/sup>Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.<\/p>\nRomans 7:14-25 (NIV)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For the rest of Romans 7, Paul’s words about the struggle with sin raise many questions: Is he talking about himself here? If he does, is he describing his experience before or after becoming a Christian? Some argue that a believer could not speak as Paul does, saying things like, “I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin” (Romans 7:14) and confessing to regularly doing the very things he hates (Romans 7:15, 18). Many have concluded Paul must be referring to his pre-conversion state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are compelling reasons to believe Paul is actually sharing his present experience as a mature Christian. First, there is a shift in verb tenses from past (Romans 7:7-13) to present (Romans 7:14 onwards), suggesting he’s now describing his current reality. Second, while Romans 7:7-13 speaks of sin “killing” him, the following verses portray an ongoing struggle, indicating spiritual life. Third, Paul delights in God’s law in his inner being (Romans 7:22), something impossible for a non-Christian (Romans 8:7). Finally, even at the end of his life, he progressively and humbly acknowledges his sinfulness (1 Timothy 1:12-16), a depth of self-awareness uncommon among unbelievers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul’s main point is clear: though we still struggle with sin, in Christ we are no longer under its dominion. The battle may be fierce, but victory is assured. This is the reality of the Christian life – an ongoing conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. As believers, we are no longer enslaved to sin, but we still feel its pull. This inner struggle is a mark of our new life in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet in the midst of this battle, we are not hopeless. Paul’s anguished cry, “Who will deliver me?” is answered with a shout of victory: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v.24-25). We fight from victory, not for victory. Christ has already conquered sin on our behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this confidence should not lead us to “sinless perfectionism.” If even Paul struggled with sin, we would be foolish to think we will reach a point of no conflict in this life. The Christian journey is a continual fight of faith, a daily dying to sin and rising to righteousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when we face temptation and wrestle with sin, we need not be dismayed. This is the normal experience of every believer. But in the thick of the fight, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our great Deliverer. In Him, we have the assurance of ultimate victory. Thanks be to God through Christ our Lord!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul’s struggle with sin was a mark of his new life in Christ, not a sign of spiritual defeat. How does this truth encourage you in your own journey of faith? What would it look like to embrace the fight, rather than being discouraged by it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[This material for Romans 7:7-25 was drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You<\/a>“]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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