Romans 7:14-25

Romans 7:14-25Senior Pastor Alex KennedyAs a reminder, the law reveals the holiness of God. It shows us our sin. It condemns us, but it cannot change us. The gospel alone can do that. We need something more than the law. We need the law-fulfilling and sin-bearing substitute, Jesus Christ.
Verses 14-17 and 18-20 say virtually the same things. Paul is reiterating what he is saying because he believes it is critical to understanding. The Christian life includes real struggle with sin. We can be encouraged because the struggle itself is evidence of new life. The fight to push away sin doesn't mean that you are failing; it means you're alive. (Gal 5:17)
We must be careful not to equate struggle with failure. "If you hate your sin, you are not its slave - you are its enemy."
Verses 21-23 remind us that we all have a Civil War going on inside of us. (see also Gal 5:17 and Col 3:9-10) These two selves, the natural man and the spiritual man, are both in you working against each other.
Our struggle with sin is evidence of belonging to Christ.
In verse 24, Paul says, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Wretched in this context means "the exhaustion of hard labor". Paul is completely worn out because of his unsuccessful effort to please God under the principle of Law. It is critical for us to see his shift here from "What should I do?" to "Who will rescue me?". Our freedom begins when our self-confidence dies and we see that our victory doesn't come from self-control, but from Christ alone.
We must be careful that we do not "camp out" in Romans 7. This chapter is like a hallway that takes us somewhere. It is showing us the problem, and Romans 8 is the solution...
Our struggle with sin is not surrender to it, and ALL Christ-followers struggle. Grace from God trains us to fight and not settle. This is our struggle on the way to freedom. The struggle is not the destination. Ultimately, in Christ, we will be united with Him and the Civil War within us will be over!
Questions to Consider:

1. Give an example of "not doing what you want to do"? Why is this so challenging?
2. What helps us turn to Jesus when we mess up instead of hiding or giving up?
3. How can our family respond with grace when someone struggles or fails?
4. Who is someone you can trust to talk to when you let sin get the best of you?
5. What is one way you can depend on Jesus this week instead of only relying on yourself?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.