Romans 7-14-25
Struggling with Sin
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Paul tells us that the Law itself is good...However, he acknowledges his own internal struggles with sin, which prevents him from perfectly following the Law...He expresses a desire to do what is right but finds himself doing just the opposite...So we can learn from St. Paul that man has this internal conflict and sinning is a big problem for us...Paul acknowledges the presence of sin within himself, something separate from his true self...He truly wants to follow God as close as he can...And because he can't, he is frustrated...He expresses frustration at this internal conflict, wanting to do good but being unable to perfectly good and follow the LORD...But there is hope through Jesus...Paul recognizes the power of sin within himself and yearns for a freedom from its grasp...He cries out in despair, longing to be free from the domination of sin...
Paul has discovered a solution to sinning...The passage concludes with a shift in tone...Paul finds hope in Jesus Christ as the answer to his struggles with sinning...This passage is significant because it speaks to the universal human experience of wrestling with temptation and imperfection of man...It highlights the concept of original sin in Christianity and the need for God's grace through Jesus Christ for true freedom from sin's dominion...We need help and have help and hope with our Savior, Jesus Christ...We need Jesus...So the answer is in Jesus Christ our LORD...So we see how it is...In our mind we really want to obey God’s law, but because of our sinful nature I am a slave to sin and need a Savior in Christ the LORD...
Paul David Tripp is a pastor, an award-winning author, and an international conference speaker...He says these things about God and man's fallen nature to sin...“The Bible says that our core problem, the fundamental reason we do what we do, is sin.”...“Only love for Christ has the power to incapacitate the sturdy love for self that is the bane of every sinner, and only the Grace of Christ has the power to produce that love.”...“Harboring bitterness against people is actually confessing their sin to myself, over and over again...Anger is akin to confessing their sin to God, dissatisfied that He hasn't done something and placing myself in His position as judge.”...“People struggling with life in a fallen world often want explanations when what they really need is imagination.”...“Don’t fear your weaknesses—God supplies all the strength you need...Be afraid of those moments when you think you’re independently strong.”...“We rarely do anything with on single motive.”...“No one celebrates the presence and grace of the LORD Jesus Christ more than the person who has embraced his desperate and daily need of it.”...“It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for ourselves...It really is a good thing that He will not be satisfied until He has gotten us exactly where He created us and re-created us to be...Most of us would have been satisfied to stay at home, and many of us would have quit the journey long before it was completed...But our heavenly Father won't give up until each one of His children has completed the journey.”...