Romans 7:7-25
Paul's Struggles with Sin
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Theologian R. C. Sproul wrote, “We want to be saved from our misery, but not from our sin...We want to sin without misery, just as the prodigal son wanted inheritance without the father...The foremost spiritual law of the physical universe is that this hope can never be realized...Sin always accompanies misery...There is no victimless crime, and all creation is subject to decay because of humanity’s rebellion from God.”...
Since God created us and made us in His Image and Likeness, we cannot have sin without misery...The mind will not allow us to sin without some guilt attached to the sin, either consciously or subconsciously...We see this happen in man's first sin in the Garden...Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, that He told the two not to eat...Adam followed Eve's disobedience with his own, by also eating the forbidden fruit...When God came to see Adam and Eve they could not give Him answers about their sin in a fluid way...As we read about their disobedience we learn about sin...The eyes of both of them were opened after they sinned, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves...Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as He was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the Garden...But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”...He answered, “I heard You in the Garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”...And God said, “Who told you that you were naked?...Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”...The man said, “The woman You put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”...We see Adam's guilt and misery here blaming his wife...Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”...The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”...And Eve now blames the evil one for her decision and choice...We learn that sin causes misery and breaks our harmony and hurts our relationship with God...
Since God created us to have a relationship with Him and to make morally right choices, when we sin -we struggle to live in a harmonious relationship with Him and our disobedience against Him causes us this misery...Our sins also can affect other people...This misery in sin continues today...We still make choices like Adam and Eve made...
St. Paul saw this two thousand years age...He found this to be true in his life...He always wanted and tried to do good but something was amiss...Although he wanted to do good, evil was right there with him...For in his inner being and love for God, he saw something else at work in him...It was a waging war against the thoughts in his mind and making him a prisoner of the law of sin at work within himself...What a wretched man, he said he was...Who could rescue him from this body that is subject to death?...Thanks be to God, who delivers us through Jesus Christ our LORD and saves us from our sins!...By our faith in Jesus, He has forgiven us of our sins and offers eternal life for those who believe in Him...The LORD's forgiveness continues today...Thank you Father, for sending Your Son...