Romans 7:7-25
Struggling With Sin
7What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." 8But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
11For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. 13Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now 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.
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
John 14:15-31
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25"All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
"Come now; let us leave.
Man is flawed...Sin is at work in us everyday...Man is wretched...But we can thank God that He sent Jesus Christ our LORD, to save us from our sinful nature...
God sent His Son, who would be called Immanuel, which means God with us (Matthew 1:23)...Jesus tells us that if we love Him, He would send the Spirit of Truth to us...The world cannot accept the Spirit of Truth, because it neither sees Him, or knows Him...But believers will know Him, and He will be with us and in us...Our Great Teacher had to leave earth, but because He lived, we also can live...Whoever has Jesus' commands and obeys them, will be the ones who love Him... The men who love Jesus will be loved His Father, and He too will love us, and show Himself to us through the Holy Spirit...Those who love Him, will obey His teachings and His Father will love that believer...Those who do not believe in Him, will not obey His teachings...God will love those who follow Jesus and He will make His home in us by the Holy Spirit...Jesus is telling us always does the will of the Father...The words that Jesus spoke were and are of His Father... When Jesus left, He would send the Holy Spirit to us and to His disciples, and they would remember everything that He had said, so they could teach others about His commands, pass them on, and write about them...This is one of the reasons Jesus had to leave...I sometimes wish that Jesus was on earth with me...But if I really loved Him, I would want Him to be with His Father, because His Father is divine, and even greater than the Son...The Father is beautiful in everything...He is infinitely wise, alive, One who loves infinitely, and He is infinitely just...He is everything in beauty...Jesus would leave the earth physically, and return to His Father, and we should remember that He did everything that His Father had commanded Him to do...
Man knows he should be good...Man knows he ought to be good...And man tries to be good, especially are great saints, such as St. Paul...And even though he tried very hard, he just did not quite make it...He knew we are flawed...He knew that sin is our culprit, it takes us away from God...Sin moves us further from Him...We are more out of touch with Him, the more we sin...
This "should be" this "ought to", this "tries to" is the Holy Spirit...That man knows he should be good, ought to be good, and tries to be good comes from Jesus and His sending the Holy Spirit...With sin in man, and the Holy Spirit in us, we are divided and struggle with this...Sin makes us worse, while the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent in His Son's name, is trying to make us better...Jesus is with us, trying to make us better...
Jesus teaches us about the three aspects of God...Anyone, who has seen Him has seen the Father...Jesus and the Father are One...God sends us the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Son...The Father and Son are distinct...The Son came to bring glory to the Father (John 14:13)...He distinctly came from the Father into this world to bring glory to God, the Father...Then the Son had to return back to the Father, from which He came (John 14:28)...The Holy Spirit is sent by God in Jesus' name and will be in us (John 14:17)...The Father and Son will make Their home in us, if we love Jesus and obey His commands (John 14:23)...
Our Father sent His Son to us and for us sinners...God also sent the Holy Spirit, and God and Jesus are living in us...When we sin, it is because we are insane and divided...Our sins, since we have the Father and Son in us, we are sinning against Them...Man is wretched...Thanks be to the LORD that we have Jesus...He is our hope...He is our Savior...