Romans 7:14-20 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Conflict of Two Natures
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold [a]into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
“Perhaps God brings us to the end of our resources so we can discover the vastness of His.”
Have you ever felt this way?
“At the end of your resources?”
Have you ever seen or watched a zealous, eager young Christian or older Christian desperately trying to do something for God and ending up after a while so completely discouraged and defeated that they just want to quit?
In fact, they probably do and are on the very brink of making that decision.
But that is a very hopeful stage.
Jesus said that those who are poor in spirit and have come to the end of their own resources are blessed (Matthew 5:3).
Why? That is the time when God can give you something.
When you have come to the end of your own resources, then he can give you his.
That is why the Old Covenant is,
“Nothing coming from God, everything coming from me,
while the New Covenant is, E
verything coming from God, nothing coming from me.”
You only have to look at yourself in the mirror for a relatively short period of time to see how much of your life is lived, invested into that Old Covenant.
You expect success by virtue of something resident in you: your ancestry, your training, your personality, character, your good looks or something like that.
This attitude produces the kind of person that reckons upon his own resources: that is they’ll keep repeating to self that “I’ve got what it takes, I can do that.”
Now they may be very modest in their language.
We learn all kinds of little subtle tricks to hide this kind of egoism.
We say, I have never really had any special training for that, but I have had some experience in it, and I will do my best.
Thus we are subtly saying to people, I have got what it takes.
Or we look at the demands, the specific problem, the situation we are asked to enter into or perform, and we say,
“I don’t have what it takes. I can’t do that. Don’t ask me to do a thing like that. I am just one of those select people that was behind the door when the gifts were passed out, and I just can’t do anything like that. I am not confident enough.”
But who are you looking at when you say something like that?
You are only looking at Yourself!
You are reckoning on your steadfast belief in your own un-resources
but your eye is fixed on the same person, yourself.
So both responses are wrong.
One view focuses on our power, our abilities, our willingness, our experience, our over drive to succeed, while the other view focuses on our un-resources, our inabilities, our inexperience — but both fix the focus only upon ourselves.
Why can we not just Overcome Ourselves?
In his letter to the Roman church, the apostle Paul wrote,
“for what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate… For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.” (Romans 7:15, Romans 7:19-20)
Sound familiar?
Like Paul, many Christians find themselves in a similar spiritual battle.
We want to do what is right but struggle to overcome our rebellious, sinful nature.
We fail, we falter, we do the very things we hate and know are wrong, and when we mess up, we can often grow weary, so disheartened and even overwhelmed.
We ask ourselves:
Why is following in the footsteps of Jesus so hard?
Why do we do the things we know are wrong?
Why do we continue to sin when we’re supposed to be redeemed, new creations in Christ Jesus?
Paul attempted to address these many questions, describing the battle between sin and righteousness, the all-important, life-changing power of God’s grace.
What Does ‘What I Want to Do I Do Not Do, but What I Hate I Do’ Mean?
Amazingly, even a Christian as mature as Paul understood that just because we love the Lord and delight in His ways (Isaiah 58:2), it does not mean that we are perfect or will always obey Him.
Paul went so far as to call himself the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) and a “wretched man” (Romans 7:24), recognizing though God’s way is spiritual, he was not (Romans 7:14).
Even redeemed, Christians make mistakes because we are at constant war with our old, sinful nature, which is continuously fighting to reclaim its true place of influence in our lives.
When we sin, our sinful intrudes again into our nature and climbs back into the driver’s seat, dumping us straight into the backseat, steering us away from God.
This is why Paul wrote,
“if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.” (Romans 7:16-17)
And how do we know we have sinned and are being steered away from God?
God’s word, the Bible, which Paul refers to as the law of God (Romans 7:22).
The law of God is what exposes sin and shows us where we have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Unfortunately, when we examine our lives by this law, we see just how warped, cracked, and imperfect we still are (Romans 3:23).
And next to the law, no one is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:9-11).
This is why, in Romans 7, Paul places such prominence on the doctrine of grace.
Under grace, Paul argued, believers are free from the law’s condemnation.
This doesn’t mean that the law is useless or obsolete, or that Christians have the freedom to keep sinning and doing whatever they want (Galatians 5:13).
As Matthew Henry writes in his commentary,
“the law may discover sin, and convince of sin, but it cannot conquer and subdue sin.” Forgiveness, redemption, and the power to actually overcome sin in one’s life can only come through the power and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, which is freely offered to those who come to Christ through faith (Hebrews 9:14).
As a man who desired holiness, Paul hated his many sins because he longed to be more like Christ.
His sin was a reminder that no amount of spiritual knowledge, willpower, or hard work can save a person.
Only God can transform and redeem a stubborn, rebellious heart, and only Christ can conquer sin in one’s life.
“Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Paul asked, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)
Saved once and for all (Hebrews 10:10), we are each being transformed into the perfect, holy image of Christ over time.
How Can I Apply Romans 7:15 Today?
As Christians, our old, sinful nature likes to rear its ugly head and drag us down, hold us back, or keep us from the righteousness of God.
We will sin, make mistakes, fall down, sink, turn back, and otherwise surrender to our sinful nature because we are still works in progress (Ephesians 2:8-10), being changed, and transformed, and fashioned into the likeness of Jesus Christ each and every day (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Like Paul, we will often hate the things we do and regret the mistakes we make because we long to live lives that are holy and pleasing to God.
This longing reveals that the word of the God and Holy Spirit are alive and active, steering us towards God.
The beauty of God’s and grace, however, is that we are no longer judged or condemned for each and every sin or shortcoming.
We are no longer slaves to sin but new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).
And though our salvation comes through Christ’s death and resurrection, the process of becoming more like Him, is ongoing.
So just remember, on your worst day, God’s grace is sufficient for you.
Your greatest victory has already been won.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 New American Standard Bible 1995
Purpose of the Preacher
9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.
11 The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like [a]well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the [b]writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.
13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
Today, and every moment of everyday, give yourself grace, take it easy, God is always at work in your life, slowly but purposefully making you more like Him.
So be kind to self, patient in His perfect process, and trust in His perfect timing.
His best for you is done, being done, and is still to come.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 13 New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
– The Serenity Prayer, by Reinhold Neibuhr
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 