Romans 7 - What Does True Freedom Look Like???

Romans 7 - NIV

Enduring Word Commnetary

 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.[c] 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!

Paul has been doing a lot of teaching of doctrine, but now he shares personally his own struggle with sin. In chapter 6, Paul taught that we should not use God's grace as an excuse for sinning, but that we need to die to sin and live for Christ. We need to crucify our sinful nature and all of its desires. This is what Jesus meant when he said to, "Take up your cross and follow me." To take up your cross is to put to death all that belongs to our old way of life, where we were the master of our lives. But as a believer we need to surrender to the cross shaped way of life. Dying to self and being raised to new life each day is the rhythm for the disciple of Christ.  

Today, Paul describes his own struggle with sin, which we can all identify with. He says that even though he knows what us the right thing to do, he does the very opposite. Can you relate?  He is describing the spiritual battle we all go throiugh. Paul says in Ephesians 6, "Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of this present darkness." 

But we can blame of our sin on the devil, but we also still live in a body with its mortal desires. Sometimes we sin because we .... WANT TO!  Paul says in verse 24, "Who can save me from this body of death." 

Martin Luther called this condition as we are in as, "being simulaneously saints and sinners!"On the one hand as a believer, we have the Holy Spirit, who has set us apart as sons and daughters of God. This is why we can be called saints, because the Spirit has taken residence in our bodies. But until Jesus calls us home, we will still struggle with our propensity with slavery to self. This natural bent we were born might be summarized as, "It's my life and I will do what I want!"

As I like to say, "We don't have to sin!" We can live the life we've always wanted, as we surrender whole selves to God, body, mind, and soul. But importantly Paul ends with the Good News!

"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Verse 25

Do you identity with Paul's struggle with his sinful nature? Do you do the things you don't want to do rather than the things you want to do? 

Sometimes we rely too much own power and strength to live the Christ-like life. We have to remember that Jesus lives in us, and wants to live his life in and through us. As Paul says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Paul summarizes all of this quite nicely in Galatians 5:1, 

It is for freedom that Christ Jesus set us free, therefore do not let your self be burdened again with the yoke of slavery! -

Jesus, help us to abide in you as we fight and win the battle with our sinful nature. Send Your Holy Spirit so that we can show the world what true freedom looks like! Amen.   


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