Romans 7:14-25
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
True believers have a new identity in Jesus Christ. They died with Him and are raised with Him. They have died to sin and the Law and have been raised to walk in newness of life through the indwelling Holy Spirit that He has given. As a result, believers have been set free from sin’s rule and power in their lives. They now serve a new Master, Jesus Christ, instead of sin.
Since these things are true, the question inevitably comes from any Christian who takes an honest look at their life since coming to faith in Christ, “Why do I still sin?” Why does a believer still struggle with sin when they have been set free from its rule in their lives? It is this great ongoing battle that the Apostle Paul speaks to in his own life (and the life of all believers) in Romans 7:14-25.
There is dispute among commentators as to whether Romans 7:14-25 is addressing a believer battling sin or a lost person striving to be righteous without Christ. However, a lost person would not say, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man” (Romans 7:22) because that is evidence of the changed heart of someone who is born again. Paul also shifts from speaking in the past tense in verses 7-13 to the present tense in 14-25. This means he was speaking in the first century of his present experience as a believer, not his past life. In this passage he speaks to the real struggle that all Christians face. In this battle, there are three things he speaks to that you and I must recognize.
First, we must recognize the sinfulness, or weakness, of the flesh. In verses 14-20, Paul addresses the reality that while we desire to do good there is still evil present. We want to do right, but something in us also pulls us to do wrong. He calls that something that pulls us to do wrong “the flesh.” The flesh describes our fallen, Adamic nature. It is the sin nature that you and I inherit from Adam. We are born sinners. We do not become sinners. This is why we do not need to learn to do wrong. We figure that out all on our own. We are natural rebels. The flesh describes that part of us that does not cease to exist when we get saved. Paul says that as “carnal, sold under sin.” We cannot see ourselves as two people, however, but instead must recognize two “pulls” in our lives. There is a sinful pull of the flesh to do evil that comes from a fallen body of sin and there is righteous pull of the Holy Spirit and our new inner man that leads us to obey Christ. We have to recognize the flesh for what it is as Paul did. He said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.”
Second, we must recognize the influence of the Holy Spirit. When we place our faith in Christ, we are indwelt at that very moment by the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit is permanently with us to lead us and guide us into the truth (John 14:26; 15:26) and He makes us new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5). Paul called this new born again nature the inward man (Ephesians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 4:16). As a lost person, we are ruled by and subjected to the flesh. As a believer, we have been born again and made new creatures. Now we have an influence to lead us to righteousness and so we can now choose not to serve sin and the flesh.
Third, he tells us we must recognize the power of the Lord. When we face this struggle ,as Paul did, we must come to the same conclusion he did. Believe it or not, our response unto salvation is not much different than our continual response in following Christ after salvation. It is to throw our hands up and say “Lord, I cannot do this. You must.” Paul had already stated that in him dwelled “no good thing.” When we live the Christians life in our strength and battle sin in our own power, we are left defeated. The only response is to say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The answer to the struggle is Jesus. It is in His strength that we will walk in victory over sin. It is in His strength, not ours, that you and I follow Him. He told His disciples something we would all do well to take to heart, “for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Are you defeated? Are beaten down in your battle against sin and the flesh? The good news today is that it is not all up to you. The answer is to surrender to Jesus. He is the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). He is the beginning and the end of our Christian life. Today, if you realize your need for salvation, call out to Him. Today, if you realize your inability to do what He asks of you, trust in Him. His grace is always sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).