Read Romans 7:15-8:2
Paul knows that sometimes even when we
understand that there are some things that are not beneficial for us we still
do them. This is an old problem. People have wrestled with this one for a long
time. Horace said, ‘I pursue the things that have done me harm; I shun the
things that will do me good’ (Epistles 1.8.11). Plato said, ‘one may
acknowledge evil things to be evil, and nevertheless do them’ (Protagoras).
Ovid said ‘I see and approve the better course, but I follow the worse one’
(Metamorphoses 7.20ff). The Apostle Paul said, “For I have the desire to do
what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 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.”
What can we do when desire to the
destruction of sin is pulling upon us like a giant magnet pulling us ever so
slowly towards it? Whether we are trying
to stop lying, lusting, or smoking crack cocaine; the more we think about ways
to avoid it, the more we wind up pondering ways to imbibe it. Soon our every
thought is consumed with that sin that we are trying to flee. It is everywhere!
…and then it has us.
There is a secret weapon for seeing sin
defeated though. Now I am not saying that if you are a Christian you will never
sin but here is the path to freedom, should we choose to take it. Paul says,
Romans 7:24-8:2:
7:24 …Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25
Thanks be to God, [He] delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!…8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you
free from the law of sin and death...
The one who can deliver us from all of this
is Christ Jesus. The Spirit of God Himself will transform us. Instead of
wrestling with our sins, we can know that Jesus has defeated sin and death
between the cross and the empty tomb. Just like a long-time married couple can
often finish each others senteces and know what each other are thinking, as we
spend more and more time with Jesus, we will naturally become be more and more
like Him and as a result sin less and less. As we pray and read our Bible, as
we sing our songs, as we come to Church, as we serve God by serving others in
Jesus' Name, as we tell others about the Gospel of Salvation we will be
transformed into the very likeness of God Himself! As we focus on God and His
holiness that will be reflected in our life!
So today let us resolve to do just that
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