ROM 7:14We 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.
There is a total contrast between "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" and "the law of sin and death." It is as far as east is from west or light from darkness. We cannot serve both. We cannot travel east and west at the same time. We cannot serve God and mammon. We cannot represent the character of God and Satan at the same time. But there’s the rub.....we are so used to being the way we were. Let me show you something...Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
The passage shows how difficult it is for anyone to liberate himself from the innate tendency to sin. There’s this story....A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, once asked a turtle to carry him across a river on his back. "Are you mad?" exclaimed the turtle. You’ll sting me while I’m swimming and I’ll drown." The scorpion laughed as he replied, "My dear turtle, if I were to sting you, you would drown and I would go down with you. Now, what would be the point of that? I won’t sting you. It would mean my own death!"
The turtle thought about the logic of the scorpion’s argument for a moment, then said, "You’re right. Hop on!" The scorpion
climbed aboard and halfway across the river, he gave the turtle a mighty sting. As the turtle began to sink to the bottom of the river with the scorpion on its back, it moaned in dismay, "After your promise, you still stung me! Why did you do that? Now we’re both doomed!" The drowning scorpion sadly replied, "I couldn’t help it. It’s my nature to sting." [God’s Little Devotional Bible]
Now, you may not be able to change your skin color (or spots), and you may have a nature that is hard to overcome and to change, but we need to remember that ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THRU CHRIST JESUS! MARK 10:27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." That’s what we’re gonna talk about today..your IN-ability to change your life, and God’s ABILITY to transform you to His will for your life.
The problem with sin is simple.....it becomes a habit too easily. Once we develop a habit or "custom" it’s hard to break. We can talk about cigarettes. Tha’s a hard habit to break! But what I want to bring to your attention is some of those other habits you may have. You see, when we do something often enough (even sin), we begin to rationalize it and even sometimes minumize it in our lives. In other words, we can become accepting and tolerant of sin in our lives without even realizing what’s happening.
You will NOT be able to change yourself anymore than you were able to keep those New Years resolutions that you made back in Jan. How’s that going for you? In the same way, we often try to change by making resolutions to do what we know to be right with God. But change doesn’t happen overnight, and we don’t have the power to do it alone. Taking action is a good thing to do, but
if we set out to change in our own power, we will be sure to fail. Our actions will produce no lasting changes in our life. We must
begin by admitting that we are powerless to change. This is the first step toward allowing God to transform our heart and life from the inside out. If we are willing to cooperate, God can and will make permanent changes in our Life.
In our text in ROM 7, Paul cries out that he is miserable! 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? But he then comes back with the answer that is the same answer for ALL of us....25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Jesus is the ONLY way that ANY of us can change.If we are in Christ Jesus, we do walk not after the flesh, because we walk in the spirit. We no longer serve the law of sin, yet we still have the weakness of the flesh and that hankering and those habits after the things of sin.
There is a total contrast between "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" and "the law of sin and death." It is as far as east is from west or light from darkness. We cannot serve both. We cannot travel east and west at the same time. We cannot serve God and mammon. We cannot represent the character of God and Satan at the same time. So, what "law" does Paul keep talking about that is at work in his (and your) body? It is the "law" of your sinful nature, your "old" self. The only way to battle that "law" is by the law of the faith of Jesus Christ....and understanding that we are to become conformed to His precious image.
The law of the gospel must be understood as "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus," for indeed it is a law with precepts and
sanctions (or penalties for disobedience). That law of the Spirit is the actually the liberty of the saints of God. But we do not understand sin unless we understand that it is transgression of the that law. 1 JOHN 3:4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. We’ve come to Christ...now we must STOP SINNING! No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. WOW! 1 JOHN 1:8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Here’s the good news... 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
And here’s more good news...by the way, does anyone know what the word "gospel" means? Let’s skip up to ROM 8:1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. WAIT! More good news here...9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. KJV says He’ll "quicken" your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Don’t know about you, but I need more "quicken" in my mortal body....There it is! His Spirit dwelling in you...living in you...guiding you.Look at vs 12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. How do you know if you are a son of God? vs 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
I want to ask you....do others think that your spirit testifies that you are a child of God? Think about it. Or do your friends see the same old you...still gripping about everything, losing your temper, talking bad about people....still sinning? What happens to 5Those who live according to the sinful nature? I love that in vs 6 the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace We certainly can use some peace, can’t we? "Boy, Preacher. You just don’t know how hectic and chaotic my life is...something always going wrong!" Listen. if you let the Spirit control your life, you will not have all the hassles that bombard you on a daily basis. You can achieve that peace in vs 6. Here’s one more scripture I want to close with...in ROMANS, of course! ROM 8:28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Love Him, serve Him, and let His Spirit control your mind. Do you want peace? Transform into Christ. Stop living according to you old, sinful nature. You are NOT bound to it anymore!
