Christian Struggle with Indwelling Sin in Romans 7:14-25
Explore the profound conflict Christians face with indwelling sin in Romans 7:14-25, understanding the limitations of the Law in transforming hearts and the essential role of the Holy Spirit in spiritual growth.
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Presentation Transcript
The Christians Conflict with Indwelling Sin (1) Romans 7:14-25
Big Idea The Law of God can command and direct our behavior, but it cannot transform the human heart. It can neither justify the unbeliever nor sanctify the believer. The Law cannot make a bad person good and cannot make a good person (believer) better! Due to indwelling sin, believers who attempt to be transformed by the Law and self-effort will suffer defeat, and must learn to depend upon the indwelling Holy Spirit for spiritual growth.
Who is the Wretched Man of Romans 7? Is Paul here speaking about: (1) The experience of a Christian (a regenerate person)?; or (2) the experience of a non-Christian (an unregenerate person)? Is this a description of normal Christian existence? Should we expect a believer to experience the kind of intense struggle described here? Or is this struggle one from which we believers have been rescued by Jesus Christ?
View #1 Paul Describes the Unregenerate (1) Paul describes himself as fleshly, which often designates the unregenerate (7:5; 8:9). (2) Paul states that he continues to be under the power of sin (vv. 14, 23), a condition that the believer has been rescued from in justification (Romans 6:2, 6, 11, 18-22). (3) The structure of the passage indicates that vv. 7-25 are an explanation of 7:5 (life in the flesh/unregenerate) and that Romans 8:1ff explain 7:6 (life in the Spirit). (4) The struggle depicted is not simply one of conflict and defeat, but of despair. Paul continues to cry out for deliverance (v. 24).
View #2 Paul Describes the Regenerate (1) The shift from past tense verbs to present tense verbs is both deliberate and significant. Paul is describing his current experience as a believer. (2) This passage is located in a section of the letter which teaches the doctrine of sanctification. (3) Paul s personal testimony of view of himself before conversion is very different from this (Philippians 3:5-7). Before knowing Christ, Paul viewed himself as morally good. Here, Paul views himself as exceedingly sinful!
View #2 Paul Describes the Regenerate (4) This passage does not conclude on a note of victory and deliverance, but of continuing struggle (v. 25). The struggle against sin suggests that he is a believer (8:10-13). (5) Paul describes a deep hatred of sin (v. 15, 19) and a deep love for God s Law and desire to obey it (v. 21-22). This is not true of the unregenerate (8:7). (6) Paul does not cry out to Jesus for deliverance from the penalty of sin, but from the very presence of sin (7:24; 8:23). His body, not his soul, remains subject to death and the curse of sin.
The Christians Conflict with Indwelling Sin 4 Characteristics of a Christian I. A New Animosity toward Sin II. A New Appetite for Righteousness and Holiness III. A Resolve to Battle Indwelling Sin IV. An Intense Longing for Glorification
I. A New Animosity toward Sin A. Believers Freely Acknowledge their Sinful Condition B. Believers Hate Their Sin and View It as an Enemy C. Believers Engage in a Fierce Struggle with Remaining Sin
