Week 28 - Free Weekend Program for street & vulnerable Children

Text : Romans 7 : 14-21

Theme : The Believer’s Struggle.

Continuing from Romans 7 :13 where we stopped last week, we saw that the law serves the purpose of revealing sin, thereby helping us to see the need for Christ. Everyone whose eyes have been enlightened, opened by the grace of God, can look at the law as a reflection - a mirror and see their hopelessness apart from Christ.

Verse 14. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin:

We know from scripture that the law is spiritual and can never be the cause of sin or death. The law is spiritual because it came from the Spirit of God and goes to the spirit of man, the law is not man-made, it goes beyond the superficial - the outside surface. Proverbs 20:9 says “Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?

Our corrupt nature came from Adam, just like our DNA, which is our blood, it came from our parents, Adam became corrupt due to sin and it was passed on to us all Romans 5:12. We were “sold under sin.” But through Christ, God gave us the free gift of grace (unmerited favor), a new nature, a new heart, forgiveness of sin and everlasting righteousness.

Christ became the SACRIFICE for our sin and successfully reconciled us to God. He died to take away our sin and it’s pending judgement and rose for our justification, we are fully justified before God because sin has been paid for, 2 Cor. 5:21.

Our old nature was indeed corrupt, inherently sinful but through Christ, we have a new life, a new heart, a new desire that want to love God and please Him. But there is war going on inside us, a big struggle.

let’s read verse 15-17.

15. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

16. 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.

I want to obey God, the desire to do it is in my heart, I want to please God, I want to bring forth fruit unto God, but instead of doing this, I find myself doing the things i hate. Our desire is good, but we can’t overcome temptation, conquer sin or achieve good by relying on ourselves now that we have a new life in Christ. Help must come from outside, beyond all we can do, who is the Holy Spirit. If we find ourselves unable to fulfil our desires and instead engage in actions that we hate and detest, it serves as evidence that the law is right and just; we agree that the law is good in exposing our sinfulness, so we can seek help.

To illustrate this, let’s consider an example: Suppose there is a person who struggles with anger. They desire to control their temper and respond to situations calmly and peacefully. However, despite their best intentions, they often find themselves succumbing to anger and reacting in ways that they dislike, such as yelling or becoming physically aggressive. In this scenario, the person’s inability to achieve their desired fruit - behavior demonstrates that the law is true, accurate.

The law of love, in this case, would include self-control, patience, and treating others with kindness. The person’s repeated failure to abide by these behaviours reveals the power of sin and the weakness of human nature. In this way, our inability to accomplish our wishes and instead engage in behavior that we abhor serves as proof of the law’s accuracy In identifying the presence of sin within us.

Paul explains that when he engages in bad behaviors, it is not a manifestation, a prove of his new nature, his new being, but rather the result of the indwelling sin - old nature that exerts its influence. Although his new nature yearns to act righteously, bear fruit to God, but sin in his old nature leads him astray. We must distinguish between our new nature - new heart and our old sinful nature.

Our spirit has been renewed in Christ, yet our soul with its faculties or parts (reasoning, emotions, and intellect) are still subject to the dominion of our unredeemed body. See Galatians 5:17” The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.

These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so we are not free to carry out our good intentions.” But God had promised to redeem our body, to give us a new body in the future, which will end this battle. It may come through death or through rapture 1Cor. 15:54; why we wait, the struggle continues. Remember that a wicked men, a sinners doesn’t have these struggles, he carries out his evil wishes, dismissing God’s laws as nothing, inconsequential, condemning it where ever it condemns him. Romans 1.

Let’s go further to Verse 18. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

There’s nothing good inside of us, inside our old nature, when we want to do something good, we can't always make it happen, William Newell wrote “ I can will, but I cannot do’. We need help from the Holy Spirit to do good things, bear fruit just like we need Jesus to make us right with God; we can’t pay the penalty for our own sin, it will take eternity in hell fire to fulfill that; but Christ has paid our debt, thank God!

God is teaching us to put no confidence in the flesh, in our old nature, but in Christ who is able to help us fulfill our good intentions, which is to bear fruit to God.

Don’t let anyone fool or deceive you with self will, “if you decide, if you make up your mind, if you come to this alter, if you say this prayer with me etc” it will weary your soul, instead go to God, He will work in you both to WILL and to DO, He has the power not only to give you good intentions but to help you fulfill them.

Verse 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.

As Christians, we still struggle with the sinful desires inside of us, and we are not able to overcome them on our own. We need God's grace to help us defeat our old nature. This is true for all Christians, no matter the circumstances. It describes our current situation, so we must learn to trust in God's help.

Verse 20 & 21 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. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

This is a challenging truth, it is not our new nature causing this struggle, but rather the old nature of sin within us. Our old nature is the life we had before we came to faith in Christ and became his bride.

This old nature is characterised by sin and disobedience to God’s commands. For example, a person may have lied, cheated in exam, or enslaved, used and hurt others in the past. He didn’t know better, he was a slave of sin, under sin dominion, However, when this person becomes a Christian - died to the law and got married to Christ he receives a new nature from God. This new nature is filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He now has a desire to follow God’s teachings and live a life that pleases Him.

For example, let’s say there is a woman named Miss Adaeze who used to be selfish and only cared about her own needs, after becoming a Christian, she experiences a change in her heart She starts to genuinely care for others, putting their needs before her own. She helps her neighbors with food stuff, volunteers at the free weekend program, and shows kindness to everyone she meets. The change will surprise many who knew her old behaviour, they will see something new, a new person and praise God.

In summary, our old nature as Christians represents our life before knowing Christ, characterized by sin. The new nature reflects the transformation that occurs when we become Christians, leading to a life filled with love, kindness, and obedience to God’s commands. These two natures are still in us and we are responsible for the actions of the old nature, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can rebel against, disobey the old nature and live to obey the new nature, however, both are always at war within us.

Apostle paul learnt this by experience and the Holy Spirit is teaching us through His writing. some of us are still experiencing it? we must acknowledge that despite finding God's deliverance by being dead to the law, also dead to sin, the presence of evil still persists, the old nature is still alive. Many lives have been harmed by denying this reality. Evil - the old nature will remain until the Lord redeems our bodies, giving us a new body.

Finally, there is sweet victory over sin, over our old nature if we look to Christ for help. Let’s learn to do this daily. Ask God to help you through these struggles and don’t relent, keep asking and trusting Him and you will prevail continually, bearing fruit unto God for the glory of His name. John 15:8.