These next several articles are long. They come from a series of things I wrote to a frustrated brother who sought help in an email relationship with me. He does not attend Calvary Chapel, yet his struggle is mirrored in the lives of so many who know the Lord, and yet who fight with sin in their lives. This fight will last all our days - but for many of us it gets very intense when we have an area of our lives where sin just seems to dominate us. Our struggle parallels that of Paul - but for those who want to move on to victory, we need to make the trek from identifying with Romans 7 to experiencing Romans 8. That is what these articles try to do. It is my hope that they are helpful to all those who wrestle with sin in an honest effort to be conformed to our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:14-25
Now, as to the remedy for what you are facing. You might want to seek that out by reading what comes after Paul's statement about his struggle/battle with sin. He sees here that this has to come, "through Jesus Christ our Lord!" But there is more to this - but it is in chapter 8 of Romans.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, " Abba! Father!" Romans 8:1-15
There is so much here in chapter 8 . . . let me take the next couple of days and break it down into small, daily, bite-size pieces for you. Hope this helps!
Lesson #1 - It's the Spirit Who sets you free - Who grants you power to overcome.
Note that Paul says that it is the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" that sets us free from the law of sin and death. The "law of sin and death" is the old way (never did work) of making and keeping rules. You have rules about sexual sin - rules about what you look at - rules about the computer - rules about self-gratification - rules, rules, rules. The problem is that the Law never set any man free from sin. In fact, Paul tells us earlier in Romans that the Law was given to show us we could never keep the Law - due to sin in our hearts. Soooo . . . we also won't be set free by just "obeying laws and rules." What we need is a different power than ourselves. Our flesh will not submit to God's Law - EVER!
So Paul lets us know that we no longer live by the "law of sin and death." We live by a new law - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We live by a different "life" than the one we used to have. Thanks be to God - He gave us life in Jesus Christ. The life He gave us? Christ's own life - which can overcome sin every time! What we need to develop is a willingness to run to God and to His Spirit in our battles. You may be able to stop a thought initially - even make it go away temporarily - but you cannot put it to death. It WILL come back later and bug you, annoy you, and torture your thinking until you give way to it. Ever try to get a song out of your head - or stop thinking about something by TRYING to stop thinking about it. Yeah - doesn't work does it. Neither does fighting sin by trying to stop sinning and thinking about the temptation to sin. What we need is MORE POWER! We need a different kind of life.
The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus - is that we turn to Him, to His power, to His life, to think about Him. This is so different - because our thoughts are no longer about the sin - but about Christ Himself. The Scriptures say this about this battle, "But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed into that same image, from glory to glory - even as unto the image of the Lord." What you look at is truly what you will become. We are no longer looking at sin - but now, by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus - we are looking at Him - at Jesus - and we are being changed into His glory, by His glory, for His glory!
Let me ask you a kind of dumb question. How many times did Jesus lose a battle with sin - hmmmm - NEVER! So as we turn to Him and His life - we look to that life in us as the power to overcome. Suddenly it is no longer just us trying to stop sinning - it is the power of the Spirit working in us doing this. That is why later Paul says this, "but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." How are we putting to death the deeds of our body? BY THE SPIRIT!
Here is a little homework for tonight. Take some time to pray - talking to God - and honestly - apologizing to the Holy Spirit (Who by the way IS God - third person of the Trinity). Apologize and confess as sin your actions (sin) that have been for grieving Him. Apologize for putting out His fire with your sin - and trying to do His work in your strength. Once you've confessed your sin - ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power - so that by His power (rather than yours) you can fight sin. By the way, when you think of the filling of the Holy Spirit - don't think of it as something filling you up. The Holy Spirit is a person - not a thing. Consider His filling - He fills you with His influence and a filling up your life with fellowship! We speak of spending time with someone - and say at times, "My whole day was filled with time spent with my friend, wife, kids, etc." We are filled with their presence - with what they say - with great memories - with wisdom as they talk to us - with love as they selflessly give themselves to serve and bless us. It is the same way as we are being "filled with the Holy Spirit." Be filled with His presence - with what He says - with great memories of time spent talking with Him and being taught by Him - with wisdom as He teaches you the Word - with love as He selflessly gives you the things of God and serves you and blesses you. DUDE - SPEND AN HOUR - A WHOLE DAY - A WHOLE WEEKEND TURNING TO HIM AND GETTING FILLED UP WITH ALL HE WANTS TO DO AND SAY TO YOU!
This is just step one - we will look at more over the next couple of weeks. For today - get better acquainted with the Spirit - and do some serious damage control in your relationship with Him. Oh, how He wants to grant you power to fight sin - but in order to do that - you've got to stop thinking you can fight it on your own.
Here is one other thing to do . . . next time you have a temptation to sin - turn to God the Holy Spirit - and fight it WITH HIM! Ask Him for power to fight - ask Him to teach you what to do - ask Him for the tools to PUT SIN TO DEATH - not just make it go away for a while - or until morning. This will transform your battles with sin - from something you do to something He does within you. This will make the battle more than just "not thinking or doing sin" to "turning to Him, seeing Him, knowing Him, and in the end being transformed to be just like Him by His power and might that powerfully works within you.
For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:14-25
Now, as to the remedy for what you are facing. You might want to seek that out by reading what comes after Paul's statement about his struggle/battle with sin. He sees here that this has to come, "through Jesus Christ our Lord!" But there is more to this - but it is in chapter 8 of Romans.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, " Abba! Father!" Romans 8:1-15
There is so much here in chapter 8 . . . let me take the next couple of days and break it down into small, daily, bite-size pieces for you. Hope this helps!
Lesson #1 - It's the Spirit Who sets you free - Who grants you power to overcome.
Note that Paul says that it is the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" that sets us free from the law of sin and death. The "law of sin and death" is the old way (never did work) of making and keeping rules. You have rules about sexual sin - rules about what you look at - rules about the computer - rules about self-gratification - rules, rules, rules. The problem is that the Law never set any man free from sin. In fact, Paul tells us earlier in Romans that the Law was given to show us we could never keep the Law - due to sin in our hearts. Soooo . . . we also won't be set free by just "obeying laws and rules." What we need is a different power than ourselves. Our flesh will not submit to God's Law - EVER!
So Paul lets us know that we no longer live by the "law of sin and death." We live by a new law - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We live by a different "life" than the one we used to have. Thanks be to God - He gave us life in Jesus Christ. The life He gave us? Christ's own life - which can overcome sin every time! What we need to develop is a willingness to run to God and to His Spirit in our battles. You may be able to stop a thought initially - even make it go away temporarily - but you cannot put it to death. It WILL come back later and bug you, annoy you, and torture your thinking until you give way to it. Ever try to get a song out of your head - or stop thinking about something by TRYING to stop thinking about it. Yeah - doesn't work does it. Neither does fighting sin by trying to stop sinning and thinking about the temptation to sin. What we need is MORE POWER! We need a different kind of life.
The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus - is that we turn to Him, to His power, to His life, to think about Him. This is so different - because our thoughts are no longer about the sin - but about Christ Himself. The Scriptures say this about this battle, "But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed into that same image, from glory to glory - even as unto the image of the Lord." What you look at is truly what you will become. We are no longer looking at sin - but now, by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus - we are looking at Him - at Jesus - and we are being changed into His glory, by His glory, for His glory!
Let me ask you a kind of dumb question. How many times did Jesus lose a battle with sin - hmmmm - NEVER! So as we turn to Him and His life - we look to that life in us as the power to overcome. Suddenly it is no longer just us trying to stop sinning - it is the power of the Spirit working in us doing this. That is why later Paul says this, "but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." How are we putting to death the deeds of our body? BY THE SPIRIT!
Here is a little homework for tonight. Take some time to pray - talking to God - and honestly - apologizing to the Holy Spirit (Who by the way IS God - third person of the Trinity). Apologize and confess as sin your actions (sin) that have been for grieving Him. Apologize for putting out His fire with your sin - and trying to do His work in your strength. Once you've confessed your sin - ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power - so that by His power (rather than yours) you can fight sin. By the way, when you think of the filling of the Holy Spirit - don't think of it as something filling you up. The Holy Spirit is a person - not a thing. Consider His filling - He fills you with His influence and a filling up your life with fellowship! We speak of spending time with someone - and say at times, "My whole day was filled with time spent with my friend, wife, kids, etc." We are filled with their presence - with what they say - with great memories - with wisdom as they talk to us - with love as they selflessly give themselves to serve and bless us. It is the same way as we are being "filled with the Holy Spirit." Be filled with His presence - with what He says - with great memories of time spent talking with Him and being taught by Him - with wisdom as He teaches you the Word - with love as He selflessly gives you the things of God and serves you and blesses you. DUDE - SPEND AN HOUR - A WHOLE DAY - A WHOLE WEEKEND TURNING TO HIM AND GETTING FILLED UP WITH ALL HE WANTS TO DO AND SAY TO YOU!
This is just step one - we will look at more over the next couple of weeks. For today - get better acquainted with the Spirit - and do some serious damage control in your relationship with Him. Oh, how He wants to grant you power to fight sin - but in order to do that - you've got to stop thinking you can fight it on your own.
Here is one other thing to do . . . next time you have a temptation to sin - turn to God the Holy Spirit - and fight it WITH HIM! Ask Him for power to fight - ask Him to teach you what to do - ask Him for the tools to PUT SIN TO DEATH - not just make it go away for a while - or until morning. This will transform your battles with sin - from something you do to something He does within you. This will make the battle more than just "not thinking or doing sin" to "turning to Him, seeing Him, knowing Him, and in the end being transformed to be just like Him by His power and might that powerfully works within you.
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