Have you ever tried to stop doing something that you knew was wrong, but you kept falling back into that sin? I’m sure that has happened to every believer at one time or another, and for some of us, many times over. We try to stop some type of behavior, perhaps cursing or using foul language, yet there we go again, letting another nasty word tumble out of our mouth. Or maybe we have a problem with letting our anger get out of control, and try as we might, we lose patience and blow our top again. We can look at any number of actions that we do, things that we know we shouldn’t be doing, but we keep falling into, and wonder what is wrong with us as Christians. Why can’t we stop? This is a question that even the saintly Apostle Paul found himself facing. As we read our Scripture passage from his letter to the church in Rome, let’s see what he has to say.
In this segment of Scripture from Romans, Paul discusses the struggle that he, and all believers have. He describes wanting to do right at all times, yet falling short, and going back into wrong behavior and actions. Every Christian, even the most spiritual and mature, if they honestly evaluate themselves against the righteous standards of God, will realize how far short they fall. Paul describes the experience of any Christian, struggling against sin and trying to please God by righteous living without the Holy Spirit’s help.
Becoming a Christian does not stamp out all sin and temptation from a person’s life. Becoming like Christ is a lifelong process. When we become saved, the sinful nature no longer controls the whole believer, as it does an unbeliever. However, it will continue to frustrate us and our inner desire to obey the will of God. Paul stated that his new, saved nature, his new inner self, no longer approved of sin, like his old self did (vs. 17). Paul’s justified, new nature no longer sided with sin, but agreed with God’s Word (vs. 22). However, the old nature still seeks to rebel and be independent of God (vs. 14-15). Paul’s unredeemed and still sinful humanness waged war with his desire to obey God’s Word (vs. 23).
When we try to struggle against sin in our own strength, we fail. We do not have the power by ourselves to do what pleases God (vs. 18). Paul desired to be delivered from his sinfulness (vs. 24). We find ourselves in the same condition. As believers, we desire to follow the Lord and be free from the sins we continue to fall into. We are like the soldier who falls wounded on the battlefield, and we need someone to come and pull us out. Who can do that for us? Paul gives us the answer in verse 25. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can deliver us!
We cannot fight sin in our own strength. We must take hold of the power of Christ who lives in us. We must depend totally on the work of Christ for our salvation. We cannot earn it by our good works. And by the same token, we must depend totally upon Him for the strength to have victory over sin in our daily life. Without Christ’s help, sin is stronger than we are. However Jesus conquered sin and Satan once and for all. It is a defeated enemy. Jesus promises to fight by our side, so we need to call upon Him and rely upon His help.
We must die to ourselves so that Christ can live through us. As believers, we must submit to the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and power. No matter how hard we try on our own, we cannot change ourselves. However, God is in the process of transforming us into the image of His Son (II Corinthians 3:18). God won’t leave us in this desperate condition. He has promised to finish the good work that He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6).
We can thank God that He has given us freedom through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The reality of His power can lift us up to victory over the sin we still battle in our lives.
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