Do you have some certain sins in your life, some bad habits that you have struggled with ever since you became a Christian, ones that you just can’t seem to break free from? Most Christians do. You may be surprised, but that includes the pastor, the deacons, and even some of the great, well-known preachers, missionaries, and the saints of the past. Believe it or not, that included the Apostle Paul, as we read in our Scripture for today. Let’s see what Paul had to say about this problem that he had in his life, and which we all also face.
Before we were saved, we all willingly took part in various sinful behaviors. For some it may not have been so outwardly noticeable, but it was sin nonetheless. Some may have sat on the phone gossiping with their friend, putting other people’s reputations through the shredder. Someone else may have been a terrible liar, or someone with a filthy vocabulary, or a habitual shoplifter. For other people, their vices may have been more noticeable and harmful. They had a terrible temper and beat their spouse and children. Maybe they would frequently stop by the strip club on their way home from work, or they drank heavily or used drugs. Then one day we turn to the Lord Jesus, accept Him as our Savior, and become a Christian. He washes away our sins, and we think that these vices in our life are gone. However, we periodically find those nasty cuss words spewing out, or we lose our temper, or we find ourselves seated where we shouldn’t be. What happened? We want to do right, but we find ourselves doing what we don’t want to do, what we know we shouldn’t do.
We look at the Apostle Paul as one of the greatest Christians of his, or really any generation. Yet he struggled with such a problem, as he shared in our Scripture. He doesn’t say what his particular vices were, but they periodically reared their ugly head in his life. Paul desired to obey God’s Word, and hated his sin (vs. 15, 19, 21). Paul saw sin in himself, but that was not all that was there (vs. 17, 20-21). He knew that he served Jesus with his mind (vs. 25).
Paul is describing the struggle of believers, not the lost, unsaved people. When we honestly evaluate ourselves against the righteous standards of God’s Word, we realize how far short we fail. When we are saved, we now have two natures. The new nature which desires to follow God and His Word, and the old nature, which still desires to follow sin. Sin no longer controls our whole nature, as it does an unbeliever, but it does hold captive our old nature. Sin contaminates us, and it frustrates our desire to obey the will of God.
Becoming a Christian does not stamp out all sin and temptation in our life. The old nature continually seeks to rebel and be independent of God (vs. 14-15). We must never underestimate the power of sin, and it is fruitless to attempt to fight it in our own strength. How many of us find ourselves slipping back into the sinful patterns and habits, even though we pledged never to do it again. In our own strength it is like those New Year’s resolutions that are broken within weeks. We cannot live for God by the strength of will-power. It, alone, is not enough. We need to take hold of the power of Jesus Christ that is available to us. We must exercise faith in the Savior and the Cross. The Holy Spirit dwells within every believer, and through Him we can have victory. Then we will have the ability and strength to say yes to Jesus and no to sin and our old nature.
Paul does not approve of the sin of his old nature that resides in his body. He strongly disapproves. We must never use the power of sin or Satan as an excuse, because they are defeated enemies. Without Jesus’ help, sin is stronger than we are. However, Jesus conquered sin once and for all, and He promises to fight by our side.
The believer’s new nature does not side with sin, but agrees with God against sin. Our old nature is continually wanting to wage war against our new nature. They are like two dogs fighting against each other. They are like the weeds trying to take over your garden, or like two boxers in the boxing ring. If we continually water the weeds and even feed them plant food, they will thrive and take over. If one boxer is given only an occasional crust of bread and water, while the other is fed a healthy diet every day, who will win? Who are we feeding, our old nature or our new nature? Be continually feeding your new nature by daily prayer and Bible reading, by listening to godly music and staying in fellowship with the Lord. Feed the new nature, and the old nature will grow weaker and weaker.
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