Scripture
21I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22I love God’s law with all my heart. 23But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Romans 7:21-23
Observation
Paul paints a painfully accurate picture of a person trying so hard to be so good and failing so miserably. No one is born with a desire to be a bad person and yet even the person with the noblest of intentions fails miserably. Why is this? Paul wrote earlier, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” (Rom. 5:2). Notice Paul says he love’s God’s law with all his heart but is at war with sin in his mind. No matter how noble our heart may feel we will die in battlefield of the mind every time until we surrender. We must wave the white flag and admit, we cannot save ourselves. We cannot work our way into heaven. We’ve heard it said the path to hell is paved with good intentions. I’d add that the path to Heaven is paved with constant surrender. Not surrender to the cravings and longings of the flesh, but a full surrender to the Savior. You can see Paul building the narrative to this point of breakthrough: 24Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. 1So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” (Romans 7:24-25, 8:1-2).
Application
Romans 7 is the picture of a person living in the flesh. Whereas Romans 8 is a person living in the Spirit of freedom. Romans 7 is the person trying to be good through behavior modification. Romans 8 is the person set free through internal transformation. It’s the contrast between trying to be good and surrendering to the God who is good. Surrendering, not just once at salvation, but repeatedly throughout the day. It’s the difference between a religion of God and a relationship with God. It’s so interesting how we get saved by grace, but try to live out our salvation through works. C.S. Lewis once wrote, “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good.” Whoever heard of winning a war by waiving the white flag of surrender? No, we keep fighting, and going to more conferences and reading more books and doing better… and falling hard. It’s only when I come to grips with the fact that I can’t be a good husband, a good father, a good brother, a good friend, a good pastor, a good Christian without the Holy Spirit that I am truly set free to become good. No matter how hard I try to follow the rules I’m going to become a slave to the war of thoughts. It’s only when I am painfully aware of my constant need of a Savior that I truly can walk out my salvation. Griffith Thomas wrote, “The one point of the passages is that it describes a man who is trying to be good and holy by his own efforts and is beaten back every time by the power of indwelling sin; it thus refers to anyone, regenerate or unregenerate.” Trying to be a good Christian without the power of the Holy Spirit is an exercise in futility.
Prayer
Your Grace removes my from the condemning scales and holds me in your everlasting arms. I can’t be held by You my God if I’m still holding on to my goodness. I’m going to surrender. I’m waving the white flag. I surrender my weak version of goodness and set my heart to worship Your greatness. I surrender my thoughts, my actions, my plans, my reputation into Your hands. Holy Spirit fill me anew today. I’ve been a Christian for most of my life, but I’m a brand new Christian with every surrender, every amazing moment I remember I can’t do this without You!
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