Romans 7:7-25 - The Battle Within

That's Romans chapter 7, verses 7 through 25 on page 1133 of your church Bibles.

Romans 7:7–25

What shall we say then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not. Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.

For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, you shall not covet.

But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting.

For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.

I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.

For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.

So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

Did that which is good then become death to me? By no means.

Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, he used what is good to bring about my death,

so that through the commandment, sin might become utterly sinful.

We know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. For what I hate, I do.

And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.

As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

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.

For I do not know, I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do.

This I keep on doing.

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.

For in my inner being I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work in me,

waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

What a wretched man I am.

Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thank you, Dan, for reading for us.

Before we make a sort of proper start, I kind of want to begin with an apology.

I know that's probably not a great way to start a sermon, but I want to apologize.

I'm not actually really going to cover verses 7 to 13 in the passage that Dan just read for us.

You might look down at it now and you'll notice that it is kind of bookended by the repetition of the word nevertheless, right?

Nevertheless is said in verse 7 and in verse 13.

And in that sort of nevertheless section, Paul is asking a specific question that kind of addresses some of the things we were looking at last week.

So he's basically saying, listen, if the law, as in the rules, won't make us holy, are the rules bad?

Now, if I'd been a really smart pastor, I would have covered all of that material last week.

But here's the news for you that I start with is I'm not really that smart.

And so we're not actually going to cover those verses really in very much detail.

My hope is that as Dan read them, you mostly understood them, that while the law is not able to make us holy, the law itself is good.

The problem is not with the law.

The problem is with us.

And in the interest of time, I am going to not say anything else about verses 7 to 13.

And you can ask me later if you want to.

And we're going to zoom in on verses 14 to 25.

And I'm going to pray as we look at those.

Let's pray and ask for the Lord's help.

Gracious God and loving Heavenly Father, thank you that despite our weakness, my weakness, still your word is powerful and effective.

Amen.

Sharper than a double-edged sword.

Able to cut right into us and right through us and what we're thinking and feeling and perceiving.

To teach us the truth of who you are and what you've done for us in the Lord Jesus.

Lord, how we pray this morning that you might help us to be good listeners to your word.

As we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Now, the big idea in our passage this morning is that the hardest part of being a Christian is not the struggle that we have with the things outside in the world.

You know, the biggest struggle for the Christian is not that people might tease you for being a Christian, that people might disrespect you or give you a hard time.

That is difficult, but it's not the most difficult thing about being a Christian.

Nor is the most difficult thing about being a Christian the struggles that might be in this room with one another that we might have.

Again, it's hard, isn't it, when church is not running well or people in church don't behave as they should.

But the point of the passage is that that itself is not the hardest thing about the Christian life.

The battle for the Christian life is not an external one, but an internal one.

The battle that the Christian faces is the battle with indwelling sin.

That despite the best of our intentions, despite the privilege of having the Bible in our hands readily available to us,

despite being in a vibrant church community and church family,

despite having that great wealth of Christian resources at our fingertips on the internet,

despite having friends who will challenge us and encourage us and pray for us,

despite all those good Christian books that you have on your shelves at home,

still we get angry.

Still we're bitter.

Still we lust after things that we should not have.

Still we think more of ourselves than we should.

Still we find ourselves gossiping and talking about others in ways that we shouldn't.

Still we covet the success of others.

We worship material success.

We crave the next purchase.

We imagine that comfort will bring us contentment or that material success will deliver us happiness.

We even lie in our beds at night,

imagining winning arguments that we feel like we lost during the day.

In our idle moments, our thoughts don't wander to God and his goodness,

but to trivial nonsense.

We seek escape in the sort of endless, mindless banality of our phones.

And there's no let up, right?

If you speak to an honest Christian, honest Christians are hard to find, aren't they?

But if you find one and you ask them,

it doesn't matter whether you've been a Christian 10, 20, 30, 60, 70 years,

the battle still rages.

Augustine, the great African bishop writing in the fourth century,

describes his Christian life as a struggle every day.

Augustine was probably one of the greatest minds that ever lived.

And that's how he described his Christian life.

He talks about his inability to delete images of the past,

or even to mourn for them properly.

He says this,

But for the present, I am a burden to myself.

There is a struggle between joys over which I should be weeping

and regrets at matters over which I ought to be rejoicing.

And which side has the victory, I do not know.

Alas, Lord, have mercy upon me, wretch that I am.

Paul describes it.

Verse 24 of chapter 7 in our passage this morning.

What a wretched man I am.

Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Now, I wonder if I can ask you, before we go any further,

if you're willing to be that honest about your own Christian life.

Do you know how Paul feels?

How Augustine feels?

I know I do.

The longer I go on as a Christian,

the more acutely I am aware that the fight for my Christian life

is not with anybody else, but it's with me.

It's in me.

That whilst knowing the gospel is true,

and understanding that God loves me,

and he gave his son for me,

still, as I think about my battle for holiness,

I feel weak and wretched.

You know, past sins that I thought I'd be well beyond by now.

Unwanted thoughts, hard-heartedness,

unkindness, thoughtlessness,

the absence of generosity,

those aren't imposed upon me from the outside,

but they are in me,

and come out from me.

And if you're honest this morning,

that's true of you too.

And that's why Romans chapter 7,

Romans 7:14–25

verses 14 to 25 are in our Bibles.

Because they want us to understand why that is the case,

and where to find hope in that situation.

So let's think about this together.

Firstly, let's think about the nature of the battle.

The battle that we feel in our Christian lives

is described by Paul as a war

between what he describes as the inner man,

the inner man who, according to verse 22,

loves or delights in God's law,

loves the expression of God's righteousness,

loves to obey,

the inner us that considers God's law as spiritual,

in verse 14,

this inner us that wants to do good,

in verse 21,

and then what he calls the flesh.

Verse 14,

our NIVs have weirdly translated it,

I am unspiritual.

Really it is literally,

I'm in the flesh.

The war is between the new inner man,

the inner us,

and this flesh.

Sin living in me,

he calls it in verse 17.

The body of death,

he calls it in verse 24.

And these two realities

inside the life of the Christian

are at war with one another.

New life by the spirit

that agrees with God

and wants to live for him

and the old flesh

that still loves to sin.

Paul summarizes it,

verse 22,

for in my inner being,

I delight in God's law,

verse 23,

but I see another law at work in me,

waging war against the law of my mind

and making me a prisoner

of the law of sin

at work within me.

Let me say,

this is such an important category

for you to understand

if you're a Christian this morning.

That whilst if you're a Christian,

you are born again,

you've been given new life by the spirit,

a life that is turned to God

and trusted in him,

has turned from its sin

and longs to live for him.

Though you are fully forgiven,

justified,

declared not guilty before the perfect God,

you have that in lieu of judgment day

even now,

still,

you will not be perfect in this life.

You will never be perfect in this life.

As long as you're alive in the flesh,

you will still carry around

an old sinful nature,

a defeated sinful nature,

yes,

a dead sinful nature

that's dead at the cross,

yes,

yes,

the penalty and the moral debt

that that nature owes

has been written off in Christ,

but you still carry it

for now.

So that,

as Luther would say,

of you,

Martin Luther,

the great reformer,

would say,

you are both a saint

and a sinner.

You are holy in Christ

and you still fight temptation

and the wickedness of your flesh.

If you're not a Christian this morning,

it's great you're here,

we're really pleased

you're with us this morning,

welcome.

This is not your battle,

right?

This is the Christian's battle,

not the non-Christian's battle.

Not because if you're not a Christian

this morning,

you don't have a moral conscience

or feel bad about the things

that you've done.

No,

rather because it is impossible,

and Paul has said this

over and over again,

it is impossible for any of us

in our own nature,

by ourselves,

to say that we delight in his law,

right?

By ourselves,

without this new life

by the Spirit

that he gives

as we turn to him,

we will not delight in his law.

If you're not a Christian,

the law is a burden to you,

right?

The law is a problem.

The law,

the list of what God expects

of you,

is a burden to you.

It's a list of your failures.

It's like that for all of us.

It's like a charge sheet

against us.

This is what we did not do.

And we hate the law

because it condemns us.

So even if we're earnestly

trying to obey God's moral law,

even if you think,

well,

I'm trying to live

with a clear conscience,

I'm trying to be good,

I'm trying to do to others

as I'd have them do to me,

let me tell you,

that's not delighting

in God's law

as it's written here.

That's using God's law

for your own ends.

And so the battle you face

is a real battle,

but it's not the one

being described here.

In fact,

it's a worse battle

because you're trying

to use the law

to earn God's favor

and that is a battle

that everybody loses.

Our battle is that

we delight in God's law,

but still we fight

an old nature.

Now,

there are some Christians

and some preachers,

especially on the internet,

there are especially books

that you might read

which try to deny this battle.

They'll tell you,

oh,

no,

no,

no,

no,

no,

Paul,

it's not describing

the Christian life here.

You're fully redeemed

in Christ.

Total freedom from sin,

they'll tell you.

If only you come

and receive this particular blessing,

you will escape

that temptation to sin.

If you come to this meeting,

if you develop this habit,

then you'll be free

from the battle.

Paul says,

that is utter nonsense.

The battle

is the Christian life.

And in a way,

in a sort of paradoxical way,

it is feeling

and knowing

and experiencing

that battle

in your heart

which helps you know

that you're a Christian

because it means

that God has made you alive

and there is something

to fight

the sinful nature.

So that's the nature

of the battle.

Next thing with me

about the ferocity

of the battle.

Really,

these are the same two points

but I've split them up

just so that you might remember them.

And I don't want us

to miss this

or deal with it too quickly.

Look at verse 15

and notice how Paul

describes this.

I do not understand

what I do.

for what I want to do,

I do not do.

But what I hate,

I do.

Here it is then.

The battle means

that in an important sense,

life for the Christian

is mysteriously difficult.

We don't understand

what we do.

We shock ourselves.

We find ourselves

capable of things

we thought we would not

be capable of.

I thought I was well beyond that.

I didn't think

I would struggle with that.

I've noticed

that other people do

but I didn't think

that would be me.

I can't imagine

that I would still be bitter

towards them

so many years on.

I can't imagine

that I'd be so petty.

But I'd be so committed

to people pleasing

that I'd be so insecure.

I would have thought

that that gossip

wouldn't interest me anymore.

I would have thought

I would have forgotten

those images by now

but I haven't.

And so there's a sort

of insanity to this

that our lives

are not marked

by perfect holiness

but by surprising sin.

So much so

that we find ourselves

doing the very things

that we hate.

Things maybe

that others do to us

and we hate them

doing them to us

and now we find ourselves

doing the same things.

But actually

it's worse than that

isn't it?

It's not just

that we do wrong things

that we wish we wouldn't.

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.

This is what we were

thinking about

with the children

isn't it?

These are the sins

of omission.

Good things

that we wanted to do

that we find

we don't do.

You know

I really didn't mean

to stop reading

my Bible.

I really had intended

to give more generously

to gospel ministry.

I really did want

to be regular

at church.

I really did want

to share the gospel

with my colleagues

before I left

that place of work.

I really did intend

to send a word

of encouragement

to that Christian friend

but the good

I wanted to do

I didn't do it.

Now obviously

Paul understands

that this dynamic

is a symptom

of the war

or the battle

that he's in.

It's important isn't it?

It's not this

new nature

from the spirit

that is sinning

it's the old him

that is not yet

got rid of completely.

Right?

Look at verse 20

he says

now if what I do

now Dan

this is difficult

isn't it?

Right?

It's harder to read

this than you think.

Now if

I do

what I do

not want to do

it's no longer

I who do it

but sin living in me

that does it.

Right?

Now he's not meaning

that as an excuse

it's not like

haha it wasn't really me

it was sin living in me

he's not saying it like that

rather he's explaining

the battle he's in

the ferociousness of it

where we find ourselves

doing what deep down

we don't want to do

and not doing

what we really do

want to do

as we carry around

this sinful nature

that's dead

but still twitching.

It's worth thinking

about how this works out

for us as Christians

I don't know a lot

about war

I know there are some people

in the room who do

in God's kindness

I've never had to fight

in a war

but I imagine

that those

in the most danger

in a war

are those who don't

really realise

they're in it

right?

Those who've lost

concentration

those who've forgotten

that they're in a battle

those who've let

their guard down

those who've turned up

ill prepared

what's the phrase

like bringing a knife

to a gunfight

it's those people

isn't it?

And so it is

in the Christian life

and that's why

Paul writes this passage

he's not writing this

to depress you

or me

to think that

Christian living

is a hopeless task

he's going to go

to great lengths

to prove that

Christian living

is not a hopeless task

we'll come to that

in a bit

and in weeks to come

but the point here

is to warn you

to warn you

and me

that there is a

ferocious battle

inside of myself

and I cannot

just thoughtlessly

live my life

you know

you're

if you're a Christian

you cannot just

thoughtlessly

follow your wants

and your desires

because your wants

and your desires

are the location

of the battle

that he describes

if you carelessly

follow what it is

that you want to do

you will find yourself

in terrible places

not every desire

that you have

will be a prompting

of the spirit

not every aspiration

that you have

will be a godly one

not every dream

that you wish for

will be good

if it happens

because there's a battle

going on

and it's not out there

it's in here

and it's ferocious

!

Just think about

how this cuts through

naivety

right?

Think about it

from two angles

notice that Paul

is essentially saying

that you will

surprise yourself

I will surprise myself

at what I am capable of

even as a Christian

now if I find myself

ever thinking

oh I wouldn't do that

I'm in grave danger

I'm the guy who forgot

he was on a battlefield

right?

Or if I imagine

that you know what

I don't really need

God's moral law

I don't really need

his moral instruction

I don't really need

the Bible to teach me

what it is that God values

because I can just

kind of follow my instincts

I kind of know

what God wants

uh uh

no

because that's where

the battle is

it will not be okay

if we imagine

that just because

we're Christians

all our ambitions

will no longer be

tainted by selfishness

or that we won't be

tempted to be unfaithful

in our friendships

or our marriages

that we won't kind of

lose it with our kids

we're wrong

if we don't understand

that we'll be tempted

not to do the things

that would be

spiritually best

for us to do

you know

if you

if you live your

Christian life

without imagining

that your desire

to attend church

will always be

equivalent to the amount

that you should attend

church in order to be

spiritually healthy

you are gravely mistaken

because your desires

will not match up

it's the same with

giving and speaking

and praying

we'll have good reasons

won't we

why we don't do

those things

you know it's true

isn't it

that our old nature

although dead in Christ

still twitches

and has a really

good lawyer

right

who's really good

at persuading us

that it's right

when it's wrong

and if we don't

understand that

we'll be hopelessly naive

but the naivety works

the other way around

as well

it means

if you think

if you're a Christian

you think

that other Christians

will not let you down

or that if they do

let you down

somehow the gospel

is not true

and really you should

give up on the whole thing

then you are

hopelessly naive

because this is

every Christian's battle

right

Christians around you

will sin against you

and you will need

to forgive them

church leaders

will let you down

church pastors

will be imperfect

perhaps imperfect

in ways that you

would be better

than they are

Christian friends

will gossip about you

Christian friends

will hurt you

be unkind to you

upset you

behave in ways

towards you

that you will

not believe

because they too

are in this battle

and sometimes

they find themselves

not doing the good

things that they

want to do

but doing the evil

things that they

wish they weren't

doing

because they're

in the battle

now this doesn't

mean of course

that we shouldn't

have high expectations

of one another

or that we should

live as if it

doesn't matter

of course it does

matter

there's great grief

in these words

isn't there

rather the point

is that you

shouldn't pretend

that this is not

the world that we

live in

we shouldn't

imagine that the

Lord's prayer

instructs us to

seek forgiveness

as we forgive

those who sin

against us

for no reason

because if we do

we'll spend much

of our life

sorely disappointed

and in grave

danger

you know if we

organize church

life as if our

members and our

leaders are not

tempted to sin

we're hopelessly

naive

over the years

I've had a number

of friends

who are

alcoholics

most of them

Christians

church members

one of them

a pastor

and what's

obvious is that

the most destructive

alcoholics are

those who will

not admit

that they've got

a problem with

alcohol

you know they

pretend they've

got it under

control

no no no

it's not really

an issue for

me

when really

they don't

but for those

who will admit

it

for them it

requires a level

of seriousness

having admitted

that this is

their struggle

it requires a

level of seriousness

to deal with it

doesn't it

we're not going

to have any

alcohol in the

house

I'm not going

to have the

first drink

I'm going to

be really honest

with my close

friends and my

family

well listen if

you're a Christian

this morning

you might not

be an alcoholic

but let me tell

you that you and

I in the flesh

are sinaholics

we are addicted

in the flesh

to selfish

rebellion

that the

inner us

the new life

by the spirit

absolutely hates

but it's still

there

and the most

dangerous Christian

is the Christian

who doesn't

recognize it

and the safest

Christian

is the one

who takes it

seriously

who is honest

about it

who deliberately

steers away

from the desires

of their hearts

who doubts

their gut

instincts

who is quick

to repent

when challenged

who doesn't

fake it

brush it under

the carpet

or keep people

at arm's length

church is at

their best

when people are

honest with one

another

forgiving each

other

where corporate

repentance

in the life

of the church

it's not

it's just that

thing that we

do right

that's kind

of you know

traditional

maybe

no repentance

is a moment

of honesty

in a world

of fakers

right

where people

around you

encourage you

to feed this

new inner man

and starve

the old sinful

nature of worldly

indulgence

let's finish

though

if it feels

a bit hopeless

let's finish

by looking at

the victory

in the battle

the victory

of the battle

look with me

at verses 24

and 25

let me read

them to you

as we finish

what a wretched

man I am

who will rescue

me from this

body that is

subject to death

thanks be to

God who delivers

me through

Jesus Christ

our Lord

notice then

that hope

hope for victory

is not in our

own strength

it's not that we

are different

from those who

have gone about

I know

I know that

other Christians

have this struggle

but I don't

really and I'm

going to be

victorious

it's not that

is it

no

the hope

is that

Jesus

delivers us

Jesus

will deliver

us in the

end

that is the

hope

that in

the present

strength

and future

victory

will be ours

in the Lord

Jesus Christ

so that we

fight the battle

not with our

own resources

not even

with the

resources

of the

law

for it

has none

to offer

but with

the resources

of the

grace

that is

ours

in the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

I

think about

this this

week

thinking

why

why do

some

Christians

resist

Romans 7

why do

we

why are we

tempted to

think this is

not really

what the

Christian life

is like

or should

be like

and I

think it's

because we

think that

really it

should be

easier

we imagine

don't we

well

the Lord

the Lord

could make

me perfect

couldn't he

surely the Lord

could liberate me

from this

particular struggle

surely the

Lord could

defeat all

my impulses

to selfishness

my temptations

to pride

surely my

addictions are

nothing to

God are they

why would he

make his

fight

can't be right

can he

if God

loved me

why would he

make me

fight like

that

interestingly

Augustine who

he started with

that fourth

century African

bishop

wrestled with

this question

in a book

called the

confessions

when Augustine

was a young

Christian he

read Romans

7 and

assumed that

this was

written about

someone who

wasn't a

Christian

later in his

Christian life

he came to

realise no

actually this

is written

about me

this is the

Christian life

and then he

was thinking

well why is

this the

Christian life

why would

God make

the Christian

life a

battle

well this

is the answer

that he came

up with

his answer

to the

question why

why make

it so

difficult

was joy

joy

might be

surprising to

you his

illustration

which I

don't think

scans very

well but

you might

imagine it

was that

the emperor

does not

have great

joy over

land that

already belongs

to him

but has

great joy

over land

he's conquered

right

his other

illustration

which is

perhaps easier

to connect

with is that

to enjoy a

great meal

and a fine

glass of

wine you

must first

be hungry

and thirsty

and so

he says

here

in order

to enjoy

the victory

of Jesus

we need

to be in

the battle

our ongoing

battle with

sin is

not meant

to ruin

us and

defeat us

and depress

us but

is meant

to be a

perpetual

reminder to

you and

me that

we need

Jesus

and Jesus

is brilliant

and he's

all sufficient

for me

and I

need to

keep

repenting

of my

sin and

turning to

him

because joy

and we

experience it

in part

now but

we'll

experience it

fully in

eternity

is that

Jesus is

victorious

that in

the ferocity

of the

battle there

is one

man who

stands tall

and that

man fights

for me

and his

name is

Jesus

so I

understand

when I

didn't lose

my temper

even when my

plans were

thwarted

and my

day came

crashing

down

that

patience

wasn't

my

patience

that was

the Lord

Jesus

at work

that was

his victory

you know

sound the

trumpets

wave the

flags

Jesus

won a

victory

in my

life

you know

when I

repented

to that

friend

against

whom

I

sinned

even

though

my

internal

lawyer

had

given

me

a

thousand

reasons

why

it

wasn't

really

my

fault

still

I

saw

my

sin

I

owned

it

I

said

sorry

for

it

that

was

Jesus

is

victory

sound

the

trumpets

wave

the

flags

victory

for

Jesus

you know

see I

came to

church

I

read my

bible

I

prayed

honesty

I

love

sincerely

I

gave

sacrificially

that

wasn't

me

that

was

victory

for

Jesus

wave

the

flag

sound

the

trumpets

he

is

great

he

is

my

victor

one

day

I

will

be

free

from

sin

free

from

the

love

of

sin

free

from

the

desire

to

sin

I

will

live

in the

presence

of

my

Lord

and

really

it

will

be

the

sweetness

of

the

victory

over

sin

that

I

will

rejoice

in

I

have

been

forgiven

I

have

conquered

in

Christ

I

came

through

the

battle

victorious

because

of

Jesus

and

the

scars

will

be

the

stories

of

victory

and

not

the

stories

of

defeat

let

me

pray

for

us

oh

heavenly

father

please

help us

in these

moments

now

not

to do

that

silly

thing

that

Christians

are so

good

at

doing

which

is

pretending

that

we're

better

than

we

really

are

but

help

us

now

in

these

moments

in

our

hearts

before

you

to

be

really

honest

we

are

in

the

midst

of

the

battle

and

the

battle

is

littered

with

stories

of

our

own

personal

failure

but

also

with

victories

for

the

Lord

Jesus

and

we

thank

you

that

though

now

we

find

ourselves

in

a

ferocious

battle

we

know

one

day

the

ultimate

victory

will

be

ours

in

him

so

keep

our

hearts

turned

to

Christ

keep

us

looking

to

him

trusting

repenting

to

you

and

to

one

another

and

enjoying

this

great

joy

in

the

gospel

of

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

Amen