7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is evil? Of course not! The law is not sinful, but it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin took advantage of this law and aroused all kinds of forbidden desires within me! If there was no law, sin would not have that power.
9 I felt fine when I did not understand what the law demanded. But when I learned the truth, I realized I had broken the law and was a sinner, doomed to die. 10 So the good law, which was supposed to show me the way of life, instead gave me the death penalty. 11 Sin took advantage of the law and fooled me; it took the good law and used it to make me guilty of death. 12 But still, the law itself is holy and right and good. 13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my doom? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It used God’s good commandment for its own evil purposes.
14 The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. 15 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing that I hate. 16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows me that I agree that the law is good. 17 But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. 18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. 19 When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20 But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.
21 It seams to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? 25 Thank 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.
God gave Moses the Law so that the Israelites would be different from the rest of the world. They are God’s chosen people, and He wanted them set apart. The Law was a good thing for them – it is holy, right, and good. But our sin nature took advantage of the Law and made it a burden that no one could bare. The Law was supposed to make us holy, right, and good, but instead opened a door to sin that we never even knew existed.
This is the reality of living as a Christian in this world, whether it is in the first century or the twenty first. Paul’s struggle with sin is no different that ours. It is our human condition. Christians are not holy and righteous people – we are sinners that recognize the need for a savior.
Our Salvation is guaranteed when we profess our faith in Christ. Now Paul’s attention is directed to living in Christ.
The Gentile believers never had God’s law. And, just like believers today that never were exposed to religion before coming to faith, they lived by the laws of the culture. When they came to faith, and learned of God’s law, it was a complete contrast to the way they had been living. Now, their consciences convicted them and showed them that they were sinners. It didn’t make it any easier for them, and I’m sure they struggle with understanding how something that was perfectly fine before is now wrong. The law highlighted their sin. Is the law bad? No. The law shows us that we are bad. So, we turn to the one who paid the price for our sins and asked for forgiveness. That was God’s plan all along.
But what about those who’s Salvation was based on faith in keeping the law? There are still plenty of people today that believe that obeying God’s law is all they need to do in order to go to heaven. They attend church every Sunday. They try to live by the Ten Commandments. They help other people, and they themselves are good people. They believe that their Salvation is based on the deeds of their life, and if the good deeds outweigh the bad, they will be ushered in to heaven. Is that your understanding?
Unfortunately, the law not only points out our sin, the law also shows us that we are in a state of hopelessness – incapable of keeping the law.
Paul was a highly educated, culturally savvy, teacher of religious law. He was a Pharisee, but not just any Pharisee – he was the up-and-coming rising star of the Jewish culture. In Acts 7:58, the other Jewish leaders took off their coats and laid them at the feet of Paul (then Saul), as a sign of Paul’s authority, and then proceeded to stone Stephen to death as Paul looked on. Paul knew the law as well as it could be known. And, he knew better than anyone, the conviction that comes with knowing the law.
Can you imagine how difficult it was for Paul to accept Christ? For Paul, it was all about the law. And, it was obvious how he struggled with it. In perspective, we have it easy. Even those of us who grew up in Christian homes have only a limited knowledge of the laws of God. Paul knew every single one. His conviction had to be overwhelming. Can you imagine going through life, constantly on guard? Living in fear that if you said, or did, or touched, or ate the wrong thing, and you died before you could redeem yourself, you would go to hell. It didn’t matter that you were the most religious person that ever walked the earth. If you broke God’s law without making it right, your entire religious life was for nothing. That’s what Saul believed, and that’s how most people believe today.
In verse 14, Paul said, “…the trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master.” Paul knew that in coming to faith in Christ, Christ became his new master. But, he also knew that in reality, he was still a sinner. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can overcome sin. If we try to fight it on our own, we will lose.
It would be great if, when we came to faith in Christ, we would lose our sin nature and never sin again. But, it doesn’t work that way. It actually has quite the opposite effect. Now our sin becomes more obvious. We used to be able to sin without guilt – now we can’t.
A recent survey said that 85% of Americans profess to be Christian, and that sounds great. But, when asked about their Salvation, only 10% of those understood that their Salvation is based on faith in Christ. All of the rest believed in some variation of a law abiding, works based view on how they plan to get to heaven. When asked the question, “If you were to die today, would you go to heaven?”, nearly all answered, “I don’t know.”
Many people today, still believe in a “works based” religious philosophy. In verses 15 - 24, Paul opened his heart and let it pour out for all to see. His internal struggle is apparent as he struggles with what the law says vs. what he does.
Satan is the great deceiver, a liar, and the father of lies. He uses the law against us. He whispers in our thoughts, “You broke God’s law – see, you’re no good after all.” “You can never be good enough.” “You are rotten through and through – stop pretending to be something that you’re not.” “You are just a miserable person.” You’re worthless.” “God doesn’t like people like you.” “You’re never gonna be good enough.” “Why don’t you just stop trying.” “You’ll never be free from sin.”
So what can we possibly do? Who will free us from this life that is dominated by sin? Verse 25, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord!..”
Paul’s inward struggle is as real for us as it was for him. But, Paul knew the answer: Turn back to the promise that comes with knowing Jesus Christ as your savior. Ask for forgiveness, and rest in the blessed assurance that He paid the price for every sin that you will ever commit in your life. Hold tight to the promise that He will never leave you or forsake you. You are a child of God, and no one can take that away from you.
That’s what it’s all about. Or, I should say, that’s who it’s all about. Christ must be our focus in all things. He must be the first thing that we think of when things go right, and the first thing we think of when things go wrong. He will never grow tired of forgiving our sins. He paid the price. All we have to do is ask. When we look at ourselves, we see a miserable person. But when God looks at us, He sees perfection. As believers, we have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, and you can’t get any cleaner than that. If you haven’t yet accepted Christ as your savior, do it now.
Study Questions
Do you understand what the Law demands?
I found that most people that say they live by the Ten Commandments can’t even tell me what they are. The first Commandment is the most important and the most difficult to keep. “…you will have no other gods before Me.” Is God the most important thing in your life?
Can you see how terrible sin truly is?
The first century Jews were convinced that the Roman Empire was their greatest enemy. They wanted the Messiah to come and conquer the Romans and set them free. But, Christ came to conquer sin and death that accompanies it. God knows how terrible the effects of sin is in our lives, do you?
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