Romans 7:14-25 - Why Do I do it? _ final copy
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Have you ever noticed that we like to be right?
The funny thing about mankind is that for generations we see little wrong with ourselves
At the beginning of creation Adam blamed eve for his shortcoming, while eve blamed the serpent,
Oftentimes throughout history, mankind has felt as though they were in the right. Even if they were not
The way we work and the way we function Most of us have good intentions
We strive for the best in our own lives, and in the lives of others
though some seek only to destroy,
The truth is that the majority of people seek to be helpful and good
However, the truth is, sin and evil dwell within us
No matter what,
evil is present with us
And it has a way of making us do corrupt and evil things
No matter how much we desire good, we constantly fall short of the life we want to live
Unfortunately, We are bad people, with good intentions
Apart from Jesus we cannot possess good because sin possesses us first
You see that is the reason it is called sin nature
If you are listening to this you have to know in your heart that you want to do good but you are naturally bad
When the fall of man happened in the garden we not only saw sin enter the world but we saw sin specifically enter (our original ancestors) Adam and Eve
to this day the sin that entered them is still inside of us
years upon years and we haven't been able to rid our self of sin.
So let us look this morning at how the apostle Paul views his own sin and the grace that Christ has gifted him with.
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
So here we have our beloved apostle Paul
The apostle who wrote the better part of the New Testament
In today's word he has just said what sin and grace are to him and how they impact his life
If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
So Paul reaffirms here what we already know, he says sin dwells within him
Keep in mind this is a man who has been ministering faithfully and sharing the word of God
Yet, what I love here so much is he doesn’t simply say (not only calling out his readers but himself)“you are a sinner”, although that's true. He personalizes it
He says “For I know that in me dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”
Paul uses the ME and I Pronouns to describe evil still being present within his saved self.
Yet Paul's recognition of his sin can still speak to us
You see, just as Paul, nothing good is in us
we will to do that which is good, but we fall short
Apart from Jesus we are just bad
It is amazing how great we think we are. We think we are indestructible and
Think about it
We are in love with ourselves
The truth is, we are oh so vulnerable and helpless
As big as we think we are it doesn’t take much to bring us back down to earth and realize that maybe we weren’t as good as we once thought
my point is
I. apart from Christ we are weak, we are evil, and we are confused
And according to Paul because we have human sin nature nothing good dwells in us
We have good desire but that desire is constantly overruled by a desire to do evil instead
And in verse 19 Paul said
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Paul is in essence saying, “I fail to know how to act in good”
Now Paul was not saying this because he didn’t know right from wrong
He had the same spirit which Christ has sent to us.
And as a believer with the guidance of the Holy Ghost, he knew what evil was
yet Paul made this statement in v.19 because even when he tried to do good he found that often times he was unsuccessful.
Yet his sin was not due to a lack of trying, it was because it was literally bred into him.
So ask yourself this, “How many times have you messed up and done evil and sinned then realized what you had done ?”
See, I have done this many times, just as I am sure you have
After you sin, you are alerted of a realization of what you have done...
However, their are times in which only moments before you sinned, you had good intentions
Evil found a way to ruler over you
I believe this was what Paul was saying the very thing I desire not to do is that which I often do.
Despite the fact I know its wrong.
verse 20-23
Romans 7:20–23 KJV 1900
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
II. Even when we do good evil is at war within us, trying to move us to evil.
Paul states, that even when he does good there is a war inside him.
in verse 21 he stated “when I would do good, evil is present with me”
Even in our good, evil is there trying to convince us to conceive a plan of evil
It is seeking for us to do bad and not good
in verse 23 Paul says
“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin”
Paul is showing us that no matter where we are evil is there also
it is in our minds, fighting against good, trying to convince us of bad
As mankind our sin nature leads us down many a dark path, and it is always there
Things get better though because we have someone who can relieve us of our sin
See Paul asks a question.
I have a couple similar questions for us today.
Why do I do it? I do it because of Adam sin nature and natural desire for evil.
what can be done to fix it?
Paul asks the same question in verse 24 by saying this
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
We can think of sin like this
Sin owns the restraunt we are eating in.
it is the chef/owner
It makes all the meals
We partake in the meals
but Jesus in the meantime is sitting in the corner booth asking to pay our tab, all this while we we feast at the table of sin.
Jesus is the the only one who can change mine and your evil nature, right?
When Jesus died on a cross for our sins he paid for our evil
Paul after talking of all this evil asked “who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
It was only a chapter earlier in Romans 6 that Paul stated “the wages of sin are death”
I think he was looking back here and saying “this body that is going to die because it sins, it doesn't know good because evil is always there trying to take over, who is going to deliver this body”
then in verse 25 Paul says
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Paul wasn’t making excuses for his sin, but he was owning up to it
He knew he was a sinner worthy of death
but he reveals the answer to all of this for us in the next chapter, chapter 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Jesus Christ, is the Only Savior from sin.
Jesus Christ, is the only One who can provided us a pathway from our sin
He didn’t eliminate the threat of sin, nor did he hide it.
It is only through His life-giving grace that our sin may be covered by His blood on Calvary’s cross
In saying these things, today I pray the Holy Spirit has spoken to your heart, perhaps in a couple different ways.
Perhaps, you’re here this morning, or listening online, and you have never received God’s amazing grace to cover your sins.
Apart from Jesus Christ our sin cannot be forgiven
If you have not yet received Jesus Christ and you would like to make that commitment today.
You pray this prayer sincerely from your heart, and you will be saved. repeat after me:
LORD Jesus, I have realized that I’m a sinner, and I can’t save myself. But You can and You did when You died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me for sinning against You. I turn from my life of sin by repenting and turning to you. By faith I am asking You to be my LORD and Savior. My heart is Yours. Thank You for loving me, and saving me. Now help me to follow You and live a life that brings You glory. In Jesus’ Name , Amen.
If you have made a decision, to receive Jesus Christ as your personal LORD and Savior, this morning.
Please contact through the avenues listed on your screen right now.
We want to help you get started in your new life with Jesus Christ.
If you made some other decision, please let us know.
But perhaps, today, you find yourself a saved person.
We can praise God for that!
Its only when Jesus Christ dwells within us that we are made good and whole.
But remember, Paul was writing this to those were saved Christians;
Paul himself didn’t lose sight of his consistent inability to measure up, nor should we.
Paul knew it literally took an act of God to make him worthy; thankfully that's just what he received.
So, if you are saved today, think of your own sin and understand how big of a deal it really is that Jesus Christ has covered your sin, and my sin in His precious blood.
Now take that, and realize that it is no longer time to keep that gift within you but to share it
In prayer that perhaps, one may have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through your testimony of God’s grace.
In conclusion lets apply this to our lives.
We’ve learned that humankind cannot be good outside of Jesus Christ.
Its only when Jesus Christ dwells within us that we are , made good and whole.
Yes, there are going to be times when we fall short.
But thank God we’ve got a savior in Jesus Christ.
Thank God we have Paul’s own testimony, that when we fail, we are still covered under and by the blood of Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful promise God has given us:
1 John 1:9 says
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We need good from Jesus Christ and thank God He has paid it all.
Because without Him evil will win the battle, every single time!