This post will almost conclude our study in Romans 7… we will have to step back into Romans 7 to set our context for our study in Romans 8 🙂
Yesterday we learned that the Law of God is good, righteous, and holy. We learned that the Law helps us see how very sinful our sin really is. Without the Law we would convince ourselves that our sin was really not that bad. Especially when we compared our sin to others. We can always find someone whose sin we think is worse than ours. However, what we learn from the Bible is that all of us are equally judged by the Law of God and none of us can keep it. That is why we need Jesus.
Today we are picking up our study in Romans in Romans 7:14-25. Today we will see that even after we are saved we are still at war with sin.
That’s why God gave us armor. Before we study today take a moment to go read Ephesians 6:10-18. Let’s put our armor on and pray that God would help us understand His Word and help us obey it.
Now let us begin today’s study with reading Romans 7:14-25.
Romans 7:14-25
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
Read Romans 7:14.
What do we learn about the Law?
It is __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
What do we learn about ourselves?
I am of __ __ __ __ __, sold into __ __ __ __ __ __ __ to __ __ __
Read Romans 7:15 very slowly. Fill in the blanks below to complete the verse.
For what I am doing,
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the very thing I __ __ __ __
THINK ABOUT IT…
Have you ever felt like Paul in Romans 7:15? Have you ever wanted to do the right thing, because you knew it was right, but instead you did something that knew was wrong? Maybe you told your mom or dad or brother or sister or even your best friend that you hated them, when you know you don’t, but when your feeling were hurt or you were angry it just came out. Then you felt really bad for saying it… and feeling it.
Read Romans 7:16. What does it show about us, when we know that something we did was wrong and we really hate that we did it?
it shows we __ __ __ __ __ with the __ __ __ ,
confessing that the __ __ __ is __ __ __ __
Now if we confess that the Law is good and the problem is us, not the Law of God. And, if we have confessed Jesus as Lord and we have been united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection (remember Romans 6:3-4). Why do we still sin?
Let’s read Romans 7:17-19 very slowly to find out. Fill in the blanks below to complete the verses as you read.
So now, no longer am __ the __ __ __ doing __ __, but __ __ __ which __ __ __ __ __ __ in __ __
For I know that __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ dwells in __ __, that is __ __ __ __ __ __ __
for the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ is present in __ __, but the __ __ __ __ __ of the __ __ __ __ is __ __ __
For the __ __ __ __ that I __ __ __ __, I do __ __ __ do, but I __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the very __ __ __ __ that I __ __ __ __ __ want
Read Romans 7:20. What is the cause of all this struggle inside of us?
the __ __ __ which __ __ __ __ __ __ in me
THINK ABOUT IT…
Do you know any Christians who got a new body after they were saved? No? Me either. I still have my old one too. When we become Christians and Jesus comes to live in us, our sin is still in us too. The difference is that now that sin is no longer our boss. Jesus is. So now we have Jesus to help us fight sin and to help us not sin. When before we were Christians, we had no power over sin. We may not even have recognized that some things were a sin. So now as Christian, we have a struggle with this flesh of ours that still wants to do bad things sometimes, and our hearts that want us to do the good and right things that please God.
Go to a computer and put this link in your search bar, it’s a video from Candace that kind of helps you see this struggle in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iq6Cbd5YxA
Read Romans 7:21. What does this struggle reveal to us?
- __ __ __ __ is present in me
- but I want to __ __ __ __ __ __
Read Romans 7:22. Where do we joyfully concur (or agree) with the law of God?
in the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Read Romans 7:23. Where do we see the different law (the law of sin)?
in the members of my __ __ __ __
Read Romans 7:23 again. What is happening between the different law at work in the members of our body and the law of our mind that knows God’s law is good?
they are at __ __ __
THINK ABOUT IT…
Do you think that even as a Christian you could go a whole week and never sin?
Read Romans 7:24. What conclusion do we come to when we try not to sin and to keep the Law of God?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ man that I am!
Do you know what “wretched” means? It means poor, miserable, despicable, absolutely pitiful!
The harder we try to keep God’s law on our own, the more we realize we can’t.
Read Romans 7:24 again. What question is asked?
__ __ __ will set me __ __ __ __ from the body of this __ __ __ __ __?
Read Romans 7:25. Who is the “Who” that will set us free?
__ __ __ __ __
WOW! Jesus saves us today from the power of sin and the effects of sin, and one day He will save us from this body of sin as well. We will learn more about this in Romans 8. Right now let’s just stop here for the day and spend some time thanking God for Jesus. Why not sing the first part of Amazing Grace as a praise to God right now.