In Part 1, we learned that the apostle Paul’s book of Romans was indeed that bedrock. In Part 2, Paul spoke of faith and sin.
Now, the apostle continues his revelations on sinful behavior and his own struggles with it:
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Rm. 6:16 NLT
That righteous living is a gift from God, through Christ.[1] It cannot be attained through the impossible effort of trying to be perfectly obedient to the Mosaic Law:
You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. Rm. 7:4 NLT
Paul continues to talk about how the law itself is not bad, because its job was to reveal our sin, so that we would see our need for salvation. He points to his own personal struggles with sin, to emphasize his point:
So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I really don’t understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. Rm. 7:14, 15. NLT
The apostle is concentrating on his pre-conversion condition. He now recognizes the sinful nature of his flesh:
So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. Rm. 7:17, 18. NLT
Now, Paul points us to the way out:
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Rm. 7:24, 25. NLT
We can see then that the Mosaic Law was intended to be a spiritual standard, wherein one’s total obedience to it, guarantees a 100% righteous state before God. However, there is a continual war within us, between our spirit, (which can and wants to obey the Law), and our Adam-tainted flesh, (which relishes rebellion against it).
Jehovah God shows us His mercy, by revealing one of His mightiest spiritual warriors, (Paul), who struggles with his own humanity; in turn, showing us the need to apply mercy and compassion for ourselves and everyone else, and lay condemnation aside.
Our Father knows about our internal tug-of-war. Even when we seek to be obedient and advance His Kingdom, the voice of Satan is ever-present in our flesh, trying to convince us to do otherwise.
When we do slip and fall, we gain nothing by condemning ourselves. (Remember how Jesus refused to condemn the adulteress?) A slip-and-fall is a ‘lost skirmish’ – not a loss of the entire battle. Christ is at the helm. He washes away those lost skirmishes with the blood of redemption, as we confess and repent. Indeed, He leads us to our eternal victory:
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Rm. 8:1 – 4. NLT
What a God! What a Son! Also, see that word in the second sentence – ‘freed’? It means that all who receive Christ have already been delivered from the condemnation of sin. And, it has been removed for every sin we have committed and those we commit in the future, if we do our best to emulate Jesus.
We have met all the requirements of the Law vicariously, through the righteous mantle Christ covers us with. And we walk presently in the newfound freedom of Jehovah’s new and final Covenant – through Jesus. Moreover, Christ Himself empowers us to live a spirit-filled life. Our job, is to use our free will to make righteous choices:
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your life leads to life and peace. Rm. 8:5, 6. NLT
For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. Rm. 8:7, 8. NLT
In other words, when we set our focus on going after the ways of the world, we are rebelling against God; and spiritual and physical death is assured if we remain in that mire. Praise Jehovah that He blankets His children with love, mercy, and grace, through Christ, for all eternity:
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Rm. 8:9 – 11. NLT
Therefore…you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you have received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. (Speaking to the Gentiles here). Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Rm. 8:12 – 17. NLT
When you accept Christ as your savior, you are filled with the Holy Spirit – cloaking you with the righteousness of Jesus, which wipes all your sins off your heavenly ledger. And you become adopted sons and daughters, bathed in love and joy. A little suffering too because you are now on the devil’s ‘enemy list’. He will do his best to get you to reject your Savior.
However, what did Jesus tell us?
(“My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” Jn. 10:27, 28. CSB)
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Rm. 6:23