The Battle for the Believer
Romans 7:13-25
Turn to Romans 7. As I read this passage, think deeply of what Paul is saying here and how you would understand his argument. And as we consider his passage this morning, I would suggest this is one of the greatest passages in the Bible to help us understand the Battle for the Believer.
13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by working out my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, having been sold into bondage under sin.
15 For what I am working out, 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, I agree with the Law, that it is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one working it out, 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 working out 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 working it out, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that in me evil is present—in me 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 my members, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me 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.
Romans 7:13-25 (LSB)
I said last week that Romans 7 is a passage that is viewed differently by scholars, and the main argument comes specifically from these verses, as some would suggest that Paul is referring to his struggle with sin prior to his conversion, while others would say that he is speaking about his struggle with sin as a Christian. And how we understand this passage has massive implications on how we view the Christian life, whether we view it as a time of complete victory or as a time that includes a struggle with sin. It will also likely “steer” how we interpret other passages that have to do with the Christian life. So, starting in verse 14, we get to the crux of the issue, of whether this is speaking about the Christian or the non-Christian, as some would argue that Paul’s description of sin is too “sinful” to be a Christian, while others would say that the description cannot be an unbeliever, for it describes someone who desires to do what is good and who loves God’s Law. So, let me give you an example of each one so that you understand where we are going this morning.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
Romans 7:19 (LSB)
That he practices evil that he does not want to do.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man.
Romans 7:22 (LSB)
That he would rejoice in God’s Law. Do you understand the tension here? The other question that some have brought up is whether Paul is speaking about himself, or is he speaking on behalf of others? Whether Christian or non-Christian. So, here are some arguments for the non-Christian side. Verse 14, “I am fleshly … in bondage under sin;” verse 18, “nothing good dwells in me;” and verse 24, his use of being a “wretched man” in a body of death. Then some arguments to say that Paul is speaking of the Christian. Verse 15, he hates doing what is evil; verses 19, 21, he wants to do what is good; verse 18, he says, “nothing good dwells in me,” showing a spirit of humility that would be hard to find in an unbeliever; and verse 25, he thanks God that he is serving the law of God. How many times in this series have we said to keep this book in context and remember what we have already learned.
So, in keeping with the context, it is good to remember what Paul has already said about the unbeliever: the non-Christian suppresses the truth of God (Rom 1); he rejects the evidence of creation; he does not honour or give thanks to God; in fact, he applauds those who sin against God. Then later (Rom 6) Paul says the Christian is a new creation, and there is an emphasis on his holiness and righteousness, a righteousness credited to him and a practical righteousness that is growing in him called sanctification. So, when Paul speaks about himself (Rom 7) as fleshly and that nothing good dwells in him, and that he regards himself as a “wretched man.” While at the same time, he hates doing evil and wants to do good, and that he admits his unworthiness with a humble spirit, and that he gives thanks to God. It would seem that these verses are describing the conflict that goes on in the heart of the true believer. Now, some have suggested that Paul is speaking of a legalistic Christian, but it would not naturally be the legalist who would show this kind of humbleness, or this kind of dissatisfaction with themselves. This, I believe, goes back to last Sunday, that the closer we get to God, the more we understand our own sin. And this is where I would also disagree with those who are calling this description of a Christian, not Paul, but a carnal Christian or backsliding Christian. Yet John MacArthur wrote:
“It seems rather that Paul is describing the most spiritual and mature of Christians, who, the more they honestly measure themselves against God’s standards of righteousness, the more they realize how much they fall short.”
John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 1—8 379
He goes on to say that the true believer has great trust in Christ, but little trust in his own spiritual strength. And I believe we would have to assume that Paul is speaking about himself in this passage, as it would be the straightforward understanding of his use of the first person “I” throughout these verses. And this passage is also full of humility, as Charles Spurgeon defined humility as making a “right estimate of oneself,” a realistic, grace-anchored self-awareness. He taught that realizing one’s spiritual poverty leads directly to prayer, spiritual growth, and a deeper communion with Christ. John Piper, too, views his own humility as a daily battle against selfishness and the desire for self-exaltation. He describes it as the pursuit of repentance and relying on God’s grace. We might read parts of Romans 7:13-25 and think that this is a low view of the Christian. But is it? For would not the view of the Christian become less, as the Christian learns more of the holiness of God? In other words, the greater the exposure to God and His Word, just as those who had a greater exposure to Christ, realized more the depth of their own sin.
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, having been sold into bondage under sin.
Romans 7:14 (LSB)
Paul begins by saying that the law is spiritual. And Paul is defending the law here, as he is not demeaning the law, but has been simply explaining that the law cannot save, as that was never its intent, as the law was meant to show us our need of salvation. But then he says that he (Paul) is fleshly, and that at one time he had been sold into bondage under sin. He means here that though he has been redeemed by Christ and that he has been perfectly forgiven, and that he is now a new creation in Christ; he, in a sense, is still in his old fleshly body, a body that will someday change, a body, in a spiritual sense, is dead because of sin. And though he is no longer under the direction of Satan as is the world, for he is now a child of God, and though he no longer loves the world, for he now loves the things of God. And though he is no longer a slave of sin, for he is now a slave of Christ. Yet, in this life, in his old body, he is still affected by sin. He may even still be attracted by sin. But he cannot be happy there, as it runs completely contrary to his new nature in Christ. Now that phrase. “sold into bondage under sin” is certainly true of the believer, as this was his former condition. But I wish to jump ahead to help explain this further.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
23 but I see a different law in my members, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members.
Romans 7:22-23 (LSB)
In other words, in his inner man, his new spirit in Christ, he is joyful in Christ. But, in his members, his physical body, it wages war against his inner man. In other words, this is a battle that goes on in the heart of the Christian, the battle of his old nature and his new nature. Spiritually, he is saved; spiritually, he loves Christ and the things of God, but he still does battle with his old nature. King David, long after he was a believer, knew that he was a sinner from birth. In other words, he had a very deep understanding of God and himself, yet he still prays as a believer this prayer:
“Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.”
Psalm 51:1-3 (LSB)
We may also think of the great prophet Isaiah, who said, “I am a man of unclean lips.” C. E. B. Cranfield wrote:
“The more seriously a Christian strives to live from grace and submit to the discipline of the gospel, the more sensitive he becomes to … the fact that even his very best acts and activities are disfigured by the egotism which is still powerful within him.”
- E. B. Cranfield, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
I believe we are all frustrated at times by our own human weaknesses. And sometimes by our lack of obedience to what we know Christ would have us do, as this is a battle that all Christians face.
15 For what I am working out, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
Romans 7:15 (LSB)
I believe here it is not that Paul could not do anything right; it is that he knows that even at the best of times, he is unable to match up completely to the standard of the law, as even our right actions do always include the right motives or attitudes. And we can relate to this, as we may be involved in a ministry and work very hard and with the best of intentions; however, we know that we could never match the perfect standards of Christ or the Law. Again, it is the one who has grown in his faith who would know that he is not practicing all that he would like to do in Christ. So, one of the questions we asked last week: Do you think Paul is describing his Christian struggle in verses 13-25, or his struggle before conversion?
I would submit that Paul here is speaking of the Christian, and to add to that, he is speaking of himself. And I had said last week that we need to get our theology right when thinking of such matters, as we tend to talk about almost a “perfectionist” Christianity, while other times we talk about the struggles for the Christian with sin. And I believe that we should always see the Scriptures as challenging us in the direction of Christlikeness, but also, we must understand our weaknesses. Yet we would never want to make excuses for our weaknesses. Paul certainly doesn’t by saying, “O wretched man that I am!” So, if we asked the question, do we struggle or not? Which is it? The answer is yes and yes. Yes, we do struggle, but we must always be striving to be like our Saviour. And it is good that when we come across a passage like this that describes our struggle, we also must remember that this is not the whole of the Bible or our whole Christian experience. In other words, we cannot take a passage like this and conclude that the Christian life is this defeated life. No, it is a realist passage that tells us that among the victories, there will be times of struggle, but there are many other passages that tell us that there will also be times of growth and joy for the Christian.
We must build our theology and belief on the whole of the Bible. And sometimes, through deeper study, we may change our view on something. It is not that the Bible has changed; it is just that we have gained a greater grasp of its whole teaching. In fact, if someone through study admits they may have been wrong about a passage, that can be a very honourable thing. R. C. Sproul, after many years of teaching, changed his creation view from an old earth to a young earth and believed in a literal six-day creation. One of the most well-known theologians, Augustine, taught that the man in Romans 7 was unsaved, and yet after years of study concluded that he was saved. Good for him to be humble enough to change his mind.
And I believe how we can best understand this passage is to remember that for several chapters now, Paul has been addressing the righteousness received by faith. But now he is addressing his own righteousness or his own weaknesses, basically, highlighting the greater need for God’s righteousness. So, two things to keep in mind when studying this passage. One, he has shown that we must die to the law to be accepted by God. This is our justification (Rom 3:28):
“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. “
Romans 3:28 (LSB)
And two, we must die to the law to bear fruit for God. This is our sanctification (Rom 7:4):
“So, my brothers, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”
Romans 7:4 (LSB)
But also, to remember that because this necessity to die to the law to be justified and sanctified is not because the law is sin or because the law is some kind of poison, it’s because in our dreadfully sinful condition, we must have Christ for the grounds of our justification, and Christ for the power of our sanctification, as the law cannot do what only Christ can do. And again, this passage does not teach us that we would ever be content here spiritually, as Paul has no peace here with himself, because of his struggle with sin. And as we said before, this is not the main heartbeat of the Christian. This is not the whole of what the Bible teaches us about our Christian walk, but it is part of it, isn’t it? In fact, it is sort of sad part of it, that I am not everything I should be in Christ. Theologian J. I. Packer wrote this:
“Paul is not telling us that the life of the ‘wretched man’ is as bad as it could be, only that it is not as good as it should be, and that because the man delights in the law and longs to keep it perfectly, his continued inability to do so troubles him … The “wretched man” is Paul himself, spontaneously voicing his distress at not being a better Christian than he is, and all we know of Paul personally fits in with this supposition. So I think what Paul is saying is not that Christians live in continual defeat, but that no Christian lives in continual victory over sin.”
- I. Packer
On one hand, we might read Romans 7:14-25 and become quite discouraged, to read of the struggles the Christian has in life. On the other hand, we might read the challenges of Paul in other passages that encourage us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, or be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong, do everything in love, be humble and patient, rejoice in the Lord always, and run in such a way as to receive the prize. Frankly, we love those passages! And we would never lay these challenges aside, as these are God’s will for us. And these are not challenges that, if they were easy, or if there was not something else battling against us. We must understand this; this is part of the Christian’s battle. I love what John Piper said as he spoke about the devastating hopelessness of perfectionism. The idea that at some point the Christian life becomes easy, it doesn’t. The one who says that obedience to Christ is easy is not in the battle.
14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:14 (LSB)
This is the ultimate promise to the believer, that sin will not be master over you. In other words, you will not die spiritually; we will, as Christians, win the war against sin. But, as Piper said, that war will not be without tactical defeats, that will actually make us love our Saviour all the more. For it’s the earnestness of the war, Piper said, and the response to defeat that show your Christianity, not perfection.
So, this passage in Romans 7 is addressing the battle for the believer, and this is Paul himself, describing his own battle as a Christian. Think of some of the other descriptions that Paul does give of his pre-conversion life. He speaks (Gal 1) of how he persecuted the church; (Phil 3) he boasted in his zeal for the law; in fact, he said that, concerning the law, he was blameless. Yet in Romans 7, he is speaking of this inner struggle that is going on in his heart, now knowing the perfections of the law compared with the struggle of his sin. Leading him to conclude, not that he is blameless, but that he is the “wretched man” that he is. Another question we had asked last week was: Why would someone as spiritually mature as Paul recognize his own sin more deeply than those who are less spiritually mature?
Well, these battles expressed by Paul in Romans 7 are battles that become far more apparent in the heart of the committed believer than they ever would in the person with shallow faith. In other words, you could not be the theologian that Paul has become, teaching the deep truths of God and not be stricken with the frailty of your own heart. Think also of someone like Peter who denied his Lord three times. And, indeed, this happened early in his faith. And in fact, it was the Lord Himself who sort of recommissioned Peter back into ministry before Jesus ascended up into heaven. Yet immediately following Christ’s ascension, man, Peter took hold of the gospel, as we find him boldly preaching in the book of Acts, and he was willing to go to prison for Christ. So, we see this massive transformation in Peter’s life as he was filled with the Holy Spirit. But, years later in ministry (Gal 2) Paul wrote:
“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles, but when they came, he began to shrink back and separate himself, fearing the party of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”
Galatians 2:11-13 (LSB)
Now, we know of major news that sometimes we are made aware of in Christianity in our day and age. So-and-so said this or so-and-so did this, or this preacher has this opinion, or this church split. Well, can you imagine the Galatians Times running this story headline: The Apostle Paul rebukes the Apostle Peter! And even Barnabas gets thrown under the rug by Paul, as both Peter and Barnabas have to be two of the finest Christians in the first Century. They were both heroes in the book of Acts. But Paul says this about them: I condemned both of them, for he said they struggled with fear and hypocrisy. Both guys were likely sermon illustration the following Sunday morning, or they both were mentioned in the Babylon Bee. Peter understood that he was no longer under the law, but when some visiting Jews came from Jerusalem, Paul said that he began to shrink back, or he became a coward. We might say he became a little “yellow” or was a “chicken.” Piper said it was the kind of thing that would cause a committed Christian to say, “O wretched man that I am!” Have you ever acted one way in front of one crowd, and acted another way in front of another crowd, all because you were a little chicken or a little yellow.
Paul is addressing the times when we do not act like a Christian or think like a Christian. And it happens to us, and we hate it, don’t we? And this is a good lesson to us to understand that even Paul admits this battle. This is not one of those Christians who say that obedience is easy. It is not, for it is a battle. If anyone in all the Bible could say that Christianity was easy because of their spiritual depth, it could be Paul. I mean, he seems to relish the persecution and the hardships, but he still admits that the battle with sin is real in his life. And this passage also teaches us that yes, we have been saved by grace through faith, but we must lean so strongly on the work of the Spirit, knowing that our flesh is weak. So, on one hand, we cannot become “cocky” or over-confident because of who we are in Christ, but we also cannot become defeated, knowing that we are in a battle and we will face setbacks. In other words, do not become proud that the Lord is doing a great work in your life, but also, do not become hopeless, for God is working in your life. Good to be humble throughout. We get a similar description of the battle that goes on in the heart of the Christian in another passage, one that is addressing the Christian without question.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you do not do the things that you want.
Galatians 5:16-17 (LSB)
This passage could really be said to be a commentary of Romans 7. Notice those words, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another.” In other words, it is a battle, for how could Paul describe it any stronger than that? And he is not describing here a choice between orange or red. No, the orange guys are against the red guys, and the red guys are against the orange guys. In Elim two-pitch, it is not like the red team goes out and plays baseball on their own. No, we play against the other team. In other words, it is a battle that both teams are trying to win. In fact, the red team does not even like the orange team. The red team has made this massive turnaround this season in two-pitch, as we were actually quite good at the beginning! We are not really that great now. There is one verse I want you to notice again.
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, having been sold into bondage under sin.
Romans 7:14 (LSB)
Can a Christian truly say, having been sold into bondage, especially since Paul has said numerous times that he has been freed from sin? But I do believe we could say that the Christian has acted in sin, and therefore, in that moment of failure, he is acting as if sin were his master. This is why Paul says (Rom 6:12), “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.” Again, if we go to Galatians, we get a commentary on this verse to help us understand. Galatians 5:1, where Paul says, dear folks:
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free [a confirmation that they had been freed]. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 (LSB)
This is like the children of Israel, though they had been freed from slavery in Egypt by God, at times, they acted like they were still slaves. So yes, we are free from sin, and we are free regarding righteousness, but we can in our current lives fall back into the slavery of sin. And Paul’s challenge to us is to stand firm, so that it does not happen to you. I also wish to comment (vs 24) on who will deliver me from the body of this death, which Paul immediately praises Christ for his deliverance. But it is also important that we do not think of our bodies as the cause of sin. That was a problem in Paul’s day, among those who taught that the body was sinful and the spirit was righteous, or that the body was bad and the spirit was good. For the whole process of sanctification is to bring the whole man, all of you, every part of you into the likeness of Christ. First Corinthians 6:13, Paul taught that the body is not for immorality. A few verses later, he says that the body is for the Lord.
“Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (LSB)
Paul prayed (Phil 1) that Christ would be magnified in his body, as there is no thought in Scripture that, though we are in a battle, we would ever surrender our bodies to sin. In fact, Christianity is unique in that these human bodies will someday be transformed, as the Bible speaks about our new glorified bodies. The final question from last week: What sins may be present in my life that I have not recognized because I have not drawn closer to Christ?
Well, that is a question that cannot yet be answered, and that is definitely my passion as a pastor for you and for my own life: that we teach, we understand, we exult in a great God of a deep faith, so that His deepest desires will be fulfilled in us. Knowing that we have been justified. But also knowing that we are truly striving to be sanctified, to rid ourselves of sin. And as God becomes magnified, the greatness of our sin becomes more apparent to us. And specific sins are recognized and revealed. So, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong, do everything in love, be humble and patient, rejoice in the Lord always, and run in such a way as to receive first prize. And all God’s people said, amen.