Romans 7: 13 - 26

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognised as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ So I find this law at work: although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Who Will Rescue Me?

Paul has been leading up to this explanation of the law and sin. The law is good, but through knowing it we are tempted to break it. At the end of Friday’s reading, Paul suggests that it seems that the more we know the law, the more we sin by breaking it! And now, in today’s reading, Paul paints a tragic picture, and one that we can all relate to. Even if this is not a permanent picture of what our lives are like, we have all known this experience at some time.

Paul says that what he really wants is to do good. He wants to do the right thing, and he wants to obey the law of God. But as an imperfect, sinful human being, he finds that sometimes the exact opposite occurs. He wants to do good, but fails to do so. He really doesn’t want to do bad or evil things, and yet finds that he is drawn to them and even does them. It might sound a bit strange – like a person who is controlled by some other ‘law’ inside them; but actually it is something we can all recognise in ourselves. We know the good things we should do – being kind and generous, showing love and helping others, spending time in prayer and reading the Bible and worshipping God. And yet, when it comes to it, we choose not to do those things. The temptation to do something else, and not to bother with the good things becomes overwhelming. Having started the day with good intentions and plans to do good things, by the end of the day we look back and realise that we hardly did any of it. Or maybe there is persistent sinful behaviour – selfishness and choosing wrong rather than right. We decide to definitely not do those things… and yet we still give in to temptation and do them.

I am not saying this is our story every day (if you are finding that it is, take time to talk it through with a Christian friend and pray together about it). But all of us can say, yes, at some time, that has been our story. And maybe we feel trapped in the wrong cycle – ‘who will rescue me?’ Paul asks that exact question in verse 24: ‘What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?’ And then, in the first half of verse 25, this glorious answer comes: ‘Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!’

If we follow Jesus, and trust in him, and are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can live, every day in his will. Yes, we will sometimes slip, and when we do we can come to him in confession and repentance and know we will be forgiven. But the important thing is that in the Spirit, the cycle of sin is broken and we are no longer in chains, slaves to sin, but now we have true freedom! Again – get in touch with me or another Christian friend if you feel this is not your experience at the moment.

 

Prayer

Lord, I thank you that I am no longer in chains. You have rescued me from slavery to sin. Thank you that the answer to our problem is in verse 25: ‘Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ Amen.