October 22 – Struggle with Sin – Romans 7
Paul addresses the struggle with sin. Understand that Paul is a veteran Christian while writing about his struggles. We never fully “conquer” our sin problem until we get to Heaven. Paul mentions the importance of understanding and applying the Bible in verse 7. It is the key to identifying sin in our life. Many go through life with the motto “ignorance is bliss.” To an extent this is true. It is “bliss,” until you face the consequences. Just because I don’t know I am sinning, does not remove the consequences from my life. If you want to remove the consequences from your life, you must remove the sin. If you want to remove the sin, you must identify the sin as God sees sin. If you want to identify the sin, you must apply the Law. The Law Paul is speaking of in this chapter is the Old Testament.
Many today hold fast to living “under grace” and discard the Law. Paul shows the importance of the Law. Without the Law our flesh runs free. When our flesh runs free, the Holy Spirit is quenched. To say “I live under grace without the applied Law” is to fulfill the lust of the flesh openly. Let’s not get caught up in justifying our fleshly desires. Let’s focus on pleasing God.
