Romans 7:14-25
PAUL'S SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY - PART 2
Intro: This is one of the easiest passages in the Bible
for me to identify with. It tells the absolute truth about
the life of the believer!
Some commentators feel that Paul is describing the
life of a carnal Christian. That he is telling us how
saved men who refuse to yield to the Spirit of God live
their lives. Yet, I read these verses and to me they are
intensely personal. It is as if Paul rips the covers back
from his life and gives us an intimate portrait of himself
and of how he struggles through life.
No, this isn't a description of a carnal believer! This
is a portrait of a maturing saint! It is the way life is for
the child of God; described with no punches pulled and
no holds barred. This is how life was for Paul.
However, most of us, if we were honest, could say
that we can identify with everything Paul says in these
verses. While Paul is writing his own autobiography, he
is, at the same time, writing about our lives as well.
Let's look into these verses this evening and see
ourselves, as we are portrayed in this passage.
I. V. 14 PAUL STATES THE FACTS
A. The Law Is Spiritual - Paul has just stated in
the previous verses that there is a problem
between himself and the Law of God. The
problem is not the Law, the problem is Paul. He
reminds us that the Law of God is spiritual in
nature. The Law is a good thing and it lays down
rule for proper living. The very fact that it
originated with God is proof positive that it is not
bad. The problem does not lie with the Law, but
with man!
B. The Flesh Is Sinful - The word "carnal" means
"fleshly". While the Law would teach man how
to live godly, Man's flesh is only interested in that
which is sinful!
(Ill. What Paul is telling us here is that there is a
part of him that is still under bondage to sin! The
old nature, that is to be reckoned dead indeed
unto sin, is in fact alive and well! There is a part
of us that cannot sin! Our spirit has been
redeemed and has been forever sealed from sin.
We cannot sin in that part of our beings!
However, this flesh is as wicked as it ever was!
It is as mean as it ever was and it still possesses
all the same old, ungodly, worldly appetites that
it has always had. It is as Paul states here "sold
under sin". It always has been and ever will be
the slave of sin! The flesh is wicked!
(Ill. Sin is so wretched and powerful in the life of
even the redeemed person that it contaminates
everything he touches and is ever striving to
dominate all of life! We are locked in a battle
this evening that is difficult, but it is one that is
described in detail in these verses!)
I. Paul States The Facts
II. V. 15-20 PAUL STATES HIS FAILURES
A. V. 15-16 The Contest - Paul describes the
struggle that exists within every believer this
evening. The word "allow" in verse 15 means
"to know". Paul is saying that he does not even
know why he does what he does! He wants to
live right, he wants to say the right things and
think the right things, but before he knows what
has happened, he has sinned and fallen short of
the glory of God.
The simplest way to understand what the
Apostle is saying is that there is a part of him
that affirms the Law. That new man, who came
to life on the Road to Damascus, wants to do the
will of the Lord and strives to do so, but at the
same time, there is another part of Paul that
yearns for everything the Law denies. When
God says something is good, the flesh wants just
the opposite. When the Law says something is
bad, the flesh says that it is good. It is a contest
between the old man and the new man, Gal.
5:17.
B. V. 18-19 The Contestants - Paul tells us that
there are two "Pauls". One wants to do right and
the other wants to do wrong. These two men
share one body and they fight over everything.
He finds that he is hindered when it comes time
to do the right thing and he is helped when it
comes time to do the wrong thing.
(Ill. How many of us can identify with this
tonight? There is a part of us that wants to
please God in everything we do, but there is
another part of us that fights us at every turn.
Friends, this can be a very frustrating way to live
life!)
C. V. 17, 20 The Conclusion - Twice in these
verses, Paul tells us that the problem is his old
sin nature. The good news is that it isn't the
saved, new Paul that is constantly doing the evil
and avoiding the good. It is the old Paul, who
still longs for wickedness that is at fault here.
(Ill. Paul isn't making excuses for his sins! Paul
isn't throwing up his hands and saying, "Oh well,
why fight it? If it feels good do it!" That isn't his
attitude at all, and that will become clear in a
moment. However, that is the attitude that has
been adopted by many believers this evening.
Many people grow weary from the struggle and
give in to the will of the flesh. There will never
be victory when that happens! No! Paul's
statement is not one of resignation, it is one of
victory! He is telling us that there is a new man
living in his body and that new man is above that
old sinful lifestyle. That new man loves the Lord
and that new man will fight until the day he is
delivered from the fight and from the body of sin
and evil!)
I. Paul States The Facts
II. Paul States His Failures
III. V. 21-23 PAUL STATES HIS FINDINGS
A. V. 21 A Companion - Paul's discovery is that
every time he tries to do the good, evil is always
there! Every good word, every good deed, every
good thought, every good motive and every good
thing is challenged by evil. If we are able to any
good thing, it is always the result of a battle!
(Ill. Isn't it true that when we would do good,
there is always the temptation to do evil? Isn't it
hard to keep your motives pure? Isn't it difficult
to control the thought processes so that good
wins out? Sure it is! The only people who do
not struggle with a sinful nature are those people
who are lost in sin! They are following the
course of nature, Eph. 2:1-3. However, when a
person tries to go against the grain of the flesh
and the world, there will always be a struggle!
Sin is a constant, wicked companion!)
B. V. 22 A Confession - Paul now lets us in on a
secret concerning himself. He loves the Law!
Whatever God has said in His Word is a delight
to the new Paul!
(Ill. This is true for every saved individual! If you
are saved by the grace of the Lord, you love His
Word! When the Lord reveals His will to you,
you are delighted and want to do it with all your
heart. That is a good sign! If a person hears the
Word of God and hates the thoughts of doing
things God's way, that tells me that a person is
not saved. However, when the Word of God is
our delight and the standard for living, that is a
sign that we are dealing with a saved individual!)
(Ill. I praise the Lord for His Word! I want to do
it with all my heart, don't you? However, this
flesh that I live in just does not like the Word!
There is a battle raging in me that will endure
until the end of this earthly life. The same is true
for you as well, isn't it?)
C. V. 23 A Captivity - Although Paul's heart is set
on doing the will of God, there is another part of
himself that fights him at every turn and seeks to
bring him into captivity! As Jesus Himself said,
"The spirit indeed is will, but the flesh is
weak.", Matt. 26:41.
(Ill. Again, this is a situation with which all of us
can identify. The inner man wants God, the
fleshly man wants the world! Thankfully, there
was nothing wrong with Paul's salvation, and
there is nothing wrong with yours! Even though
Paul struggled with his flesh, he was still right
with God. In fact, at the instant of salvation, the
believer is as right with the Lord as he will ever
be, and that state can never change! We are
justified by faith and the condition of the flesh
can never change that truth. Now, that is not a
license to sin, that is a motivation for holiness!)
Paul's problem is that the flesh is ever trying
to bring him into bondage. That is a problem we
all face day to day. If we are not diligent in our
struggle with the flesh, we will be defeated by
our sin! If we do not take our stand against the
flesh, it will win the day! Paul fought his flesh, 1
Cor. 9:25-27; 1 Cor. 6:12-13. While we are
saved by grace, and that salvation is forever, we
must fight sin every moment of our lives. It is a
battle that will never end!
I. Paul States The Facts
II. Paul States His Failures
III. Paul States His Findings
IV. V. 24-25 PAUL STATES HIS FAITH
A. V. 24 Paul's Problem - Paul expresses his
desire to be free from his decaying, fleshly
nature. He wants to be free. I think he was
frustrated and defeated by his own inability to
overcome evil. He wants to be free! Ill. That is
the desire of all of God's children this evening!
How many of us are truly pleased when we face
the truth of how we actually live? The answer is
that none of us can be pleased with the way we
are. We need to be free!
(Ill. Paul's description of himself! Paul calls
himself a "wretched man" Surely, this doesn't
describe the great Apostle does it? I think so! I
believe that as a Christian matures in the Lord
and learns more about God, that person
becomes more keenly aware of just how wicked
he really is. I know that has been my
experience! The older I grow in the Lord, the
worse I look beside Him. We are a wretched
people!)
B. V. 25a Paul's Prospect - Here Paul states
where his victory is coming from. He reminds his
readers that the day is coming when the children
of God will be delivered from the wretched
bodies. When the Lord comes for His own,
whether it be by the clods or by the clouds, we
will leave this flesh behind when we leave this
world behind. I long for that day! How about
you?
(Ill. However, I think there is another meaning in
view here! I believe the Apostle is praising the
Lord for the victory he has right now, in the midst
of his battle. Even though we fail and fall into
sin, even though we come short so often, there
are times when we grow in the Lord. There are
times when we get His will right. There are times
when we love like He does, live like He does and
look like He does. Those are victorious times!
Even in the middle of my worst day, Jesus is still
working on the clay and He is making me in His
image! That is a victory, no matter how it is
sliced!)
C. V. 25b Paul's Proposal - This verse is not a
declaration of Paul's defeat. He is not saying
that he will just keep wanting to do what is right
in his heart while he keeps doing what is wrong
with his body. What he is saying is that he is not
giving up the fight! There will be good days and
there will be bad days, but he is going to stay the
course! He is not giving up, he is resolving to
fight!
(Ill. What a lesson for the children of God!
Instead of rolling over and making it easy for the
flesh to gain its victory, let us fight and take our
stand for God. Fight the flesh, fight sin, fight the
will to do wrong. Determine this evening to
renew the fight against evil and to live for the
Lord.)
Conc: Have you seen yourself in these verses? Well,
I have! I have seen the same struggle in my life that
Paul wrote about, and I am encouraged! I will leave you
with the request that you examine your life right now
and see how well you are fighting the fight. Are you
giving in too easily? Are you allowing the flesh to gain
the upper hand without a fight? If the flesh will make
inroads into your life and mine, let's determine that it will
not do so without a fight!
