session 5 a fight you can’t win by...

session 5

A fiGht you cAn’t win by yourseLf

5 8 S E S S I O N 5 © 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

The PointWe are not alone in facing our ongoing struggle with sin.

The Bible Meets LifeLet’s be honest: we all struggle with sin. Even the most mature Christian still feels

the tug of sin. This can frustrate the best of us. If Christ has set me free from the

power of sin, why do I still struggle with it? The sin nature may be powerless … but

it doesn’t want to admit defeat. We do not face this struggle alone; Jesus Christ is

with us to give us victory.

The PassageRomans 7:14–8:2

The SettingIn Romans 6, Paul wrote that our freedom from sin is not a license to sin. In

Romans 7, Paul pointed out that, while we are free in Christ from the law, the law

does a good thing in pointing out our sinfulness and thus pointing us to Christ.

We still struggle with sin, but deliverance comes through Christ.

B i B l e S t u d i e S f o r l i f e 59© 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

Romans 7:14–8:2 (HCSB)

14 for we know that the law is spiritual, but i am made out of flesh, sold into sin’s power. 15 for i do not understand what i am doing, because i do not practice what i want to do, but i do what i hate. 16 And if i do what i do not want to do, i agree with the law that it is good. 17 so now i am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 for i know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. for the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 for i do not do the good that i want to do, but i practice the evil that i do not want to do. 20 now if i do what i do not want, i am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21 so i discover this principle: when i want to do what is good, evil is with me. 22 for in my inner self i joyfully agree with God’s law. 23 but i see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.

24 what a wretched man i am! who will rescue me from this dying body? 25 i thank God through Jesus christ our Lord! so then, with my mind i myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin. 8:1 therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in christ Jesus, 2 because the spirit’s law of life in christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Key Words

flesh (v. 14)—A metaphor for life outside God’s rule and thus lived independently of Him.

the law of my mind (v. 23)—It involves moral judgment and introspective capacity.

the law of sin (v. 23)—Paul used this descriptive phrase to emphasize that sin took captive his abilities and faculties.

condemnation (v. 1)—God’s negative judgment of unbelievers’ actions and attitudes.

What does the Bible say?


Notes

GEt iNto thE StuDYDISCUSS: Ask the opening question

on page 49 of the Personal Study Guide

(PSG): “If your life were a war movie,

what would it be?”

GUIDE: Point attention to “The Bible

Meets Life.” There Gollum is featured from

J.R.R. Tolkein’s trilogy Lord of the Rings.

Invite the group to compare this story to

the war within believers against sin.

SUMMARIZE: Gollum, a flawed hobbit,

had held to the corrupting power of a magic ring. In one chapter, Gollum had a heated

argument with himself switching from evil to good and back to evil again. He is a tragic

picture of defeat.

SAY: “In Romans 7, Paul spoke to the ongoing war within all believers, the enduring

struggle with indwelling sin.”

TRANSITION: In this study we’ll see how Paul identified with the struggle, but

celebrated our ultimate victory through Jesus Christ.

PRAY: Ask God to help us see how we can manage our struggle with sin.

10 minutes

B i B l e S t u d i e S f o r l i f e 61

thE PoiNt We are not alone in facing our ongoing struggle with sin.

© 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

Notes

Romans 7:14-23

14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am made out of flesh, sold into

sin’s power. 15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not

practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not

want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now I am no longer the

one doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that nothing good lives in

me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there

is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice

the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no

longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21 So I discover this

principle: When I want to do what is good, evil is with me. 22 For in my inner

self I joyfully agree with God’s law. 23 But I see a different law in the parts of

my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to

the law of sin in the parts of my body.

READ: Call on a volunteer to read Romans 7:14-23.

DISCUSS: Question #2 on page 52 of the PSG: “Does Paul’s tug-of-war

testimony confuse, discourage, or encourage you? Why?”

SUMMARIZE: The moment you enter God’s kingdom, He makes you His. He

starts polishing and preparing you on the path to holiness. You will still face

temptation and feel embarrassed by your misbehavior. But when you’re filled by

God’s Spirit you have the ability to move forward, to hold your head up high, to

overcome.

StuDY thE BiBLE

TIP: Group members will respond more positively to you and your teaching if they feel you care about them.

5 minutes

62 S E S S I O N 5 © 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

Romans 7:14-23 Commentary

In chapter 6, Paul taught the startling truth that Christians have “died to sin” (6:2). They “walk in a new

way of life” (v. 4). He pointed out this dramatic reversal point-blank and repeatedly. Paul also described

Roman Christians in terms of a striking, powerful, identity reversal: “liberated from sin” and “enslaved to

righteousness” (v. 18). These descriptive identity changes, startling as they may be, are grand realities of

every person who trusts the living Christ, including today’s Christians.

Even the most mature Christian feels the powerful pull of sin. Paul, a godly first-century Christian

leader struggled against sin also and fully disclosed his personal strivings in 7:14–8:2. The picture is

autobiographical, but exemplifies the relentless war facing all believers. Interpreters struggle with

whether Paul wrote about himself before salvation or after his conversion. In support of the view that

verses 14-23 describe Paul’s life before faith in Christ is the absence of any reference to the Holy Spirit,

mentioned 19 times in chapter 8. On the other hand, Paul’s use of “I,” joy with God’s law (v. 22), and

victory because Jesus had rescued him from a dying body (vv. 24-25) seem to describe his present state.

This commentary takes the position that Paul wrote of his personal battles as a Christian believer.

In verse 14, Paul contrasted his life as a believer to life under the Law of Moses. He sharply pointed out

that the law is spiritual, but he was not. In fact, Paul described himself as one made out of flesh,

sold into sin’s power. The Law is not evil. On the contrary, the Law is good because it originated with

God Himself. With refreshing candor, he revealed the ongoing struggle between his heart’s desire to

live righteously for Christ and his personal failure to conquer and bury sin’s power.

In verse 15, the apostle opened a window for his readers to peer into to his ongoing conflicts within

himself. Verses 16 and 17 seem to explain further Paul’s point. As evidence of the Law’s goodness and

his own sinfulness, Paul confessed, I do not practice what I want to do. Instead, he said, I do what

I hate. The apostle’s own behavior seemed without sense to him. At times Paul did what he knew to be

wrong and failed to do what he knew to be right. His conscience agreed that the Law’s precepts were

right and good. Consequently the problem did not lie with the Mosaic Law, but with Paul’s nature.

Paul stated in verses 16 and 17 two results of his erratic, yet strangely consistent, behavior. One was

he agreed with the law that it is good. The Law revealed God’s way to live. Its standards for moral

behavior are excellently good. Paul recognized that his best intentions were in keeping with God’s law,

but his personal guilt in not living by its moral precepts was the problem.




Notes

Romans 7:14-23 (Continued)

DISCUSS: Question #3 on page 53 of the PSG: “Since Christians have died

to sin, why do we still struggle with sin?”

GUIDE: Offer Simon Peter as an example of a dedicated-to-Jesus believer who

struggled with sin. Instruct group members to review the “Romans 7:14-23”

section and share highlights of Peter’s story.

GUIDE: Invite group members to respond to The Point at the top of the

“Romans 7:14-23” section: “We are not alone in facing our ongoing

struggle with sin.”

DO: Guide the group to complete the activity on page 53 of the PSG:

The Hungry Beast of Sin

Attitudes and actions that feed the beast of sin in my life: __________________

_____________________________________________________________

Actions and habits that can starve the beast of sin in my life: ________________

_____________________________________________________________

TRANSITION: Rather than simply lament over sin, we can find a path out of

the misery.

StuDY thE BiBLE15 minutes


Romans 7:14-23 Commentary (Continued)

Paul’s so now in verse 17 opens the door to a conclusion regarding his inner conflict with sin. His

avowal, I am no longer the one doing it seems like a disclaimer against any personal wrongdoing.

Paul, however, was not disavowing personal accountability for sin. He was pointing out the reality that

as a Christian believer he still faced an ongoing conflict with sin. That conflict was winnable by the Holy

Spirit’s power, who lived and worked in him even though, as Paul recognized, sin still lived in him too.

Again the apostle pictured his struggle as an ongoing battle in his own life. While today’s believers

may want their spiritual heroes of faith to live powerfully and flawlessly, Paul did not picture himself as

a spiritual giant who conquered sin’s sway with one crushing blow. Continued living for Christ means,

even for the most spiritually mature, continued struggles with sin, but struggles that are winnable

because the Spirit of the living Christ lives in all believers.

Verses 18-19 tightly fit together. Paul declared a regretful, bold, and uncompromising reality: For I

know that nothing good lives in me. Left to himself, Paul was hopelessly bound to a sinful state

of existence day after day. He quickly followed up that stark assertion with the clarification, that is, in

my flesh, meaning life without Christ and His transforming power. The apostle viewed his situation as

hopeless—apart from Christ and His life and power present in Paul’s life. He was living and longing to

do what was right, but faltering and failing to find the power for success. Personal desire was alive and

well to do what is good, but he had no ability to do it. With stark admittance Paul stared failure in

the face and owned it: I practice the evil that I do not want to do. The dark power that denied his

hope was, as he tersely put it, the sin that lives in me.

Verses 22 and 23 pair up to explain verse 21, where Paul said evil is with me every time he wanted

to do what is good. His inner self, meaning the deepest reaches of his heart, including conscience,

will, motives, intellect, and emotions, took delight in God’s law. So strong was this evil principle that

the apostle described it as waging war against the law of my mind and often winning the battle.

He said this law’s power was strong enough to make him prisoner to the law of sin in his body. He

pictured himself as a prisoner of war to this malevolent force.

Paul’s frequent use of the personal pronoun “I” throughout verses 14-23 placed him on the front line

of warfare with sin’s relentless appeal and pull. Daily the battle dogged his life. Every morning Paul

awakened from a night’s sleep, his personal war started all over again. The apostle’s autobiographical

sketch in verses 14-23 exemplifies the struggle all believers experience. Is this war winnable or are we

doomed to daily defeat? Paul next answered this question with a burst of gladness and confidence.




Notes

Romans 7:24-8:2

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body? 25 I

thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am

a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin. 8:1 Therefore, no

condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the Spirit’s law

of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

READ: Romans 7:24–8:2.

SAY: “To lament is to cry, to wail, to howl, to grieve. Paul lamented over the

disappointing reality of his ongoing sin.”

GUIDE: Direct the group to point out both Paul’s and David’s lament in the

“Romans 7:24–8:2” section of the PSG.

ENHANCEMENT: Use Pack Item 4: “I Agree with God” to acknowledge the

inner struggle and to notice why we so want to do the right thing.

DISCUSS: Question #4 on page 54 of the PSG: “How does freedom in

Christ make a difference in our struggle with sin?”

DISCUSS: Question #5 on page 55 of the PSG: “What weapons have been

most helpful to you in your fight against sin?”

TRANSITION: Let’s conclude by finding some sin-fighting actions to take while

we wait for the end of this ongoing battle with sin.

StuDY thE BiBLE10 minutes


Romans 7:24-8:2 Commentary

Paul laid out in plain words an ongoing battle with a powerful foe—the tendency to follow sin’s way,

not God’s way. He struggled to gain dominance over this pull away from obedience to God, but he didn’t

have the power in himself to achieve that grand goal. In despair, Paul burst out in exclamation: What

a wretched man I am! In this outburst we hear the cry of a genuinely desperate man longing to be

much better than he knew himself to be. Paul answered his own question with a burst of thanksgiving:

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

The apostle’s point in verses 24-25 is not believers’ eventual deliverance from sin’s power in heaven. It is

rather the daily conflict with sin every Christian experiences throughout his or her life on earth. It is that

warfare Christ enables all believers to win. God’s people are helpless if they battle sin with their own

vaunted self-sufficiency. Victory over sin’s power comes only through Jesus Christ. No doubt, the law

of God is stronger than the “law of sin” (7:23) and thus sets His people free from sin’s tyranny (see 8:37).

In chapter 8 Paul turned to the reality of the life-giving Spirit. To overview briefly verses 1-2 (with

details to follow), Paul began with therefore. Those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer under

condemnation for their sins. Rather, God declares believers righteous in His sight and consequently

free from guilt due to sin. Amazing! That’s every believer’s unchanging and unchangeable status with

the living God. It’s the gospel in a nutshell.

In a closer look at Paul’s announcement in verses 1-2, he first stated a wonderful reality regarding every

believer (v. 1), then gave the reason, or explanation, for it (v. 2). First is the reality that no condemnation

now exists for those in Christ Jesus. The word no is the translation of an emphatic negative adverb

that states complete stoppage, a total ceasing. When Jesus was crucified, God expended on the Savior

all condemning and just judgments against those who would trust Him.

The second reality is that believers are in Christ Jesus. All who trust Christ are in Him in the sense of a

permanent union. This union is not simply attachment. It is union with Christ present 24/7 in His people

that results in His presence and power dominating their lives. All believers struggle daily against sin, but

they are no longer slavishly dominated by it. Being in Christ, they can stand defiantly against sin.

Paul next referred to two laws operating in our world. One is the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus,

and the second is the law of sin and of death. The word “law” here probably refers to a fundamental

operating principle, or belief, or truth. One law brings death; the other law brings life.




Notes

LiVE it outSAY: “It’s freeing to know we’ll become more and more like Jesus. But what do we

do in the meantime?”

> Win the next battle. Just one. Choose to treat someone well. Choose to

walk away from the temptation.

> Repent. Talk freely with God about your sin. Confess it and then turn from it.

Memorize 1 John 1:9 as a reminder.

> Close the door of temptation. Identify what makes it easy for you to fall

into sin and take steps to make it difficult. For example: someone struggling

with pornography should place the computer in a public area of the house.

Wrap It Up

SAY: “Only the second coming of Christ will end our epic battle with sin. So fight

on. Dig in your heels. When sin pulls, pull back until sin falls in the mud. Jesus has

already delivered the death blow.”

5 minutes


My group's prayer requests

Additional suggestions for specific groups (women, men, parents, boomers, and singles)

are available at BibleStudiesforLife.com/blog.

Walking with a Limp

Lust. It’s one of the reasons I almost didn’t write my latest book. When asked to keep a diary of my attempt to live without telling a lie for an entire year for the book To Be Perfectly Honest, I knew I couldn’t do so without confessing that I’m still capable of lust. I know what you’re thinking. Are you kidding? At your age? You’re 50. Man, you have one foot in the grave and the other on a skateboard.

to continue reading “walking with a Limp” from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles.

B i B l e S t u d i e S f o r l i f e 69© 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay

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