This Is Serious

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) [Romans 8.9]

I think Romans 6-8 have been abused by carnal Christians over the years.

Paul speaks much of the power of sin and death at work against a believer in this portion of his letter the the Romans. He also makes very clear that a true believer, one in whom the Spirit of God lives, is not controlled by his sinful nature, but instead, by the Spirit of God! He includes a sidenote that those who do not have the Spirit are not saved at all. This is serious business.

Where the Church has abused Romans 6-8 is in camping out in the emotion found particularly in Romans 7.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. [Romans 7.21-25]

We (yes, I very much include myself here) tend to read Romans 7 and resign to the fact that the power of sin makes us miserable (an emotion). When we have experienced this very thing, it is easy to relate to what Paul wrote! BUT! We need to see Paul's question and answer about the problem and the solution: Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul points out that our mind is simply not powerful enough to overcome sin and death! But there IS a solution, and His name is Jesus!

Bottom line: if we are still stuck in the cycle of sin and death, we are stuck in our own minds, and therefore have not transcended out of our minds and into the realm of Christ! Did I say this is serious?

It is not enough for us to "relate" to Paul's misery conveyed in Romans 7! We must see that Romans 8 reveals what it is to be delivered from sin and death - to live by the Spirit! The mistake we make is to claim "no condemnation" from Romans 8.1 without understanding that the rest of Romans 8 describes the overwhelming victory and deliverance that accompanies living in the Spirit!

The implication of being stuck in the emotional misery described in Romans 7 is that we are not saved. How can I make such a bold statement? Because Jesus brings deliverance from the control sin has over us: 

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. [Romans 8.5-8]

If we are stuck in the emotion of Romans 7, we are stuck under the control of our sinful nature. If we are stuck in our sinful nature, we are NOT in faith and there is no possibility of pleasing God. The seriousness of this matter cannot be overexpressed!

The Spirit of God transforms us. The change is real. We are not stuck on the emotional treadmill of sin and death if we are genuinely in Christ!

Let the change be seen!

Father, help us to get off the emotional treadmill of sin and death and get real in our respective relationships with You. If we are not saved, help us to see it, repent, and simply begin to believe (with real faith that results in change). May our salvation be evident by Christ living in us, and us, living "Christ" to YOUR glory! So be it!