The last half of Romans 7 deals with the inner conflict that comes to every child of God. The struggle against sin does not come to an end when one becomes a Christian. In fact, the conflict intensifies. For one thing, a converted person is much more sensitive to sin than the nonchristian is. Before conversion, we thought that beating the bus company out of its fare was a clever thing; and that dressing in the latest styles was a smart thing; and that the accumulation of wealth was a sign of success – but now our consciences don’t permit such thinking – and so the conflict between good and evil becomes all the greater. In Romans 7:14-15, Paul says that he knew what was right and wanted to do what was right, and yet somehow he didn’t always do it. He also knew what was wrong and the last thing he wanted to do, was to do wrong – yet somehow he did it. Romans 7 comes to an end with a cry for deliverance. It describes a man who is trying to be good by his own efforts, but every time he is beaten back by the power of indwelling sin. Mere human willpower cannot deliver us (Romans 7:18). Romans 8 brings the promise of deliverance. In this chapter a powerful Person is introduced One who comes in to take control. When we are baptized into Christ, we find ourselves in possession of a new Power, the indwelling Spirit of God (Acts 2:38). It is almost unbelievable, but it is true, that the Spirit of God comes to live inside us. His presence within us awakens spiritual life, and He gives us power to walk in holiness and to bring forth good fruits for God – if we let Him. Sanctification is not so much the expelling of sin as it is yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit. If a person chooses to put himself in front of a huge fire, it is no longer within his choice as to whether or not he will feel warm. He is going to feel warm because the law of nature works independently of him. From the moment he places himself in front of the fire (and as long as he stays there), he is going to be warm. And so it is with things spiritual. If we yield ourselves to God, He will begin to operate independently of our ability to do things. The old nature is in us and it is still very active, trying to pull us down. But as we more and more walk in the Spirit we will find ourselves less and less fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). To “walk” is “to advance by steps.” Daily we are to live under the influences of the Holy Spirit. We are to be alert when temptation comes and to reckon ourselves dead to sin. God’s great purpose in saving people is to conform us more and more to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). God would like Jesus reproduced in the life of every believer. One of the secrets of victory in the Christian life is to know something about the enemy. Three Enemies of the Christian Life The Bible teaches that each of us has a number of enemies which will war against us as long as we live. Life here on earth is a battle ground. The Christian must be a good soldier. The hymn writer says, “Sure, I must fight if I would reign; increase my courage Lord. I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy Word.” Many who come to Christ are victims of the mistaken notion that salvation marks the end of serious temptation. The fact is that conversion really only marks the beginning of a great spiritual conflict. Before conversion, the devil had full sway in our lives. Satan had things going his way and he did not have to put up a fight. But when we stepped out on the Lord’s side, conflict became a major issue. Thus we read in 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life where unto thou art called.” The Christian life is indeed a warfare. Paul says in Ephesians 6:12 that “we wrestle” against the powers of darkness. It is a tragic distortion of truth when sometimes church leaders and evangelists imply that becoming a Christian leads to a life of ease – and that it is simple and smooth. They imply that to come out on the Lord’s side cures everything – one dose and there’s no more trouble! And then there are certain brands of preachers who say that to go on fighting and struggling is a sign that one has never had a real experience with the Lord. But notice that in Ephesians 6 the battle is a warfare which you and i have to wage. The grammatical construction of Ephesians 6:10 says, “You be strong,” and in Ephesians 6:11, “You put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand.” The teaching which says that if you have been trying to fight the battle, you must stop doing so; hand it over to the Lord and all will be well – that kind of teaching is not found in Ephesians 6, nor is it found anywhere in the Bible. You must fight! You must keep on fighting! God’s people are pilgrims and strangers here on earth. We are runners in a race; we are sheep in a sheepfold; we are branches of a vine. But also, the Bible says that we are soldiers engaged in a battle against spiritual enemies. The Christian faces three bitter enemies – the world, the flesh , and the devil. All three enemies exert their powerful influence in order to bring us down to defeat. 1. THE OUTER ENEMY – THE WORLD The Scriptures instruct us to “love not the world” (1 John 2:15) and they remind us that to be a friend of the world is to be an “enemy of God” (James 4:4). The “world” is that whole value-system which dominates society, and is contrary to the ways of God. The term “the world” is used in several ways in the Bible. It sometime
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 22:29:58 +0000
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