On Romans 7 - Being a Slave

"How many times have I fed on ashes instead of feasting on the Word? How many times has my deluded heart misled me?"- Beth Moore

I read this today from Praying God's Word Day by Day, and it really struck a chord with me. Beth Moore then goes on to a prayer based on Romans 7:15 - 21.

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my ming and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." (Romans 7:15 - 25)

Wow! I always have to read this passage very slowly. It is so confusing! I guess it comes down to the fact that there is a battle being fought in the heavenly realms, and I have to choose who I will be a slave to - God's law or the law of sin. It is a constant struggle for me. I know what I want to do - to follow God's law and be what He wants me to be. It is so difficult sometimes to do that, though. It is so much easier to just be lazy and not spend time in the Word or in prayer. But then I am being a slave to sin.

Paul sums it up so well: "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (v. 15) If Paul struggled with this, what chance do I have?!

Fortunately, Romans 8 goes on: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (vv. 1 - 2) Hallelujah! Even though there is a battle waging within me and around me, I am set free from the law of sin. I don't have to be a slave to it and I am not condemned. God has given the Spirit of life to give us victory over sin. I just need to allow Him to work through me and stop being lazy!

Colossians 2 and 3 - Freedom from Regulations

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross." (vv. 13 - 14)

When we receive Christ's salvation, we are no longer under the law. We are completely free in Christ. We do not need to submit to the power and authority of the law, we submit to the power and authority of Christ in God. Does this mean we can do whatever we want? By no means. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me - but I will not be mastered by anything." So in our freedom, we need to make sure we don't give mastery of ourselves over to any earthly thing. We also need to refrain from things that would lead others into sin or that would not be beneficial to us or to others.

Paul continues in Colossians 3 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things... Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry... You must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (vv. 1-2, 5-6, 8-10)

So we are free from the law, but we still need to rid ourselves of things that belong to the earthly nature and that do not glorify God.