Romans_7
Scripture
Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
Observation-What does it say?
At the beginning of this chapter, Paul tells us that it is through Jesus’ death that we are united to him. We were once slaves to the law, by which we understand sin, but we are now freed from it through the cross. So if I am free from sin, why do I still struggle with it. Paul states that we struggle with sin because we are alive in the flesh, despite how we want to live in our spirit.
Understanding-What does it mean?
I like to ride bikes. It doesn’t matter much what kind, road bike, mountain bike, even beach cruisers from time to time. I have even been known to ride a dirt bike from time to time (but that usually doesn’t end well #brokenleg). One thing that I tend to struggle with when I ride my bike is turning as I am riding down hills. I can’t seem to get over the fear of going fast and turning.
Part of the problem is that instead of looking towards the horizon to see what I am approaching. Instead, I get fixated on the obstacles that are directly in front of my front wheel, like small rocks, little patches of sand, an oil spot, etc. All these things are so small that you naturally avoid them when you are focussed on where you are going instead of minute problems. When you focus up ahead, you can avoid the larger problems, like cars and bends in the road, the things which can cause much greater harm. This is the same lesson we learned in Driver’s Ed, look as far ahead in traffic as possible.
In my life if I want to struggle less with my sin, I need to change my focus to what’s up ahead. I need to set my sights on the eternal an not the temporary. To paraphrase what Pastor Gary said on Sunday, we are aliens here, and our citizenship is in heaven. My striving should not be for the temporary, or the things I want here, i.e. a new truck or a promotion at work (not that there is anything inherently sinful about those things). My striving needs to be heaven bound. Philippians 3:8-14
Life Application