Victory Over The Flesh

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! … Romans 7:24-25

Paul didn’t want to leave us with the impression that God’s laws are bad (Rom. 7:13). God’s laws are meant to lead us into a meaningful life in close fellowship with Him. The real problem is our inability to live up to the standards God has set. By nature, we are flawed and inclined toward sin. We don’t set out to become enslaved to sin, but if we follow the dictates of our sinful nature, that is what would eventually happen. But we can be thankful that God has made a provision for our weaknesses, solving the sin problem through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Now, if we surrender our lives to God, we can experience His transforming power. He will provide us with the help we need to break free from slavery to our old nature and be ruled by the Holy Spirit.

Paul then described a struggle all of us can identify with. He was most revealing when he said, “I am carnal, sold under sin” (7:14). The great apostle still carnal? Yes, as long as he was alive, he had to contend with his fleshly nature. Paul said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not fi nd. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (7:18-20). Again, Paul was using the present tense to describe his assessment of his own carnal self. He recognized the power of sin in his life and admitted how helpless he was against it.

We all long to do what is good, healthy and right, but we constantly end up committing the same old sins. As we honestly reflect on our lives, we admit our failures and seek to change, but we still may fall back into our old habits again. However, we must not allow this struggle to discourage us. We need to continue to confess our sins to God, even if we have confessed the same sins numerous times. God promises to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness

(1 John 1:9). We’ll never become so spiritual that we can stop confessing our sins. In fact, when we admit that we don’t have the power to overcome the sins that entangle us, only then will we be ready to accept the help that God offers. And only with God’s power will we be able to overcome the temptations we face.