Romans Chapter 7 - The Struggle

Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Romans 7:4-6, 14-25. If believers are forgiven in Christ, why do we still struggle with sin? We've been set free from sin's consequences and have higher expectations of living for God, but we must also contend with sinful desires that don't just go away when we believe in Jesus. So long as we live in these mortal bodies, we live in the conflict between two natures: our sinful human nature and the leading of the Holy Spirit. This battle between sin and holiness faces all believers. Our remaining desire to sin doesn't mean we don't belong to Christ. Rather, our desire to cast off sin and our regret about it demonstrate that we do belong to Jesus. We will contend with sin and temptation so long as we live. Negotiation with the sinful nature is impossible, so we must daily choose to crucify our old self and yield to God's will instead. Such victory is not possible without the help of the Holy Spirit.