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Indwelling Sin
The Christian life is a war with many battles. Indwelling sin must be chased, killed, and weakened like a band of guerrilla soldiers. Kill sin, or it will kill you. You are a Trojan horse.
II. The law has no power to produce sanctification in a sinner/saint. It only highlights a person’s failures in obedience. vs. 14-25
A. Transitional statement (vs. 14) that
concludes the former section and introduces the new section. This section
(14-25) discusses the believer. Paul says that even with the law he is still
the same person, weak, and helpless to obey God in his own strength. But he clearly
understands right and wrong (sin).
B. A puzzling situation—being pulled in
two directions. My desire is to obey God, but my body and mind go back to
obeying sin. I do not understand myself. vs. 15
C. A necessary admission and confession—the
problem is in me while the law is good and doing what it is supposed to do. I
am the one failing to obey; the law is working; it is showing me what attitudes
and actions I should have and do have, and it exposes my lack of compliance,
and it displays that I am the problem. vs. 16
D. An enlightening proposition — there is
a war going on inside me. vs. 17-19
1. Indwelling sin is an enemy force
inside the believer. Sin is not just outside me, nor is it just the absence of
good. The believer has indwelling sin.
2. If I submit to it, my indwelling sin
will lead me into all kinds of wrong thoughts, words, and deeds. vs. 17
3. My flesh is a house of sin, and in
this quadrant of my being nothing good dwells at all. This is ever-present in
the believer. The flesh is not trained to do good, but to do the opposite, sin,
rebellion and transgression. vs. 18
4. At the same time, a real believer has a
God-given strong desire to obey God and His Word, but we as persons are weak
and helpless to perform righteousness all the time. vs. 18
5. Each day the believer will fall to the
power of indwelling sin in word, thought, and deed and do the things he/she
hates. (If a person has no tension and still is in love with sin, they are not
yet delivered). vs. 19
6. When I allow indwelling sin to lead me,
I am miserable because I am acting, saying, and doing things I hate and that
produce guilt. vs. 20
7. This is a principle that never fails—while
my soul is still in my body (until my death), I will always have indwelling sin
inside me, while at the same time, I desire to obey the indwelling Holy Spirit
and the Word of God. vs. 21
E. An accurate conclusion, I am at war on
the inside. The Christian life is difficult and involves an internal struggle.
vs.22-23
1. The inner person joyfully agrees with
God’s moral law. vs. 22
2. Something keeps me from fully keeping
that law (indwelling sin). vs. 23
3. There is another principle that is true:
the outer person, my body, has indwelling sin inside it, which fights against the
truth in my mind. There is a war in my mind, will, and emotions. (You cannot
trust your heart). vs. 23
4. If I do not fight the indwelling sin
inside my body, it will take me prisoner and lead both body and soul into sin.
vs.23
5. If I ignore my indwelling sin, it gets
stronger and will lead me into captivity and cause all my good intentions and
desires to fail. vs. 23
6. [If I fight indwelling sin, the
biblical way, it becomes weak and quiet] Rom 8:13, 13:8-14
F. An overwhelmed exclamation—I am a
wretched, distressed, miserable person. I long for this war with indwelling sin
to be over, and I hate sin and love Jesus. vs. 24
1. The believer’s soul at death is set
free from the presence of indwelling sin forever. Heb 12:23; Rev 6:9-11
2. At the resurrection, our glorified
bodies will be free from the presence of sin forever and be joined to our
souls. 1 Cor 15:51-58; 1 Thess 4:13-18
3. I am trying to be good and do good works,
yet I fail repeatedly. How can I get out of this mess? Who will deliver me from
this war with my new nature, the Holy Spirit, new loves and desires versus
indwelling sin, this remaining corruption?
G. A victorious proclamation—Praise God,
Jesus is the only way out of this struggle with sin’s indwelling presence.
Through deliverance, salvation through the Messiah, once I have fully received
my salvation in the future, I will be free from sin. vs. 25
H. An honest declaration—I am
inconsistent in my lifestyle before God. vs.25
1. My mind often serves the law of God
and obeys the Word of God.
2. My flesh (where my indwelling sin
resides) often serves the law of sin.
3. In my own power, I cannot live for God;
I will fail over and over again.
4. If I allow indwelling sin to get
strong, fortified, and well stocked, it will be very difficult to overcome. It
will win numerous battles inside me.
5. The moral law is the guide to godly living,
but never the power, strength, or the governor of the believer (grace). The law
does not bring death to the sinner; transgressing the law brings death. All
sinners must die.
6. I am a mess, but through the Messiah
Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Rom 8) I can live a life by grace that pleases God,
motivated by love and gratitude.
7. The Christian life involves a constant
struggle—the battle of our redeemed faculties and nature against indwelling
sin. It is deceptive and loves surprise. attacks. It fights against the means
of grace, its greatest enemies.
