Rev. Arturo Mendez  07/09/2023

Sermon:Romans 7:14-25

Sermon Theme: "Sold to Sin, Set Free by Grace: The Battle of Human Nature"

 

¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

First, let me briefly contextualize this passage. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, addresses the crucial question of justification  The apostle teaches us that we are all sinners and that the law cannot save us. In this chapters, he delves into the inner conflict that every believer experiences in our daily life. It exposes the struggle between the flesh and the spirit, between wanting to do good and the inability to do it. He shares his own experience, recognizing human weakness and the need for God's grace.

As we examine this passage, we must remember that Paul is not presenting a justification for sin or an excuse for our lack of obedience. Rather, it shows us how knowledge of the law reveals our inability to fully fulfill it, which leads us to depend on God's grace. So we all are incapable to do what is right, as we all confess, we are miserable sinners, I confess onto you that I have sin in word, thoughts and deeds and we cannot free ourselves for that sinful condition it is only by the grace of God that Sustain us. And forgive us. 

Paul begins by stating, "For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold unto sin" (Romans 7:14). Here, the apostle acknowledges that the law is good and holy, but he also shows us the reality of our own internal struggle. The Apostle Paul identifies himself as "carnal" and "sold out to sin," recognizing his sinful nature and his need for redemption. And teaches us to do the same, acknowledging our own sinful condition, and the need of Help and redemption as well, 

He goes on to say, "Well, what I do, I don't understand; for I do not do what I will, but what I hate, that I do" (Romans 7:15). These words of Paul express kind a the frustration that many of us have experienced. because of our old Adam that it is attached to our Flesh, Often, we find ourselves doing what we know is wrong and not doing what we know is right. So we use the Law as a mirror to reflect in us Our inability to do Good. We all are slaves to Sin as it is said in Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Paul continues in verses 17 to 20: "So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me." These verses reveal the reality of sin's influence in our lives. Paul acknowledges that sin dwells within him and that it is sin that drives him to do what he does not want to do. And as same to all of us, we all are sinners attached to the sinful flesh.

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Let us see a briefly context about to Martin Luther in his book "On the Bondage of the Will, “and what it has to be in our Sinful Condition,  he addresses the issue of human will and its relationship to sin and God's grace.  Martin Luther argues that due to original sin, our will is captive and corrupted by our sinful nature. This means that, on our own, we are unable to do good and prone to do evil.

In the context of wanting to do good but doing evil, Martin Luther argues that our will is incapable of achieving righteousness and justice by itself. Although we may have a desire or inclination towards what is good, our sinful nature leads us to fall into temptation and commit sin. This is because, our, Old Adam is attached to us and because of that, sin has affected all faculties of our being, including our will.

Martin Luther maintains that, due to the corruption of sin, even our good works are tainted by our sinful nature. Our efforts to do good are contaminated by selfish motives and our inability to fully comply with God's law. In summary, we are sinners incapable of saving ourselves or doing good in our own strength.

However, the central teaching of  Apostle Paul and Martin Luther is that salvation does not depend on our works or will, but on God's grace. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified and reconciled with God. The grace of God, manifested in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, is what frees us from the power of sin and enables us to live a life in Faith to God, Pursuing every and each day by the Grace of God through help of the Holy Spirit to live a lives of Sanctification, Strengthen us by the means of Grace, confession and absolution, the Holy Baptism, His Word and Lords Supper, also it is a  reminder to us the Signal of the Cross when we together do it,  in the Invocation of the Divine Service. We ask to God the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, that abide with us in the Service and our daily Lives, when we Heard the Word of God is the Holy Spirit who strengthen us, and when we partake the Lords Supper we are, one attached to Christ in His Body and His Blood that He Shed for all of us, to strengthen us, so it is only by His Grace end Help that Stir in our Hearts the desire to do Good according to His Will 

So From this perspective, we understand that the consequence of our carnal sin is separation from God and the inability to do good on our own. However, the good news is that through God's grace in Christ, we can be transformed and empowered to live a life in accordance with His will.

To understand this humbly we must recognize our own sinfulness and need for divine grace. so It leads us to humble ourselves before God, confess our sinful condition, and depend entirely on His mercy and transformative love to us . By acknowledging our incapacity, we faithfully  ask to God that continuing guide us, to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, allowing Him to guide and stir in our hearts to do good and resist the temptation to do Evil.

In summary, according to Apostle Paul and Martin  Luther, the human will is captive to our sinful nature, leading us to want to do good but do evil. Only through God's grace and faith in Jesus Christ can we be liberated from the slavery of sin and strengthen us to live a life in Faith toward God. Recognizing our sinful condition leads us to humbly seek divine grace and transformation in our lives. As we all are reminded in Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

The death of Jesus is the foundation of our forgiveness from our sin and our sanctification. In verses 24 and 25 of Romans 7, Paul exclaims, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." These verses are the answer to how we are set free from sin and how we serve God in pursuit of our sanctification.

Firstly, we must understand that Jesus' death on the cross was a perfect and complete act of sacrifice. Jesus, who was without sin, died in our place, bearing the punishment we deserved for our sins. His death was the necessary payment to redeem and reconcile us to God.

When Paul says, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord," he is acknowledging and expressing his gratitude for the redemptive work of Jesus. Jesus' death not only delivers us from the penalty of sin but also empowers us to live a holy life in communion with God.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified and receive forgiveness for our sins. Our relationship with God is restored, and we are adopted as His children. We are no longer enslaved by sin and condemnation but are liberated to live a new life in Christ.

It is important to note that our sanctification is not an achievement based on our own efforts or merits. Instead, it is based on our dependence on Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit within us. As believers, we are called to surrender our lives to God and allow Him to work in us, transforming and conforming us to the image of His Son.

Our sanctification is an ongoing process in which, as we grow in our relationship with God, we are sanctified to live faithful and holy lives by Christ Merits, It is the Holy Spirit who guides, strengthens, and equips us to resist temptation and live according to God's will.

Therefore, Jesus' death sets us free from the power of sin and forgives us to pursue our sanctification. We cannot achieve it through our own strength or merits but through our faith in Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit within us. It is in this dependence on God and in response to His grace that we serve God and seek our sanctification.

May these verses remind us of the great redemptive work of Jesus and inspire us to surrender our lives to Him, allowing His Spirit to guide and transform us. May we pursue our sanctification in communion with God, trusting in His grace and His Fruits to equip us and enabling us to live lives that honor and glorify His name.