HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1388
RO MA N S 8
deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our
old nature,* sinful desires were at work within
us, and the law aroused these evil desires that
produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in
death. 6 But now we have been released from the
law, for we died to it and are no longer captive
to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the
old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in
the new way of living in the Spirit.
God’s Law Reveals Our Sin
7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God
is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law
that showed me my sin. I would never have
known that coveting is wrong if the law had not
said, “You must not covet.”* 8 But sin used this
command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would
not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without
understanding the law. But when I learned the
command not to covet, for instance, the power
of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered
that the law’s commands, which were supposed
to bring life, brought spiritual death instead.
11 Sin took advantage of those commands and
deceived me; it used the commands to kill me.
12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is
good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used
what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin
really is. It uses God’s good commands for its
own evil purposes.
Struggling with Sin
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is
spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I
am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really
• Conflict
R O MA NS 7 :1 4 -2 5
Christians struggle daily with inner
conflict. We have given our lives to Christ,
but our old nature still exists. We know
the attitudes and behaviors that Christ
desires, but we also know how hard it is
to live that way all the time. We wrestle
with our desire to sin, to do what we
want at the expense of others, to think
more of ourselves than others, to give
in to temptation. Actually, we can be
encouraged by this conflict: It tells us that
our conscience is still sensitive to sin,
that we truly desire to do what is right. On
the other hand, if we are “conflict free,”
we may have become too comfortable
and accepting of sin.
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understand myself, for I want to do what is
right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.
16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong,
this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So
I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in
me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature.* I want to do what
is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good,
but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but
I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to
do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin
living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that
when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do
what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my
heart. 23 But there is another power* within me
that is at war with my mind. This power makes
me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will
free me from this life that is dominated by sin
and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus
Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind
I really want to obey God’s law, but because of
my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Life in the Spirit
So now there is no condemnation for those
who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because
you belong to him, the power* of the life-giving
Spirit has freed you* from the power of sin that
leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to
save us because of the weakness of our sinful
nature.* So God did what the law could not do.
He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies
we sinners have. And in that body God declared
an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son
as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that
the just requirement of the law would be fully
satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful
nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who
are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about
things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your
sinful nature control your mind leads to death.
But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to
life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always
hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws,
and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are
still under the control of their sinful nature can
never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful
nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you
have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit
of Christ living in them do not belong to him
8
7:5 Greek When we were in the flesh. 7:7 Exod 20:17; Deut
5:21. 7:18 Greek my flesh; also in 7:25. 7:23 Greek law;
also in 7:23b. 8:2a Greek the law; also in 8:2b. 8:2b Some
manuscripts read me. 8:3 Greek our flesh; similarly in 8:4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 12.