Romans 7:18,25 ‘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. 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.’ (NLT)
Without the law, we would have never been aware of our sinful nature. For instance, children don’t have to be taught to be selfish; it is innate. However, God’s law teaches us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves (Philippians 2:3).
The law teaches us God’s values, but just because we know the law doesn’t mean we are practising it. Many people know God’s law but are still slaves to their sinful nature. And Paul is reminding us that Jesus Christ is the only person who can set us free from our sinful nature.
Every time we wake up in the morning, there is a war within us; a battle to keep us slaves to sin and not saved by God. The good news is that Jesus has already won that same war, and today, God is asking us to do two things based on James 4:7:
- Submit yourselves to God – Do everything for God’s glory.
- Resist the devil, and he will flee from you – The power of the Holy Spirit that is in us is greater than the power that is in the world.