Freedom from the Romans Seven Cycle

Satan has most of us convinced that we are sinners and will always be sinners while we live on this earth. He uses Paul's musings in Romans 7 to convince us that if the Apostle Paul could not keep from sinning, we cannot either.

Paul makes a clear statement in his reflections, that what he wants to do - live righteously, he cannot do in his own strength; he just keeps sinning when he tries his best not to do so (Romans 7:19). He attempts to keep the letter of the law and fails every time.

If we read Romans Seven and Eight together, as was intended in Paul's original letter, we see the fallacy of our belief system. Paul cries out to God in his desperation, "Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this vicious sin cycle?" (Romans 7:24).

Thank God that Paul had the revelation that Jesus Christ sets us all free from this spiral of unrighteous living (Romans 6:17-18, 7:25; Galatians 5:1), and sets our feet on the narrow road of salvation (Matthew 7:14). We walk in His perfect plan for us.

We are no longer living in condemnation (John 3:18; Romans 8:1). The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus set us free from the Law of Sin and Death (Romans 8:2). God's Spirit renews our mind, by giving us the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23; 1 Corinthians 2:16). 

He also gives us the attitude that Jesus had when He depended on God, and humbled Himself even to death on the cross (Philippians 2:5). We no longer live independently on this earth, because we are crucified with Christ, and He now lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

Prayer:
Father God, remind us that as human beings, we still sin by failing to hit the mark of righteousness once in a while; but we no longer live as a slave to sin, because Jesus broke the yoke of bondage and set us free by atoning for our sins (Galatians 5:1; John 8:36). We are free indeed!

Help us to realize that we can simply trust in You with our whole heart, we refuse to depend on our humanistic thinking, we consult You every moment of the day, and we endeavor to walk in Your Spirit in order to follow Your perfect plans for our life (Proverbs 3:5-6; Ephesians 2:8-10; Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:

When our lifestyle is besieged by sin, this proves that we are not Born Again in our spirit; as Believers we may sin occasionally, but we are no longer sinners struggling to live righteously; Jesus set us free, and we are free indeed; therefore, we are not less and less tempted by the flesh, the devil or the world.

- 1 John 3:6; John 8:36