Our Life Before Christ

(As God Was Drawing Us To Him)

Romans 7:7-25

Romans 7:7-25, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin might become exceedingly sinful.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

In Romans 7:7-25 Paul is obviously taking a step back, to the point just before a person makes that active commitment to Christ, asking Jesus into his or her life. In Romans 6 he showed us ourselves as believers, already having taken that step. He showed us how that ‘Old Man’, the sin nature in us was made inoperative. He showed how we as believers were set free in Christ, no longer slaves to sin, having crossed that spiritual Red Sea. Now Egypt, sin is no longer our evil task master. That was in Romans 6. Now in Romans 7:1-6 we see how Paul shows us that we are no longer under the Old Covenant death penalty of the law, that marriage covenant was broken by our death in Christ. The original husband, the law, didn’t die, but we died in Christ. Now when we accept Christ into our life, asking Jesus to save us and come into our lives, Jesus Christ becomes our new husband (or as Revelation 19 points out, our husband-to-be). Harpers Bible Commentary also brings out about Romans 7:1-6 that it is the penalty of God’s law we’re freed from under grace. It states, “All seems clear: the woman is the Christian set free by the death of Christ from the law’s condemnation…” Some pastors and denominations do not make this clear leading many to believe that the law of God for them is done away. These groups that teach in this manner are what I would call the “grace oriented churches and denominations” that are on the far left of the interpretative norm. They often neglect to properly teach that John defined sin as the transgression of the law, and that throughout the New Testament believers in Jesus are admonished, yea, commanded not to sin. So if we’re free from the law’s penalty and espoused (in the ancient Hebrew sense) to Jesus, Yeshua, how does the law of God figure into our Christian or Messianic Jewish walk with the Lord?

First we must realize that the whole purpose for God’s Law has now taken a radical shift from the old covenant, the old marriage agreement to the new covenant. Under the old covenant:

1. The law of God was the law of the land, both a civil and religious law combined.

2. It had a system of physical rewards and punishments for obedience and disobedience (see Leviticus 26, whole chapter).

3. The Old Covenant agreement had no promise of eternal life attached to it for obedience and only offered death for major infractions.

4. That great law, God’s law, was indeed a spiritual mirror, but the people were left to try to obey it all on their own—with no help from God.

The New Covenant is different (no matter which version of God’s law your Christian conscience leads you to accept, whether the Old Testament law of God or New Testament law of Christ). It is quite simple.

1. God promises to write his law upon our hearts and in our minds (cf. Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:6-13), by the indwelling Holy Spirit—Jesus and the Father dwelling within us (cf. John 14&16).

2. God promises eternal life for those who enter into this covenant agreement and live a life led by the Holy Spirit of God.

Part I, The Mirror

So, upon accepting Jesus Christ into our lives, that old marriage covenant no longer applies, is made null and void because we died in Christ (cf. Romans 7:1-6). Now we will see that the law takes on a radical shift in purpose. This will be interesting. Romans 7:7-13, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.” First of all Paul is showing here in verses 7-13 of Romans 7 that the law—God’s law—is a spiritual mirror. It shows us where the dirt is in our lives. James uses the same analogy in James 1:22-25, which states, “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty [i.e. God’s law] and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

So a shift has taken place in the purpose of the law of God—the whole law, both the one found in the Old Testament, and the New Testament law of God, called by some the law of Christ. In verses 7-13 above, we see that the law is the prime revealer of sin, it defines sin. James showed us the same thing. As Harpers goes on to say, “The law magnifies sin (Rom. 5:20)…Yet the law in fact play[s] a role in relation to sin: It identifies sin and makes it known…even in sin’s use of it, the law remains God’s instrument. The end result fits into God’s purpose for the law, namely to disclose the true nature of sin and show how “incomparably sinful” it really is.” In the Old Covenant, people were told, ‘Here’s the mirror. Now go and clean yourself up. In the New Covenant, God is in effect saying, “Here’s the mirror (law of God), and now here’s the precious water of my Spirit which I am providing you. Now use the water and mirror to clean yourself up. I will be inside of you, indwelling you, writing my laws into your minds and upon your hearts” (cf. Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:6-13; John 14:15-23; James 1:22-25). We find this whole picture of what the new covenant is all about symbolized by the brazen wash basin described in Exodus 30:17-21, Exodus 38:8 and 40:30-32. Let’s look at these verses. Exodus 30:17-21, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet in water from it. When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.” Now let’s see a special feature this brazen laver had, which makes it a perfect picture of the new covenant. Exodus 38:8, “He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.” The inside of this laver, as well as the whole thing was made of polished bronze looking glasses, bronze mirrors! Water was placed in it so that when a priest looked into the still water he could clearly see himself. But in the old covenant, God never provided his Holy Spirit to the entire nation. In Moses day, besides himself and Aaron, there were only 70 others that received the Holy Spirit. So picture the poor Israelites, provided with the polished mirror of God’s law, and told to wash up. When you’ve been working on your car, playing mechanic, and come in after fixing it, all greasy, what do you do? You go to the sink. The mirror will show you where the dirt is on your face. Right? Of course. If you just try to rub the dirt off, the grease and grime, what happens? It merely becomes more deeply imbedded in your skin. Right? You must turn on the water and scrub the dirt off with soap and water, or else it’s not coming off. Throughout the Bible, both water and oil have been used to symbolize God’s Holy Spirit. So that’s the purpose of the law, it’s a mirror, an inanimate object. It only reveals where the dirt is. Just looking in a mirror alone, all by itself doesn’t clean you up. The mirror prompts a person to turn on the water and go for the soap. Some of the grace oriented churches say the law actually makes you bad. I would have to disagree. It is merely a revealer of sin, showing a person how really bad they are without Christ in them, showing their need for Christ. The law drives a person to Christ, the water source.

Water is an amazing thing, with mysterious purifying qualities when it’s running, like say in a brook. It carries away dirt, germs and impurities like nothing else. The Old Testament shows, and science proves it out, that a dead rodent can fall into a very large pool of water, and the water remains pure. So are we getting the Biblical picture of what God’s law is? It’s not evil. It’s just a spiritual mirror, and for that matter, it’s the mirror image (in print) of God’s very character. But by itself, it’s next to useless. Now let’s take another look at Romans 7:8-11, to see what else is being shown here.

Part II, The Progression

Romans 7:8-11, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me…” In these passages a progression is shown, the progressive steps a person takes as God the Father draws a person to Jesus. First, we see a person without the law, i.e. without any spiritual understanding of God’s Word, in ignorant bliss. This is shown in the last part of verse 8 through the first part of verse 9, “For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law…” Then as God starts drawing a person to Christ that person starts to investigate God’s Word, he or she starts to understand it. He starts to see himself in the light of God’s spiritual mirror, as God sees him, as a spiritual mess. What’s the reaction? Verse 9b-11, “…but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.” Reading God’s law and the Word of God, before a person is born-again, indwelt by the Holy Spirit—can have this effect. It is often the first step God takes in drawing a person to Jesus Christ. Even Paul before his actual conversion on the road to Damascus was intimately acquainted with God’s law. And he must have had huge struggles within himself as he saw sin revealed and found himself helpless to overcome what he saw. So we see a progression is being shown here, clear as day, of a person who had no real knowledge of God’s law, the Bible or God for that matter. And then God starts drawing that person into a knowledge of how much he needs God, and how sinful he or she is, sold into slavery of sin, but helpless to do anything about it. At that point, a person is ready to call on the Lord, asking Jesus, Yeshua to come into his or her life. It is the law of God, God’s spiritual mirror, which shows a person who is being drawn to Jesus by the Father, just how sinful and a slave of sin he or she is. This person, who is going through this progression shown in Romans 7:7-14 is being shown that he has a very real need of Jesus. He or she is becoming aware of God’s standards. The person seeing himself or herself in the mirror of God’s Word and law is still not born-again. What happens next?

Part III, The Struggle

Romans 7:14-25, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.”—Paul could only be saying this about himself before his conversion, using his pre-conversion struggle with sin as an example to explain the struggle most, if not all new-believers go through just prior to them accepting Christ into their lives, calling upon the Lord to save them. Many Bible scholars feel that it is inconceivable that Paul in his present state as the apostle to the Gentiles, and exuding the attributes of Romans 6 and 8 in his life, would continue to be “carnal, sold under sin.”—“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who perform it, but sin that dwells in me.”—Remember that sin nature described in the Romans 6 study, which is made inoperative when one accepts Christ into his or her life? This is what Paul is describing, the person who is becoming a new believer in Christ sees within himself this sin nature he or she is helpless to do anything about. Let’s continue—“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this death?…”—At this point, Paul is showing how the new believer, not yet fully indwelt by the Holy Spirit is crying out in frustration. This person (Paul may have actually been showing his own struggle as an example) starts to see himself in light of God’s Word and law, and wanting to be a child of God, a huge struggle ensues. What we see here, for the most part, is the struggle of a person who is being drawn to Christ and what that struggle is like. They may be reading the Bible, listening to good sermons on a Christian radio—coming to see themselves as they truly are in the spiritual mirror of God’s Word and law—and then trying to measure up all on their own (just like ancient Israel tried and failed miserably). The people who find themselves in this category could even be sitting in a church listening to sermons. All these people in this category have not yet made a commitment to Christ—they have not asked Jesus into their lives, called out to him for salvation, to be saved. And boy what a struggle it is, trying to overcome sin on your own. Now we’re going to look at another way of interpreting Romans 7:14-25, which also applies to the believers life, just as much as we have seen it applies to the life of a person being drawn by the Father to Jesus via the workings of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 7:14-25,

If you’re a Christian, you’re in a battle—the war within. Paul describes his battle within, which we all have going on within us.

Note: This is now looking at verses 14-25 as they apply to already born-again believers (don’t forget, these were written in the present tense, while verses 7-13 were written in the past tense). What we see here by Paul writing verses 14-25 in the present tense, and verses 7-13 in the past, is his attempt to “kill two birds with one stone”. This often made for confusion when reading Paul’s epistles, back at the time they were written in, and down through the Church age to the present.

Romans 7:14-25, For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that I do not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ out Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

The Bible says there is still a war going on within Christians. Every Christian has this struggle, the Bible says all Christians have this struggle. You will see that this passage is written in the present tense, as Dr. Michael Brown will show in the appendix of his book “Go and Sin No More” covering Romans 7. Romans 7:7-13 was all written in the past tense. As I showed, the major interpretation for this whole section in Romans 7:7-25 does deal with and shows a person who is in the process of being drawn to Jesus and seeing himself in the light of God’s Word, perhaps for the very first time. But some feel, and justifiably, that verses 14-25 also show the struggle that goes on within all of us as Christians, as we learn to walk in the Spirit. So now we’ll look at these verses in that particular light of interpretation.

If we as Christians didn’t have this struggle, we’d be dead spiritually speaking, dead to God, dead in our sins. Remember Ephesians 2:1-3 describes our past life. It says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to love when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts” (NIV). But now you’ve come alive by the grace of Christ. You don’t belong to that old world anymore and that old master. You don’t have to do what he would like you to do anymore, because you have a new nature (this was shown in Romans 6 and will really be expounded upon in Romans 8). You are a new creature in Christ, a new creation in Christ. So if you really are struggling with one of the biggies, say—alcohol, wrong thoughts or an impure relationship or you’re struggling with your sexuality, or maybe it’s the job you’re in that maybe you shouldn’t be in—but you’re in this struggle. Praise God! You’ve got this struggle because you are born-again, the Holy Spirit does reside in you—Jesus is in you! This struggle is a direct sign that you are in Christ. Why? Because “dead people” (i.e. people who are spiritually dead, dead in their sins, walking, running in the way of the world) don’t have spiritual struggles like this. They just go along with the flow, “whatever feels good, man.” They don’t understand because they don’t have a new nature. (But, as we saw before, those that are being drawn to Jesus do have this struggle, in spades, big time, as they are developing a rudimentary knowledge of God’s Word, and seeing what they’re like in God’s spiritual mirror [his law]. They may not have yet given their lives to Jesus and are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit is working with them to draw them to Jesus and show them all these things.) The Bible tells us we have this war inside of us because we are new creatures, but we’re still in old bodies. When you came to Christ you became a new man or a new woman in Christ…Our bodies still have this principle of sin that’s within us.
What I called this ‘spirit-of-man’ or ‘spirit-in-man’ that is tuned to Satan’s wavelength, the very human spirit that God grants each person his or her human intellect and ability to think far beyond the most intelligent animals. I.e. what dolphin has created skyscrapers, jet planes, understands astrophysics, astronomy, the arts, etc.? This is not a nature of sin within us like we had before we accepted Christ—that died, as Romans 6 showed us. Romans 6 says that the “old man” died, so we don’t have two natures, we don’t have an old nature and a new nature. But we still have residual effects—the Bible calls it the flesh, that’s still in us. And this leads to civil war. Look at this conflict he points out in Romans 7:14, “For we know the law is spiritual, but I am of”—what?—“flesh, sold into bondage of sin.” [Now this is where this verse applies more to those being drawn to Jesus, before they actually accept him. Paul was not in bondage to sin, a slave to sin, after his conversion, and neither are we. But we are in a war.] Verse 15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” He wants to do right. We’ve been changed, we see things the way God sees them [and so do those being drawn to Jesus that are not yet fully indwelt with the Holy Spirit—they’re starting to see things the way God sees them—but they’re really powerless to change what they see in themselves.] Verse 17, “As it is, it is no longer myself who do it, but is the sin living in me.” So now, if you’re a Christian you don’t want to do what’s wrong, your new nature doesn’t want to sin. “So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.” See, he’s saying ‘It’s not the new me that’s been born-again, it’s sin in me, it’s sin that’s still living in me like some creep in my body. He’s the one doing it, it’s the principle of sin. Verse 18, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Verse 20, “But if I’m doing the very thing I don’t want to do, then,’ he says, ‘that’s just proof that I’m no longer the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.'” What he's trying to say is ‘Get off this trip that you “are” addicted to something, that you “have to” do something. He’s saying ‘You don’t.’ There’s sin in you that wants to. Remember that pager analogy in Romans 6, “the flesh”? The explanation that Satan’s broadcast is on the wavelength of our human spirit—the “spirit in man”? That’s the flesh “signal” that’s in conflict with your new nature. But when you were born-again, something radical happened to you, when you accepted Christ. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation…” The Bible says that there is “the flesh” left here after we accept Christ, and because the flesh is there playing tug-of-war with us (via Satan’s wavelength, evil broadcast, our “pager”-“cell-phone” buzzing our number), there’s a civil war going on inside of us.

Galatians 5:17 also talks about this same war going on in Christian’s lives. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary to one another: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (King James). Amplified: “For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the (Holy) Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (Godless human nature): for these are antagonistic to each other—continually withstanding and in conflict with each other—so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.” Living New Testament: “For we naturally have to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do: and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has His way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us and our wishes are never free from their pressures.” We shouldn’t be discouraged by this pressure. We don’t have to walk in the flesh anymore, we can chose to walk in the Spirit, we can chose where we want to hang out. You can hang out in the flesh, and it’s works, which are described in Galatians 5:19-21, or you can hang out in the Spirit, described a few verses further, in verses 22-23. The enemy on his wavelength can “page” you with any one of the things listed in verses 19-21. “Outburst of anger”, for example, does that happen? Yes! When it does, take a meditative time out and realize someone’s dialed your “pager number.” It’s natural for our flesh to act up just before we’re going to do something that has to do with the Lord, church, Bible study, prayer-time, to try to bum us out. Remember, there’s an “outside source” to that, there’s a battle going on, a war we’re in.

What Happens When We Give In To Sin?

When you give in to the “pager” signal, let’s say the fleshly “cell-phone” rings and you pick it up and answer instead of just letting it ring until it stops (you can’t turn it off like a normal cell-phone)—you just let the flesh win, you just fell for the oldest ploy on earth. You should get yourself to church, start that Bible study time, prayer-time, no matter how bad Satan’s worldly signal has effected you, and let the Holy Spirit minister to your hearts. There are a few more kinds of signals that this fleshly cell-phone caller can deliver through our human spirits, they are listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Let’s look at a few. “Disputes, dissentions and factions”—those are nice “Christian sins”, these are church board sins, or if your church votes, those you have had at business meetings. Right? “Envyings, drunkenness”. If you were an alcoholic, do you ever get that real strong urge, say the day’s going all wrong for you, and this real strong urge keeps coming at you “I’ve got to have a drink”? That’s an outside signal coming in through your human spirit, the spirit-in-man. That cell-phone is ringing, with that particular text message coming across the screen into your mind. Do you ignore the signal, the message? You have power in Christ to chose not to answer the signal, ignore it till it goes away. At the end Paul says, “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” If that’s your lifestyle, what makes you think you’re a Christian, or if you’re one who has repeatedly given in to sin so it becomes habitual, what makes you think you’ll inherit the kingdom of God? That’s what Paul is saying. We have the ability to chose right from wrong, where those who are still in the world, not born-again, do not have that power. We should be praying “God give me a hatred for that sin”, whatever sin seems to be your weakest link in the chain. “God, give me a love for the things you love.”

So, in taking this passage (verses 14-25) in the present tense, to apply to us now, would indicate that even though the “old man” is dead, the old sin nature is dead in us, the flesh still wars against the Spirit in us and causes us trouble. Thus we still struggle with being drawn to sin. It is our response that counts. We still have Satan’s (and by extension, the demonic world’s) signal coming into us via the human spirit we each have. How many of you have thought, “If I really were a Christian, I wouldn’t have these strong rotten desires coming into my mind?” Even after the new birth, even after we’ve been given the new nature—the flesh remains and the flesh never gets better. Of course it doesn’t, it’s a receiver to Satan’s evil broadcasts. That’s why your flesh doesn’t reform. But we need to understand, that with this new nature, we don’t have to follow what that incoming message tells us to do, we don’t have to sin anymore! Christians shouldn’t say “I can’t stop doing this” when it comes to walking away from sin. We need to learn to use our “chosers”. We can chose to say no to sin and the broadcast message of sin.

These verses (14-25) not only explain the struggle a new believer has who has not yet accepted Christ—as he is trying on his or her own to measure up—it is also a picture of the struggle we can have with sin, especially if we have become bound in a sin. Michael Brown gets into this in his incredible book “Go and Sin No More.” But let’s see how we can become bound in a sin. When a sinful thought enters your mind, that is not wrong in itself. As we have seen, most of the time it comes from an outside source. The world, past residual thoughts from our old dead nature (which is dead now)—and most importantly, Satan’s (and the demonic realm’s) evil broadcast have the ability to enter into our minds at any time. But after a sinful thought enters your mind, you have a choice—to chose to throw it out, immediately, or let it remain. One remaining evil thought, not put out of our minds will then multiply to many, or increase in intensity as it remains. This then leads to sinful action once the thought gets strong enough. James describes the process in James 1:13-15. Let’s read it. “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ [no, it’s like I said, it’s more than likely Satan’s evil broadcast, or the world in it’s sex-crazed insanity, blasting its way into all our senses at every turn, but it’s not God, that’s for sure.] For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire, [step1: the evil thought enters, and is not put out right away], he is dragged away and enticed [step 2: the thought multiplies to many thoughts, or intensifies]. Then [step 3], after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin [the sinful action]; [step 4] and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (NIV). Now this is really interesting. The process of leavening is almost identical. This whole four-step process, which in leavening is actually about seven steps, but it’s identical, describes the sin process. We can see it happening in our society now, as it slowly kills itself, as sin is becoming universal. Rome fell from within, as it’s sexual sins became universal. 80 empires have all collapsed in similar fashion over the millennia of time man has been on earth. To read about the decaying process of leavening and how it pictures this four step process James just described, log onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/leaven.htm . It describes what can happen to a believer, bound in his or her sin. In the end, it may actually spell spiritual death. In Proverbs, Solomon said that a repeated sin can bind us with invisible cords, which become so strong that a person can’t escape. But the Lord can cut these cords. Be cautioned though, as a sin is repeated, the Christian conscience is seared, so that particular sin (and sin in general) becomes easier and easier to commit. These are those binding cords that Solomon talked about in Proverbs. The struggle to come out of a sin we have become bound in is very aptly described by verses 14-25 of Romans 7. At the very end of Romans 7 Paul uses a very gross description of a type of death that comes when sin has done it’s work, just like the leavening process does if left to continue. Be sure to log onto that study on the leavening process—it’s a real wake-up call to come out of habitual sins, before it is too late. When this passage is taken in the light of referring to a person who is being drawn to Jesus, this person realizes that if he is not saved by Jesus and given the Holy Spirit, he’s going to die spiritually, he can’t save himself. For a person who is a believer, it’s a very strong warning to call for help, calling to Jesus to cut the cords, and then start walking in the Spirit daily, re-cutting those cords of sin as they attempt to re-bind themselves around him or her.

Wrapping it up

In Romans 7:24 Paul says “Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death.” Now that bolded phrase may go over your heads. Research into Roman forms of execution reveals that they had a way of executing a person who committed murder that was worse than all the other forms of execution they used. It perfectly describes death from sin reaching a universal level in a person—it describes the leavening process carried to its very end. The Roman judge would order that the murderer, while he was yet alive, would be tied to the dead body of the person he had murdered—hand to hand, mouth to mouth, neck to neck, chest to chest, leg to leg. The only way you could walk around was with this dead body tied onto you. And they’d leave it on there until you died. It would start to decay and putrifiy. And then it would start to infect you, and then you would die a slow, stinky, horrible, gross death. What a picture of the final stage of leavening in person’s life. And Paul uses the leavening process to describe the sexual sin of a person in the Corinthian church. When we get into Romans 8 we’ll see the solution for the sin problem for both the person who is in the process of coming to accept Jesus and now realizes where sin is leading them, helpless to do anything about it—and also for the believer who may find himself or herself bound in a sin, in desperate need of spiritual revival. Paul gives the answer in Romans 7:25, which is a perfect introduction to Romans 8. “Who will rescue me from the body of this death?” (verse 24b) “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (verse 25a). Now we will see something very interesting in the last half of verse 25. “So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God;”—i.e. here we see Paul saying he serves the law of God. A study through the entire New Testament will reveal that 9 of the 10 Commandments are re-commanded for believers keep, and often expanded to include their loftier spiritual intent, as Jesus did when he expounded on a number of the Ten Commandments in Matthew 5:17-48. The law of God—as some teach—isn’t done away with in the New Testament. But as we have seen, the very purpose of the law of God has changed, it is to be used as our spiritual mirror, defining sin and showing where this spiritual dirt is on us, so we can wash it off by and through Jesus Christ within us—the Holy Spirit—the water. (Don’t confuse the term “law of sin” with the “law of God”. They’re not the same, even as this verse indicates. The “law of sin” refers to the flesh, our fleshly “pager”-“cell phone”. Next and last part of verse 25, Paul reaffirms that the flesh remains in us. “So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” The law is meant to drive us to Christ, drive us to the spiritual Holy “water” in front of God’s spiritual mirror of the law. We’re in a war, brothers and sisters in Christ, Messiah. Next chapter, we’ll learn about how to fight the good fight with power, real power—the power of God, Christ in us. Remember, just because some of these wild mustang thoughts come into your mind—don’t blame yourself for them—but put them out. Could be the flesh or some “imp” just injected it, and you don’t have to accept it.

Comments about what some teach

Now for some comments about what some teach. I will give statements from what some teach, and then comment on those statements.

“But the law asks of us impossibilities…” “Living under the law doesn’t work, because being under the law does not break sin’s hold on you, it actually gives sin a hold on your life.” Yes, for those who are in the midst of being called and drawn to Jesus, those who are not yet indwelt by the Holy Spirit this can be the case. That is what drives those in this process to call out to Christ for salvation. But Romans 8:7-9 shows that the difference between being indwelt and not indwelt with the Holy Spirit determines what effect God’s law is going to have on a person. The hostility of normal carnal man is directed both toward God and his law with equal animosity. But for the believer, a deep love and reverence extends back to God and all things related to God, including the royal law—no matter which version of that royal law the believer chooses to have the Lord write upon his heart and in his mind (cf. Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:6-13). King David, a devout believer in the Old Testament whose writings are a valued part of the Word of God wrote loving praise for God’s law. He never called God’s law bad. He never saw himself or believers as being under bondage to the law and never referred to the law of God as a bondage. This is what a believer, a Holy Spirit indwelt and led person had to say about God’s law. Psalm 119:1-8, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways. You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments. I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments. I will keep Your statutes; oh, do not forsake me utterly!” Verses 33-35, “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.” Take the time to read the whole of Psalm 119. Take a Strong’s Concordance and look up the word “law” and see everywhere it is listed in Psalms and read those Psalms. David was a born-again believer in the Old Testament. He was living in and obeying the Old Testament version of God’s law found in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. He was also living the spiritual intent or magnification of the law Jesus gave in Matthew 5:17-48. The law is not some evil thing. It is a mirror that reveals sin. It is not a thing of bondage. Sin is what binds people. The law has no power to help a person to obey, it’s inanimate. It is God in you, through the Holy Spirit that makes obedience possible. When David sinned badly, he cried out to God in Psalm 51 imploring God to not take his Holy Spirit from him, but instead to cleanse him, wash him clean.

What is sin? The apostle John in his first epistle defined sin, basically giving the Bible definition of sin. It’s quite simple and yet revealing. Most of the very grace oriented churches and denominations avoid this verse like the plague because they might feel forced to change their teaching about the law of God if this passage were to be clearly understood by all. We’re not dead to the law, but dead to the Old Covenant agreement which stated we had to keep the law of God all on our own. We’re dead, as Harpers Bible commentary brings out, to the penalty of the law. As we saw in Romans 7:7-14, the very purpose of the law changed, from that of being in a husband relationship with the person, to that of being a spiritual mirror. Now let’s read the Bible’s definition for sin. 1^st John 3:4, “Whoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (King James Version). Taking the thee’s and thou’s out it reads, “Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” The word “the” is not in the original Greek. But using it is not wrong nor does it alter the Bible’s definition of sin in this verse, for the “law” John is talking about throughout his whole letter is the “law of God.” So let’s read Romans 6:14 using John’s definition (really, the Bible’s definition) for sin—“But the transgression of the law shall not be master over you anymore.” I.e You won’t be slaves to sin, slaves to transgression of the law—one and the same thing. The word “sin” and “transgression of God’s law” are really two sides to the same coin, so to speak. It is transgression of the law that is being talked about here, and that we have already secured a release from slavery to sin, the slavery of being transgressors of God’s law. We have secured this release by the very power and presence of Jesus living within us (via the Holy Spirit). That’s what Romans 6 was all about. Most people who live under a flawed understanding of what grace is, skirting around the word “law” and “God’s law” are still living a life of power and release from sin, even though their explanation of Romans 7 tends to flip and flop around a bit, and so is somewhat in error. The power and presence of Jesus is not hampered by this misunderstanding as long as there is a sincere desire on the part of the believer to come out of sin and live a holy life in the Lord. But some are genuinely led astray by this ambiguous way of explaining Romans 7 and slamming the law of God. It’s time for clear teaching on this subject, presenting it in a way both the Grace oriented churches and denominations and the Torah-observant ones can both accept. That is what I am attempting to do here.

Just two points for our Torah-observant groups to consider, that the grace oriented churches tend to notice about them. 1. They tend to be performance oriented. If this is being driven by the Lord who dwells within them via the Holy Spirit, that’s fine. But be aware that this could be a symptom of trying to obey all by oneself, in a Pharisaic manner. Just something to consider. Something we should always remember, is that your value is not based on what you’ve done at all, or what you didn’t do at all. Your value as a Christian or Messianic believer in Yeshua is based on Jesus Christ, and your relation to the Son of God. You are perfect in Christ all of the time. Now this is where many fellowships disagree to varying degrees. Yes, theologically, we are perfect in Christ all of the time. Christ’s sacrifice covers our sins like the white new fallen snow covers a bleak landscape in winter, making it sparkle an unspeakable brilliant white in the winter sunshine. At night the moonlight reflects off this whiteness shedding an incredible light on the landscape. But on the other hand, we all have sin in our lives, and must be about the sanctification process (be sure to read 1^st John 1:8-10; 2:1-2; 3:6,8-10), which consists of looking into God’s spiritual mirror, and then turning on the water (Christ within us via the Holy Spirit), and overcoming and washing off what we see in the mirror of God’s law. The Christian life is a life of overcoming, as Paul points out in the very next chapter in Romans 8:13b. So you see, there’s a balance. If our spiritual performance is being driven by Christ in us, as we look into the “royal law, and not being forgetful hearers of the Word”, then there’s nothing wrong with being performance driven.

Now for another trait found in some if not many of the Torah-observant churches and denominations. This is given in love, and in no way is intended to slam those fellowships. But there are those within them that have this trait. Legalist’s (who tend to be found more in the Torah-observant fellowships, but their presence exist everywhere, in all fellowships) are critical and judgmental towards other people. Many Torah-observant fellowships, Messianic Jewish and Sabbatarian Christian, gain the unsavory name of “Legalists” due to the judgmental and critical attitudes toward others that some of their members, and yes, even pastors have toward others, both within and outside of their own fellowships. Legalists spend more time judging whether others are following God’s law, whether that be the New Testament law of Christ or the Old Testament Ten Commandment law of God, than they do judging themselves by that law. They ought to be looking into the royal law of liberty themselves and using Christ within them, becoming properly sanctified through the washing of the Word by and through the help of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean all who attend Torah-observant churches or synagogues (Messianic Jewish that is) are judgmental towards others, because they’re not. They have simply chosen the Old Testament version of God’s law (coupled to the spiritual intent of the law given by Jesus in Matthew 5 and elsewhere in the New Testament) to use as their spiritual mirror. Paul pointed out that they have the right to do this in Romans 14—it’s a matter of freedom to follow ones personal Christian conscience. Both Gentile Christians and Torah-observant Messianic Jewish or Sabbatarian groups have the right to chose either the law of Christ (basically nine of the Ten Commandments, as amplified by Christ in Matthew 5 and throughout the New Testament), or the Ten Commandment Old Testament law of God (which also includes the Sabbath command and the Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23). It is high time that all these fellowships on both sides of this doctrinal fence stopped throwing rocks and bottles at each other, like some intoxicated Irish youths do in South Boston. It’s totally childish and goes directly against spiritual unity in the body of Christ.

One more comment, and this one’s a beauty. A pastor in one of these grace oriented churches made the statement “The law makes you a slave, and you serve out of fear…Choose who you’re going to serve. Are you going to be a slave or a son?” And this one’s a beauty too. “The law isn’t for Christians.” Now to me, I have never seen the Bible use the analogy that we’re slaves to God’s law. The Bible shows that we’re either slaves to Christ or slaves to sin, but never slaves to the law. In Romans 8:7-8 Paul said, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you…” Romans 8:13 states, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” According to Paul, we’re no longer in a state of enmity against either God or his law. The carnal, unconverted person can never be subject to God’s law, not willingly. It goes against the sin nature we talked about in Romans 6. But that sin nature has been made inoperative, rendered powerless upon accepting Christ into our lives. We are no longer hostile to either God or his law. But we do use the law properly, coupled to the Divine grace, power and leading within us by the Holy Spirit. We’re told by Paul to put to death the deeds of the body—sin—by the Spirit. Or to look at the flip-side definition for sin—we’re told to put to death the deeds of the body—transgressions of God’s law—by the Spirit.” Does that sound like the law of God has no place in a Christian’s life? So to slam the law of God and the believer who is trying to use it properly as a spiritual mirror is not biblically correct or wise. It’s time to correct our doctrines and check our bad attitudes toward each other at the door of the combined Church of God whom God has united already through his Holy Spirit. We need to be mindful of what we see in God’s spiritual mirror. The practical application of the law of God is brought out throughout the book of Proverbs—‘What do I do in this situation?, to avoid this powerful spiritual minefield, to avoid sexual sin?—Proverbs 5, 6 and 7. Also the entire spiritual application and magnification of God’s Old Testament law is found throughout the New Testament. Believers can and do get entrapped by sin, and it is often the law of God, coupled to promptings by the Holy Spirit which help point this out to the believer, showing him or her their real need to draw close to Christ, the true water source, and wash the dirt off in and through Christ. It’s not a legalistic trip. New believers, having just come to Christ, often have many sinful habits of the world hanging onto them. Study of God’s Word, including God’s law, whether Old Testament version or the New Testament law of Christ, helps show the new believer where the dirt is, and he or she with the empowering help of Jesus within, overcomes whatever sinful dirt is discovered, it gets “washed off.” That ain’t legalism, brother, that’s overcoming in the Lord, that’s what theologians call “sanctification”, which leads to true holiness.

Another misinterpreted Scripture is Matthew 5:17-19, which states, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Many grace oriented churches teach that Jesus fulfilled all the law and so we’re no longer held to its specific standards. But they stop their quote of this passage at the words “I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Taken in context with the rest of the passage, the meaning changes radically, where Jesus continues to say “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Now ask yourself, when does the book of Revelation tell us that the heavens and the earth will melt with great heat and pass away, and a new heavens and earth will be created? Isn’t it at the very end of the plan of salvation for mankind? The lake of fire is finished, the heavens and earth are melted down in great heat and then recreated. All who have been transformed into their glorious spirit bodies, having obtained eternal life are no longer in need of God’s written code of law, it’s been ingrained into their whole lifestyle and way of being. The resurrected and immortal saints at this point are on the same page as God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. No need for a written code. It’s already been written upon our hearts and in our minds. And for those who think God’s written law is merely inanimate as I stated before—an inanimate mirror—not quite so. Coupled to the Holy Spirit of God, the law and the whole printed Word of God come alive within the mind of the believer, as they read it. That’s why it’s called the Living Word of God, because Jesus, Yeshua within us makes it come alive in our minds. That is the new covenant operating within us. [Even unsaved Jews who revere God’s Word in the Old Testament understand this. The Scribes who copy the Torah for use in the synagogues have this very fancy caligraphy form for their Hebrew writing of the scrolls which has the appearance of flames coming off the letters. This symbolizes that it is the Living Word of God, God-breathed, and thus flaming. This pictures for us how the flaming Holy Spirit of God makes his very Word come alive in the minds of born-again believers. Just thought you might find that interesting.]

For Sabbatarian believers and our Messianic believers in Yeshua (and also for those who may find this interesting), here are some interesting facts about the Days of Unleavened Bread and their symbolic meaning, and also the new significance they took on at the time of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Yeshua haMeshiach. Here goes (these are quotes taken from a Sabbatarian Church of God publication). My comments in [ ] brackets.

“These Days of Unleavened Bread marked a turning point in the way the spring festival was to be celebrated down through the ages” [at first by the early Church of God up until 325AD, and then by the Sabbatarian Churches of God from then onward].

“The truly great story about the Days of Unleavened Bread is the story of the resurrected Christ living His life in those of us who have truly repented of living in sin and have received the Holy Spirit! This empowers us to overcome sins in a way that previously [to our being born-again] was simply not possible. Yes, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a festival that helps us to focus on replacing sin with righteousness [called the “process of sanctification” by theologians]. But the only real way to put sin out of our lives is to put Jesus Christ into our lives! We are promised that we can truly put sin out of our lives because Jesus Christ lives within us (compare Galatians 2:20; Romans 7:23-8:4).”

“Paul tells us in Romans 13:12 that we are to ‘Put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light’ (NIV). He then lists the ‘deeds of darkness’ as sins such as revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife and envy. Then in verse 14 he shows the way to conquer such sins: by being clothed ‘with the Lord Jesus Christ’ (NIV).”

“In our struggles against sin, not only during the Days of Unleavened Bread but throughout the entirety of our lives, we can choose to fight on our own strength or we can surrender our will to God and rely on the power of the risen Christ who lives his life in us through the…Holy Spirit. With this kind of power working against our sins, the very “power of His resurrection” (Philippians 3:10), we can say with Paul, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (4:13).

“Yes, Paul reminded Christians to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12). Yet he was in no way preaching a works-based salvation, for in verse 13 he explains that ‘it is God who works in you both to will [that is, to have the desire to overcome] and to do [to act on that desire] for His good pleasure.’”

“It is the resurrection of Christ [which occurred right smack in the middle of the Days of Unleavened Bread], and His living in Christians to empower them to remove the leaven of sin from their lives, that gives these spring festivals—Passover, the Festival of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost—such deep and lasting meaning.”

To access the study on the leavening process and how it pictures the destructive process of sin, which ends in spiritual death if allowed to proceed (i.e. habitual sins) log onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/leaven.htm . The the significance the early Church of God in Jerusalem attributed to the Days of Unleavened Bread was the picturing of how Jesus, Yeshua within them was helping them live “unleavened lives”, lives free from habitual sin, following the sanctification process. The Sabbatarian Churches of God still teach the significance of what those days pictured, as seen in the above quote. Messianic Jewish believers also understand these rich Biblical images pictured by God’s Holy Days of the Old Testament. While most of us do not practice these customs and days of worship, we ought to be aware of their deep spiritual significance, and how they relate to our walk in Christ, and picture the plan of salvation and sanctification through Christ. We can only be spiritually richer for doing so.

Now I’m going to give Dr. Michael Brown’s Appendix to Romans 7, found in his book “Go and Sin No More”. It will reveal the two most prominent interpretations for Romans 7. You will see why I chose to interpret Romans 7 as I have, and for good reason. He’s a Th.D. (has his doctorate in theology), and I’m just a country bumkin by comparison, so I try not to just write these things without going to a few experts in this field. I highly recommend his book “Go and Sin No More” for those who wish to pursue the process of sanctification and true biblical holiness. I try to read it through at least once a year.

[The following is a direct quote of the first appendix in Dr. Michael Brown’s book “Go and Sin No More”. It is the entire appendix, titled “WHAT ABOUT ROMANS 7?”. I include it in its entirety because of the accuracy and relevancy of the material covering the proper interpretation of Romans 7. I include several tiny comments in red brackets.]

Appendix

WHAT ABOUT ROMANS 7?

Are you the kind of reader who goes to a juicy sounding chapter—or in this case, straight to the appendix—rather than reading a book in the order in which it is presented?

Well, if that’s you, I saw you coming and wrote this short study on your behalf. I didn’t want you to be wondering about Romans 7—wondering if you can really live a holy life after all—while you worked your way through a book whose whole thrust is that you can live a holy life. So go ahead and read this appendix now. This way, you can get your questions answered up front.

As for those who are reading this appendix after finishing the whole book (good for you!), this will help to solidify your thinking and reinforce your convictions all the more.

Let’s assume that you know that the Word of God consistently calls us to holiness, and let’s assume that you really do want to live a godly, clean life, free from the bondage of sin. The problem is that you seem to have such a hard time walking in purity. You are engaged in constant, intense warfare and find great difficulty in living a truly consecrated life. And, you recall, it seems that Paul himself addressed this very issue, telling us that the things he wanted to do, he didn’t do, while the things he didn’t want to do, he did (see Rom. 7:14-25). Doesn’t that describe our plight too?

Are we really free from sin? Have we truly died to it? Why then does the battle rage with such ferocity in our souls? What does the Word say, and what can we expect?

These questions must be addressed, since there is little use in reading a book about holiness if you’re not convinced you can really live it out, if biblical teaching on sanctification is just a matter of ethereal, theological speculation and not a matter of concrete, attainable reality. Obviously, we all agree that the Word clearly calls us to holiness, but our experience (and maybe Paul’s) seems to render our situation hopeless.

So the real question is this: Does God require holiness from us—internally as well as externally—or is He resigned to the fact that we will consistently do the things we hate and fail to do the things we love? Can we or can we not stop the practice of habitual sin?

Before taking a careful look at Romans 7, let me give you a simple and logical principle of biblical interpretation. If you have fifty clear passages that are in total harmony on a given subject and one somewhat unclear passage that apparently contradicts the other passages, you never throw out or negate the fifty for the one. Either you interpret the single uncertain passage in light of the fifty certain passages, or you recognize a distinct, balancing aspect that the one passage offers the fifty. In either case, the interpretation of the fifty clear passages remains the same.

So, whatever you make of Romans 7—the one and only passage where Paul seems to speak about fighting a losing battle with sin and the flesh—you can’t dismiss the passages cited throughout this book (see Chapter Five, in particular), especially when you realize that Romans 7 is sandwiched between Romans 6 and 8, two of the clearest holiness passages in the Bible. In fact, if you were to read through the entire New Testament and mark down all the verses that call us to put away sin and give ourselves to purity, you would find virtually every book and every author saying the same thing: “Get the sin out of your life! Submit yourself to God. Be holy. Through the blood of Jesus, you can lead a new life.”

To give just the slightest hint at what you would discover in your study of the New Testament—and remember, this is just a tiny sampling from each book—in Matthew’s Gospel there is the Sermon on the Mount, where we learn that even thoughts of adultery or hatred are abominations in the sight of God (see Matt. 5:21-30). In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus warns us not to let our eyes or hands lead us into sin, with hellfire the penalty for those who ignore the warning (see Mark 9:43-49). In Luke’s Gospel, we read that if we don’t repent we will perish (see Luke 13:1-5), while in the Gospel of John, we are called to abandon our evil deeds and walk in the light (see John 3:16-21; 8:23,24).

In Acts, sinners are rebuked—or even judged—on the spot (for example, Ananias and Sapphira in chapter 5, Simon the sorcerer in chapter 8, Herod in chapter 12, and Elymas the sorcerer in chapter 13), which in Romans, Paul tells the believers that the time for sinning is over (see Romans 13:11-14). It’s the same throughout the remainder of the New Testament—Gospel after Gospel, epistle after epistle, right through the Book of Revelation.

Now read through the New Testament again, one chapter at a time, and look for verses saying that, as believers, we are destined to lead anemic, compromised, defeated lives that will never measure up to the norm. Where are the verses?