Unlimited: Sin Does It

Dec 5, 2022 676

Unlimited: Sin Does It

Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it (Romans 7:20).

Paul here recognises two powers within himself. There is, on the one hand, he himself; and on the other hand, is the sin living in him. What he wants for his life is different to what the sin within wants for his life. The reality is that Paul still does the things that sin wants him to do.

Taken in isolation, the verse might wrongly give you the idea that Paul is avoiding his personal responsibility. When Paul says, “it is no longer I who do it”, is he playing the “devil made me do it” card? Not at all. He is simply stating a reality.

Sin prompts us, and then we respond.

In Romans 5, Paul told us that “sin entered the world through one man” but then in the same verse (v.12), he also explained that “all sinned.” Sin prompts us, and then we respond. Paul accepts responsibility for his sin and for the just condemnation with which he is faced.

It is vital for Christians to always understand that of themselves they can never present a reason for being accepted by God, and that their standing with him is all of grace. The Gospel is not just as a concept or a “doctrine.” You will never appreciate the Gospel unless you profoundly understand that it is you, yourself, who always needs it.

Spiritual Application

Accepting personal responsibility for your own actions and decisions is an important part of maturity. It is also important to understand those things for which you are responsible and those for which you aren’t. How are you progressing in these important areas?

Eliezer Gonzalez

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