Unity for the Sake of the Gospel - Philippians 1:27-2:11 - July 31, 2022

 Philippians 1:27-2:11 Unity For the Sake of the Gospel

Good morning Family! As you probably know, Heath is taking a well deserved break this Sunday which gives me another opportunity to share God's Word with you all. After my last sermon, I began thinking of some things that I might want to preach on in the future and unity as a church was one of the things that was on my heart. I've titled today's message “Unity For the Sake of the Gospel” and our Scripture is found in Philippians 1:27-30, which we will examine first, and then we will continue with 2:1-11 afterwards. But first, let's pray...

Pray

Philippians is an awesome book. I mean they all are, but there is something about Philippians that is so encouraging. In fact, that was one of Paul's main themes and purpose in writing it. If you ever feel like you need to be encouraged, sit down and read the whole book...or let the Bible app read it for you, it should only take around 30 minutes.. The church in Philippi had a unity problem, there was conflict and division, and Paul wanted to encourage them to live out lives of service to God and to each other as worthy citizens of a heavenly kingdom. He wrote to them from prison, most likely in Rome, and it seems kind of backwards that he is the one writing to encourage them! But that shows the kind of heart and selflessness that Paul had toward his fellow believers. He wanted to make sure they knew that, even with the possibility of execution on the horizon, he was still full of joy through his faith in Jesus. And not only that, but his imprisonment was actually a good thing because it served to advance the Gospel even further.

Directly before the passage that we are going to focus on today is Paul’s famous “To live is Christ, to die is gain” speech. The reason he is able to rejoice in his current situation is that no matter what happens, Christ will be honored. If he dies, he will at last get to be with Christ, but If he is allowed to live longer, that means he gets to continue to help fellow Christians progress in their faith, all to the glory of Christ! 

So now with that in mind, let's read our text.

Philippians 1:27–30:

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

A phrase that kept rolling around in my mind as I was preparing for this sermon was: It is the Gospel that unites us, and it is for the Gospel that we have been united. What I mean by that is, the only reason we exist as a church is because of Jesus and what he has done for us. He has brought us together in unity with Himself for the purpose of putting the work of the Gospel on full display for the world to see. My goal is to examine this idea through what Paul has written to the Philippians and to obtain a tangible, working definition of 'unity'. The questions I want to answer are: What motivations do we have to be united? What is the purpose or goal of our unity? And what does our unity look like in real everyday life?

Before we get too far, I want to take a second for us to consider the word ‘unity’ by itself, what comes to mind? Honestly, by itself, I struggle to grasp what the idea of unity really means, let alone what impact it has for us Christians. The dictionary definition of unity puts it like this: the state of being united or joined as a whole…or in a mathematical sense, unity can mean the number ‘one’. Thank you dictionary, I still didn’t find that to be very helpful.

I think the reason is, in order for unity to have any practical meaning or purpose, any life, it has to be attached to something else. Unity requires there to be something of common interest or importance. For example, we live in the United States, and one of the things which is of central importance to its citizens is democracy. Government by the people and for the people. We have a constitution that was unique at the time of its writing and that our military swears to support and defend. It is necessary for them to be unified in defending this because it preserves democracy and the other rights we enjoy.. At its beginning, when people saw this different form of government, some thought it was crazy and fought against it, but others chose to defend it, and still others desired to immigrate from other countries because of all that it promised. What is it that we as Christians can stand for, defend, and promote? Why would anyone care to oppose or join our cause? The answers are found in our text. So, let’s take a look at what Paul wrote to a divided Philippian church.

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ....” The idea of 'worthiness” here does not mean that we have to live our lives as if to earn the gospel, which is impossible anyway, but rather live in such a way that displays the worth of the gospel to you. Let your life show that the Good News of Jesus  matters enough to you for you to live in the way that it prescribes. The Greek in this text can also be translated “only behave as citizens worthy of the gospel.” which fits nicely with what Paul says later on in his letter, that our “citizenship is in heaven”. Citizenship was a big deal to the Philippians. If you were a Philippian, you also had the same rights and privileges as a Roman citizen did, which everyone in that day coveted. But Paul is saying, yes, you have these privileges, but they shouldn’t matter to you as much as your citizenship in heaven does. Let your life be a reflection of this fact.

You've heard it said before that this world is not our home, and that is true. We enjoy many rights and privileges by being citizens of the United States, but our true allegiance is to Jesus and His Kingdom. 

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.”

Paul’s desire was for the Philippians to “stand firm in one spirit” and in the Greek the term ‘stand firm’ is military in nature. It conjures up the image of soldiers standing together in defense of something, against an enemy. In this case, they’re defending the message of the gospel of the one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ against the onslaught of the Roman government which says the one “Lord” is the emperor Nero. This was possibly the very reason Paul was in prison and he says the only way to effectively withstand this opposition is to stand together in unity, drawing strength from the One Spirit in us all.

Not only does Paul wish for the Philippians to stand firm against those who would oppose them, but that they would have one mind “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel”. Paul switches imagery from militant to athletic. ‘Striving side by side’ paints a picture of a team of athletes, all working together for the same goal, and in this case the goal is to help each other grow in their faith, and also see the faith of the gospel spread to others. To ‘make and mature disciples’.

In our western culture, the ideas of individualism and independence, the “I can make it on my own” mentality, is praised and encouraged . But in the Kingdom of God, it's just the opposite…Its citizens are made to live as dependent people. Dependent on God first and foremost, but also dependent on each other. Our sanctification and growth aren’t designed to happen only between us and Jesus as individuals, but in the context of the body of Jesus. We need to be unified in this endeavor.

We are to stand firm in the Gospel together, we are to strive for the Gospel together, all without fear of the opposition. We will probably never come close to the persecution that the early church endured, but that doesn’t mean that following Jesus is without a certain amount of suffering. That suffering can take many forms, but we can take comfort as Paul did. “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

“This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”...When the world (and by world I mean your neighbors, friends, coworkers, family, etc.…) looks on as the church is standing fearlessly united by the Gospel of Christ, there are only two reactions it can have. It is either be repulsed or attracted, offended or repentant, they will either oppose you, or seek to immigrate into the Kingdom of God. We have no control over their response, only God does, but it is our responsibility to be a clear, unified, sign to them of the way that leads to destruction and the way that leads to salvation, even if doing so could lead to suffering.

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him, but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now still have.” These verses clearly state that our faith in Jesus is a direct gift from God. It also clearly states that our suffering is too, but suffering for His sake. The Philippians and Paul were each going through the same kinds of struggles for pledging their allegiance to Jesus as Lord instead of Nero. Namely, imprisonment and even death. But just as Paul said before, in our suffering we can honor Christ, and in that we can be joyful even if God doesn’t take it away. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” It isn’t God’s desire that we suffer because He is a mean God, but because He is loving and knows that our suffering for His sake leads to something far, far better.

So.. we made it through the first part and in it we answered our first two questions. Paul urges us to live as worthy citizens of a heavenly kingdom, unified by the faith of the Gospel.. Our motivation for this unity should be to strengthen each other to stand firm against the outside influences that threaten to shake our faith in the Gospel and our purpose for unity should be to strive together for the growth of our faith and the spreading of the Gospel. We are to be a sign to a world doomed to destruction, a light pointing to the way of salvation.

What unites us? The Gospel of Jesus. Why have we been united? To defend and spread the Gospel of Jesus. And now what does our unity in the Gospel look like in real everyday life? Spoiler alert! It looks like Jesus! Let’s read about it in our second section of Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians.

Philippians 2:1–11:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We need to remember why Paul was writing to the Philippians about unity. It’s because they were struggling with it. There was an internal conflict that was hindering their effectiveness in the defense and spreading of the Gospel! Paul heard about it and wanted to see it dissolved quickly! And unity was the antidote…

He began here by reminding them of some of the Gospel facts. Some of the things that were indisputably common to all believers in Christ. When he used the word ‘if’ of verse 1 of chapter 2, it was not to say that there was a chance that these things were not true, but instead he wrote it with the underlying assumption that they were. A better translation may have been ‘since’. Since you all have felt encouragement in Christ, were comforted by His love, experienced the Spirits participation in their sanctification, and have known the affection and sympathy of our God…..THEN!... 

“Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind.” Complete my joy…Remember, Paul was in prison, persecuted, execution was looming… and he told the Philippians that the only thing lacking in his joy was their unity! He told them to be of the same mind. Same mind as what? As each other? Well, yes and no. Yes, so long as they had the same mindset as Jesus. He told them to have the same love. Same kind of love as each other? Yes and no. Yes, so long as they love each other with the same love that Jesus did. Be in full accord and one mind. Unity.

Another word for ‘accord’ is harmony. I recently heard an illustration that I found helpful in understanding what Paul is about to say next. It goes like this. A conductor was asked which instrument was the hardest instrument to play in an orchestra? The conductor thought for a moment and then answered, “Second violin”. He said that he could find many people who  wanted to play first violin, to play the lead part, but he could find few who wanted to play second violin willingly and with enthusiasm. And the problem is that if they didn’t have a second violinist, they didn’t have harmony…. ‘Be in full accord’ means to harmonize with your fellow believers. It’s not about being louder, more important, more prestigious, more noticed. It’s about working together to produce something that neither of you could apart. And the only way to do that is through humility.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” The Greek words which are translated as selfish ambition or conceit are Kenos (empty) and Doxa (glory)...empty glory. This is the desire to be first, to be greater, more respected, and to have a higher estimation of our own worth than we ought. The early Christians were engrossed in a culture that promoted this kind of competitive attitude and gave preference to those in the highest status. It’s not quite so different from our culture now. Everything from who your family was, where you grew up, how well-to-do you are, and how smart you sounded played into your status and worth as a person….and the Philippians were not immune, and neither are we. All for what? Empty glory.

But Paul advocated for something radically different and counter cultural: “but in humility count others more significant than yourself.” This is a tough one. We all struggle with humility. The temptation is strong to look at other people's faults and then not count them as worthy of our time, our love, our ministry. But the truth is, if Jesus did this we would be destined for destruction just like the rest of the world. But thankfully that is not the example our Savior gave us.

In God’s kingdom, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Who did Jesus say will be greatest in the Kingdom? He impressed over and over again, it’s the humble, the lowly, the servant of all. And what does a servant do?

Paul puts it this way, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” He is not saying we need to neglect ourselves and our own needs. But rather to obey the greatest commandment. Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Don’t be selfish!. And in this we will guard against inward disunity and live harmoniously for the sake of the Gospel.

Counting others as more significant and looking to the interests of others is what a true citizen of the Kingdom, Gospel centered, worthy manner of life, kind of unity looks like. It looks like Jesus and this is the kind of unity that will see people immigrating into the Kingdom of God. People don’t care about the organizational ‘oneness’ of the church, that we agree on the color of the carpet, that we arrive at the same place at the same time and do stuff, or even that we have the most flashy and high tech church service broadcast to millions. You know what is going to leave a lasting impression? When people love each other sacrificially. Because that’s different. The people watching the church want to know: Do they care about each other? Is there someone who will love me? Is it a family I can be a part of?

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

This is the example of our Savior. Jesus HAD everything! He had the fullness of glory being in the form of God. God was His Father, Heaven was his dwelling place, He had no need or want of anything, He was all knowing and all powerful, but He emptied Himself. He took the form of a servant, being born into the likeness of men. His father was a nobody carpenter, his hometown was Nazareth where nothing good ever came from, he was born into poverty, as a helpless, powerless baby who had to grow and learn just like you and I. He humbled Himself by obeying the will of the Father, even though it meant suffering, even though it meant death in the most humiliating way….all for us unworthy sinners. We are called to have the same mind as Christ, the same love. We cannot successfully do any kind of ministry without this principle. It is absolutely critical. Jesus did it, and we must too.

But it doesn’t stop there. We can’t stop reading the Bible after Jesus’ death on the cross. That was not the end of His story, and it’s not the end of our unity with Him. Paul continues to the Philippians, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 

After Jesus’ death, he was raised to life, after his burial, his resurrection, after his humiliation, his supreme exaltation in glory. Just like Paul says, in Romans 6 “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” … and again in Romans 8 “if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Jesus our model for unity and love, in his obedience to the father, in his sacrifice for the unworthy, and in his selflessness by humbly counting others as more significant than himself... be that way. Be united with Christ and be united with each other, for sake of mutual sanctification, and for the defense and the advancement of the Gospel.

The Struggle - Romans 7 and 8 - March 6, 2022

Sermon by Elder Joel Brown 

The Struggle – From Genesis to Regeneration to Glory

Good morning! I am excited to dive into the Word with you all today. My prayer is that it will bring the light of the Gospel to those who are lost in sin and a renewed hope to all of us who still struggle against it. We're going to zoom out to see the big picture of the human condition, then observe the various transformations that take place throughout the life of a believer in Christ, and finally zoom in to focus on the heart of the Christian struggle. I believe that understanding our history and the different parts at play will better equip us in the fight and will give us hope for victory both now in our daily lives and for the final victory in eternity.

My goal today is to look at what Paul has to say about this in Romans chapters 7-8, which is a big bite all on its own, but as we will see, Romans is one big run on sentence which needs to be understood as a whole, and then the whole of Romans can only be understood in the context of the rest of Scripture. 

Before we get started, Let's Pray

If you were to scan through Romans, you would see that most of the chapters begin with a phrase that contains the word “then” or “therefore”. So what do we have to do? We have to keep going backwards to see what happened before and what the “therefore” is there for! So I want to briefly summarize Romans 1-6 in a minute, but first we need to go back just a little farther. Back to Genesis, the creation and the fall.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...” Most of us know the story. In 6 days, all of creation was spoken into existence by the Word of God, which is Jesus, the Son. In the book of John it says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...by Him and through Him all things were created in heaven and on earth.” So, out of nothing came light and darkness, the Heavens, land and sea, vegetation and trees, the sun, moon and stars, and all the living creatures to inhabit the sky, the sea, and the land. All of this He called good! Then last of all God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

I think that is so special! I mean, the creation of the world part is mind blowing and all, but to be created in the image of our Creator! To have His likeness! He didn't do that for any other part of creation, which He created out of nothing. He purposefully made us to resemble Himself, and He did that in part by giving us a spirit. Ecclesiastes 12:7 sheds light on this by describing what happens to us when we die. “...and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” God gave us each a unique spirit in addition to our flesh, which gives us an awareness of things beyond this material world. We have the ability to know our Creator! 

Another key element of being an image-bearer of God is that He has inscribed His moral law on the hearts of all humans. This gives us the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and points us to God’s perfect standard. Paul alludes to this fact in Romans 2:14. He says that when the gentiles “by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law”. The words “by nature” point to how they were created in the image of God and intuitively know God’s laws. How is this possible? Because, as in verse 15, “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.” 

So, God created Man in His image. Male and female He created them. And He called them “Very good.” And they were. By nature, at their creation, Adam and Eve were sinless. They were free to enjoy walking in the glory of God's presence and their hearts’ desires were for Him. They had no knowledge or awareness of sin. They were perfectly happy and content with what God gave them.

We read about the first commandment God ever made to man in chapter 2 of Genesis. He said, “You may surely eat of every tree of the Garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” This was as if to say, “I know what is good and what is evil and I desire to spare you from the burden of that knowledge. Trust me and obey this commandment and you will have life eternal, but if you do not, you will get what you desire and it will kill you.” It was a good law intended for blessing and initially there was no indication that they would want to disobey.

But we know what happened next. The Fall. In Genesis 3:1-7 it describes how Satan craftily distorted God’s words to tempt Adam and Eve to distrust God’s motives. They were deceived by the sinful influence of Satan and Adam and Eve coveted what God told them they could not have. They chose to not trust God’s plan for them, and ultimately made the choice which corrupted the goodness of their nature. Man's nature became totally depraved, making him unable to please God and enslaved to sin.

From then on humanity was burdened with this problem of sin. It took what was holy and righteous and good, and permanently tainted it. Humanity was still made in the image of God, but it no longer perfectly reflected Him anymore. And the morality that was written on their hearts became clouded, causing everyone to do what was right “in his own eyes” and not in the eyes of God.

This is why humanity needed a Savior. It needed intervention. It needed regeneration.

The fallen human condition sets the stage for the gospel. You can't appreciate the good news without fully understanding the bad news. Which brings us back to Romans. I want to now provide a brief summary of Romans 1-6 to give the context we need to understand 7-8. So here we go!

Paul's aim in Romans was to preach the gospel which was the good news of salvation to everyone who receives it by faith. God can be and is known by man because He has revealed Himself through creation and man is without excuse. But man suppresses the truth about God because of unrighteousness and his darkened heart. Choosing instead to desire the things of the flesh rather than the things of God.

 All people are held accountable to God by His law, which He has written on their hearts, and the doers of the law will be justified, but the wrath of God is reserved for those who sin under it. The bad news is that no one is righteous, not even one. All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.

Obedience to the law is a matter of the heart, which means inward reform is needed and not merely outward change in behavior or appearance. Due to our sinfulness, the law is not able to save us, but serves to reveal our unrighteousness.

The good news is that the law also points to the one who is righteous, Jesus Christ and that through faith in Him we can be justified and reconciled to God. This is a gracious gift that was purchased for us by the blood of Jesus and can only be received by faith alone. Because of this, we have no grounds for boasting in ourselves, but only in Him.

In the same way, Abraham’s obedience to the law didn’t earn his righteousness, rather his faith in God’s promise, which came first, was counted to him as righteousness. This was essential for the promise to be guaranteed to all his offspring (including us), because it must rest solely on God’s grace, and not on the law. 

So, therefore our faith is also counted to us as righteousness when we believe that God is able to do what he said he would do through Jesus.

 Now we rejoice in the hope of future glory, but we also rejoice in our current struggle with sin because through it we are being further transformed by the Holy Spirit. Should we continue to sin now that we have grace? No! Jesus died and was raised in order that our bondage to our sin might be put to death and that we might walk in newness of life. This is our regeneration. Our second birth. We are no longer spiritually dead, but alive to God. We are no longer slaves to sin, which leads to death, but are free to obey a new Master who gives eternal life. Free to serve in the new way of the Spirit.

Hallelujah! This is the Gospel. I pray that there are people listening today who heard this good news and found salvation from their sins and can join with us in the Spirit’s renewal.

As it says in 2 Corinthians 3:15–18:

“15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses [the law] is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Well, we finally arrived at chapter 7. This is where “the struggle” gets real. But with all of this wonderful truth still fresh in our minds, let's dive in. I am going to start by reading verses 7-12, and as I do, try to imagine them in the context of Adam after the fall.

“What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

Could you hear Adam possibly saying these words? Adam had no consciousness of sin in the garden before God commanded not to eat of the tree. But as soon as the commandment came, temptation was quick to follow. In their case though, not being by nature sinful, the influence of sin came externally through the tempter – Satan. As Eve said in Genesis 3:13, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

The commandment that God had given promised life, but when sin came alive in them it proved to be death, just as God had warned. What was holy and righteous and good in them had died.

Paul knew the story of Adam and the Fall, of course, and he saw the same story play out throughout the history of our race, including himself. Paul wanted to be sure that his readers understood, though, that it wasn't the law itself that brought about death, if that were the case God would have been the source. But in reality, it was sin that produced death through the law.

Now at last, we have arrived at the very heart of what I wanted to share today. Let's continue reading. Romans 7:14-25,

“14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.”

Paul is being vulnerable here, he is sharing something personal. He probably knew that the Christians reading his words would be able to relate to this conflict. Can you relate? I know I can. He wanted them to know that they were not alone, and that it is a law, a reality, to go through this. It is common across all believers.

Paul used the word “law” in this passage many times, but they have different meanings and connotations. Obviously the “law of God” is the one we are to obey, the one written on our hearts. But when he says, “I find it to be a law”, it is the same way the word is used in the “law of gravity”. It is a fact, a reality, something that is proven. And then there is the war between the “law of my mind” (which is our conscience) and the “law of sin” (which is our fallen nature).

This tension we all feel, this struggling, is a direct result of the “already, but not yet” state of being a believer. We are already justified by the blood of Jesus, already reconciled to God the Father, and already regenerated by the indwelling of His Spirit, but we are not yet glorified in our flesh. The battle with the desires of our sinful flesh still rages on. We are not yet freed from sin's influence, but thank God we are free to struggle!

I think that too often we get stuck in the mire. We feel discouraged with our struggle against sin, and it feels hopeless, like we are always failing. Paul echoes this frustration by exclaiming in verse 24, “24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" But he doesn't stop there. He brings his focus back onto the One who can. “25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Paul wanted his readers to have hope. And that's why he shares this most amazingly encouraging truth in Romans 8,

“8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

No condemnation! We must let those words change our perspective of ourselves. Yes, we still sin, but by His grace we are released from its bondage and need not fear it's wages. What God has required of us by His law, He has fulfilled in us through Jesus! He began the work, and He will finish it!  And so now our focus needs to shift from the things of the flesh to the things of the Spirit. Let's not dwell on our sinfulness and feel condemned or even doubtful of our salvation (this is Satan's weapon against the believer), but instead let’s be convicted of sin and let that motivate us to constantly strive in the Spirit for righteousness.

Like Paul said, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!” So obviously our aim is righteousness. We must struggle. And the Spirit is here to help! He has opened our eyes to the truth. He convicts us of sin and causes repentance. He is our seal of salvation. He regenerates our hearts and renews the image of God in us. He is continually sanctifying us to be more Christ-like. He unveils our clouded morality and quickens our conscience. He is our guide. He enables us to understand the Word of God and reveals to us what is the will of God. He assists and intercedes for us in prayer. He gives us strength in our weakness. He frees us to struggle! Amen!

Paul completes his encouragement in verses 14-25 by reminding his reader of their hope for future glory,

“14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Amen! This is our hope. This is our future. The struggles and sufferings in this life will cease, the redemption of our sinful flesh and the glory will be eternal! 

But while we wait, remember, our struggle against sin is not a curse, it is a gift of grace, something we did not have the ability to do before we were saved and that there is no condemnation in Christ when we still fail in our own strength. God doesn't leave us to do it on our own! His own Spirit dwells in us to motivate and empower our efforts and leads us through the knowledge of His Word which informs our conscious. He told us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. With His help we can win the daily battles until at last we are glorified with Him in heaven. Paul says at the end of Chapter 8 that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord and nothing will separate us from His love. Be encouraged, hope in Jesus, draw strength from His Spirit, and struggle while he completes the work He began in you, from one degree of glory to another.