I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Romans 7:22-14 NLT
We’re all born in slavery, it’s part of the human condition. We’re slaves to sin, with no power of our own to break free from the sinful nature we inherited from our forefathers. We watch Paul wrestle with his sinful nature throughout Romans 7. He expresses his frustration in his inability to live the righteous life God desires. He talks abut a power within him that is at war with his mind. The struggle is real and he often falls short.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. Romans 7:18-19 NLT
If desire to please God was all we needed to gain freedom from sin, we wouldn’t need a savior. We must desire to please God, but desire alone is not enough. No matter how hard we try, we cannot live a live free from sin, that’s why Paul likened it to slavery.
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:25 NLT
The only answer to breaking free from the bondage of sin is found in Jesus our Lord. He broke the bondage of sin when he laid down his life and poured out His blood on the cross.
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 6:6-7 NIV
The only way to escape the bondage of sin is to die! Just like Jesus laid down His life as a sacrifice for us, so we too, must completely surrender our lives in sacrifice to Him. Life can no longer be about our rights, our comfort, or our desire to be in control. The paradox is this, as you lay down your life and give God control, you gain freedom. To lose your life is to find it. To sacrifice it, is to save it.
At the heart of every sin, if you dig deep enough, you’ll discover a self centered motivation. Sometimes it’s as simple as self preservation. We are often driven by our need for peace of mind, freedom from anxiety and internal pain. Satan seizes the opportunity to drag us into sin, convincing us the sinful choice is the thing that will give us the peace we so desperately need. The great deceiver laughs when we fall prey to his deception not realizing that sin only causes deeper confusion, anxiety and pain. To key to finding freedom from sin in Christ is to fully surrender to Him. Give Him complete control. When we can’t find peace of mind, we must trust Him to give it to us in His time and resist the temptation to obtain it ourselves. When anxiety rages within our hearts, we must be willing to endure it while we wait patiently on Him for relief. To be free from sin, we must stop taking things into our own hands. We must die and allow Christ to live in us.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 NIV
Here’s the good news, there is freedom in Christ! He will set you free! Wait for it! Wait on Him! Once He sets you free, you’ll not only have peace of mind but also joy of heart that just gets better and better. Why not celebrate Independence Day by determining that you will surrender completely to Jesus, endure whatever is required to leave control in His hands, and allow Him to free you from the bondage of sin? Cry out to Him for help. His understands your pain, and He loves you. He will not leave you to struggle alone, but will stand by your side and help you surrender. He alone can give you independence from sin.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV