Title: Paul’s Transparency
Intro:
I believe it is our human nature to listen more closely to someone when we can relate to what they are saying to us. If we strike a chord of unity, a chord of similarity, we feel a connection between ourselves and the other person and their ideas, their thoughts, their conclusions suddenly mean more to us. This happened to me several years ago with a Hospice patient. (Story of gentleman and coaching football.)
In this dialogue Paul is being his most transparent. He is putting himself under the microscope to illustrate the struggle and war between the flesh and the spirit. It is Paul’s hope that the readers of his letter to the Romans would hear Paul’s struggle, his angst, and say, “Yes, Paul, I can relate! Oh, how I have been there, what is the answer to our woe?”
There has been no small amount of theological debate over the years as to why Paul suddenly switches to the present tense in v. 15-25. The most widely held explanation, and the one that I tend to gravitate toward is that Paul is describing himself and Christians in general who, although free from Christ and the condemnation of the Law, do not yet perfectly fulfill the requirements of the law.
Paul is actually describing a profound conflict that every Christian finds inherent in his or her life: That both Christ and Sin dwell in them. Perfect conformity to God’s will is at present out of reach. (We will discuss why in a moment).
V13 (read)
The English translation of what Paul is saying here is quite wordy. I think it can essentially be boiled down to this:
“So does the Law bring me death? No. But it does reveal my own sin, and I know that if that sin goes unforgiven I’m facing the reality of Hell. But what the Law does is not only reveal my sin, but also just how offensive that sin is to God.”
V14 (read)
Paul makes a quick distinction between the nature of the Law and the nature of his own being. The Law is spiritual, that is, from God. He is carnal, that is flesh, and these two things will never quit warring with one another until one dies.
How many of you consider yourselves Christians this morning? (Show of hands).
Okay keep your hand up if you, after becoming a Christian, have stopped struggling with sin.
Why not? Because your flesh will war with your spirit (your new spirit as a Christian) until your flesh literally dies. That is what Paul is saying here.
V15 (read)
Paul, contrary to Jewish piousness, is being very real with his audience here. First he says, “Look, my own behavior confuses me. The things I want to do, I do not do, and, furthermore, the things I specifically do not want to do, in fact the things I hate doing, those are the very things I end up doing!”
Can anyone here this morning relate to what Paul is saying? I know I can.
V. 16 (read)
“I readily admit that the Law is doing its job because I find myself knowing that what I am practicing is wrong.”
V17-20 (read)
This is where Paul begins his dialogue about the frustration of his own flesh. He is pulled by his flesh to commit sin. He knows that his spirit, his real self before Christ is free to avoid such behavior, but his flesh compels him to fall. Thus the human war between the flesh and spirit rages on within Paul, and within every believer who has ever lived.
It is important to note in verse 20 that Paul is not absolving himself of the responsibility of his own sin. He’s not saying, “It’s not me, it’s just my flesh.” For Paul’s instruction to us over and over and over again is to discipline our bodies to be masters over our flesh. What he is saying is that his eternal self, his spirit, is right before God, but his flesh is pure evil.
You can understand a bit more why the monks of the early church were so rabid in their hatred for their own bodies. They would discipline themselves, often to the point of starvation, because they believed no good could come from their flesh. Paul is not suggesting that type of behavior here. He is simply pointing out the warring factions in his own body.
V21-23 (read)
Paul’s sad and shocking conclusion is that he is torn between two laws. One that calls him to sin, and death. And a second law, that calls him to holy living and eternity.
v24-25 (read)
I love verse 24. In fact, I believe it is absolutely a requirement for real salvation. If you have accepted Christ and your heart has never screamed the words, “Oh what a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Then you did not hear the full Gospel of Christ. You heard some watered down, health and wealth sissy-Gospel that is useless against the power of sin. And you didn’t hear it from me, and you didn’t hear it from Heritage.
Every human who is saved must come face to face, not only with the reality of their own sin, but the reality of how wretched that sin makes them.
If there is even one cell in your body that doesn’t believe you completely, fully, and justly deserve nothing but the lowest pits of hell, then you don’t understand your sin, and therefore, you cannot understand your salvation.
Fortunately for Paul, and us, his cry has an answer. An answer that can only be found through the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the battle is not over (look again at verse 25b) We will continue this war between our mind and our flesh until our flesh dies. That is the plight we have been called to. That is why I reject the unbiblical notion that is so presumptuously attached to the American Christian that “God wants me to be happy.”
Did God want Job to be happy?
When Daniel was in the lion’s den, was he happy?
When David lost his son with Bathsheba because of his sin, was he happy?
When Paul writes these very words, is he happy?
When our savior was hanging on a tree was he happy?
Does God want us to have peace, and joy and assurance of our salvation. Yes. But only after we realize what that salvation consists of. And too many of us are not there yet. Too many of us, without regarding our own state, are far too happy.