WWUTT 1257 I Do What I Do Not Want? (Romans 7:16-20)

Justification is the work of God, sanctification is the work of God, of course you have to agree that glorification is the work of God, salvation is from beginning to end the gracious work of God when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ.

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Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you Becky. We're back to Romans 7 and maybe we'll get a little bit further than we did yesterday.

I'm going to start reading here in verse 13, we'll go through verse 20. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, did that which is good then bring death to me?

By no means, it was sin producing death in me through what is good in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh sold under sin.

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing

I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good.

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

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.

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Now this is complicated what we're reading here, and as I said yesterday, it's because sin is complicated.

So complicated that there's been so much debate surrounding Romans 7, wondering if the Apostle Paul is talking about who he was before he became a

Christian, or if he's talking about an inner struggle that goes on within himself in his Christian walk.

But as I had established yesterday, I believe that what we are most to understand, I said this yesterday in the lesson that started this section of Romans 7 on Wednesday of last week, as the

Apostle Paul has been arguing through the first six chapters of Romans, that we are justified by faith and not our works.

So the argument here in Romans 7 becomes that we are sanctified by faith and not by our works.

We grow in sanctification when we look to Christ, not to ourselves to keep the law.

We could not be justified by the law, and we're not going to be sanctified by the law either.

By our own ability to keep the law, it's by looking to Christ, and having the mind of Christ, and doing as Christ has done, and obeying his word and his commandment.

It is through the word of God that was given to us through Christ that we are sanctified.

As Jesus said, and keeping this in mind, as we're studying these things in Romans chapter 7,

John 17, 17, he prayed to the father for us, sanctify them in your truth.

Your word is truth. The law of God is God's word.

So he is going to sanctify us through that word. But it's not by our ability to look to that word and keep it, because we have no ability to do that.

Rather, it is Christ working in us. Keep also in mind that Paul said back in Romans chapter 3, do we then overthrow the law by this faith?

By no means. On the contrary, we uphold the law. Paul is going to say later on, coming up in Romans chapter 13, that love is the fulfilling of the law.

So if you are doing as Christ, if you are producing the fruit of the spirit, then against these things, there is no law.

Remember the fruit of the spirit, Galatians 5, 22, and 23. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self -control.

Against such things, there is no law. And if you are loving

Christ and loving others as Christ has loved us and loved others, then we are fulfilling the law.

Again, that comes up in Romans 13. So Paul is going to make that point later on. I mean, we're still several chapters away from that summarizing statement.

But it is by our love that we have from God poured into our hearts through his son,

Jesus Christ, that we are able to produce the fruit of the spirit and therefore keep the law.

So like one of the instructions of the law is do not murder, right? That's the sixth commandment.

Thou shalt not murder. So if you are loving your neighbor, you are upholding that.

You're fulfilling that law. And it's not by you looking at the law and saying, well, I'm just going to sit here and not murder.

Sin would still come alive in you in that way. When you focus on the law, when you look at it and you say, well,

I'm not going to murder. I'm not going to hate my brother. When that's your concentration, what awakens in your mind is a person that you don't like very much, right?

So when you're focusing on the law in that way, it is not sanctifying you. So your ability to focus on the law does not bring about sanctification.

It is Christ who has fulfilled the law, who is alive in you. His Holy Spirit that he has poured into your heart puts in you the desire to love your neighbor and that's the fulfilling of the law.

So we come back to Romans 7, 13. We looked at this verse yesterday, but mentioning it again, did that which is good and that's in reference to the law.

The law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good then bring death to me?

Because when the law came in, we heard the law, we realized I'm a sinner according to that law.

And a lot of times the law maybe came to your understanding after you became justified. So after you became saved and then when you heard the law, you and your unsanctified self still growing in that sanctification, you heard whoever is even hateful toward his brother has committed murder in his heart, the command of Christ in Matthew 5.

When you heard that, you were awakened to the reality of the sin that you had towards somebody else.

Does that mean that the law is evil because it made you aware of evil?

No, by no means. It was sin producing death in me through what is good, through the law, in order that sin might be shown to be sin and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

So you become not only aware of your sin, but you become aware of the fact that you can't do anything to overcome that.

The more you try to concentrate on, well, I'm going to not do this sin, the more it awakens in you the desire to do that sin because that's where all your focus is.

It's the sinful wretch that is within you that just wants to do the sin. You may have the desire to do the right thing, but if you're just concentrating on this aspect of the law and if I keep this law, then

I'm going to be a good person. All that's going to do is it's going to awaken in that sinful self of yours that's still being put off by the pursuit of sanctification.

That sinful self in you is still going to be wanting to do what is contrary to that thing you're focusing on.

The law has no ability to save you. The law has no ability to sanctify you.

And unless you be getting confused here, well, Brother Gabe, you just said that we're sanctified through the law. Right.

But not by the law itself. The law is not a living thing. It doesn't decide and make a decision for you that you are going to keep it.

The Holy Spirit does that. So it's your focus on Christ. Christ is the one who saves you and he's the one who sanctifies you.

As it says in Hebrews chapter 12, to focus your eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith.

So he's the one who gave you your faith and he's the one who is growing you in this faith.

You're keeping the word. You're obeying the commandments of God. All of this is by the power of Christ in you.

It is not your human will that is now desiring to do the thing that is pleasing unto

God. It's the Holy Spirit working through you to will and to work for his good pleasure, as it says in Philippians chapter two.

So we know that the law is spiritual. This is verse 14, Romans 7, 14.

We know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh sold under sin. So the law is a spiritual thing.

You're a fleshly person and the flesh is the flesh is sold under sin.

Not I am sold under sin, but the flesh is sold under sin here. Because remember, we're still talking about a person now who has been justified as we're here in Romans chapter seven.

That's the argument Paul's been making for the first six chapters. He doesn't get to chapter seven and then go back to the wicked evil man that was being described in Romans chapters one, two, and three.

We are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Your flesh is still sinful because your flesh is still subject to corruption.

Your spirit has been made alive in Christ. Your flesh is still sold under sin. That's everything that has been subjected to futility because of the sinfulness of man.

Now, lest you think that I'm getting into that Gnostic dualism where everything that is spiritual is holy and everything that is material is unholy and whatever you do in your body doesn't affect your spirit.

That's not my argument. Because again, we're talking about the person who in their spirit has been justified. But if they still try to live in the flesh and not in the spirit, then they're going to subject themselves further to that corruption.

There's no sanctification there. There was no justification when you were trying to live in your flesh.

There's not going to be any sanctification in trying to live in your flesh. So the flesh is sold under sin.

It's not going to overcome death just because you became saved.

Your body is still going to die. Christ, by his power, will raise your body to be like his glorious body on the day of Christ.

But that's not yet. Your flesh at present in this fallen, corrupt world is coming to corruption and is going to die.

So I am of the flesh sold under sin. For I, verse 15,

I do not understand my own actions, for I do not do what

I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now, keep in mind, once again, we are talking about a justified man here.

A justified man wants to do the right thing. A person who is not justified by faith in Christ does not want to do the right thing.

And when they hear the law, they don't even have the desire to keep the law. They have the desire to rebel against the law, because that is the natural state of the sinful man.

For I do not do what I want. What does Paul want to do? He wants to keep the law. Why? Because he's justified, because he wants to please and honor

Christ. But if he's trying to do that according to his flesh, then though his spirit has the desire to obey the law, his flesh continually wants to go against it.

So he does the very thing he hates. He wants to do the right thing, but the sin is still coming alive in his flesh, wanting to rebel against it.

I'm hearing the commandment. I'm hearing, don't do this. And what do I want to do? I want to do that.

And the example that I gave, I think it was last week, is, I mean, you just see things in the world around you that you just want to rebel against.

A sign that says, wet paint, do not touch. You want to go touch the wet paint.

A piano that says, do not play. You want to go over there and tap on the keys. A sign in the grass that says, don't walk on the grass.

You know, these are not morally binding commands that are being given. But even in these light things that are not morally binding, our flesh wants to go against that.

We're being told not to do something, and your flesh wants to do it, wants to go against the command that is being given to you.

So that's something that we are still battling against. We're still going to be fighting against until our dying day.

So I don't really understand the argument that tries to take Romans chapter seven and say that this is not the condition of the justified man, that a justified man doesn't have this inner struggle.

Absolutely, he does. Spurgeon wrote about it. I mentioned yesterday, John Bunyan wrote about it.

You can go all the way back in the history of the church, and you can find preachers, Martin Luther, especially constantly struggling against those things that their flesh wants.

But in their spirit, they have the desire to obey God. They have the desire to obey

God because they've been justified because of the gospel, because they've been saved out of the fallen nature of their corrupt souls, which was going in blindness unto death.

Now our eyes have been opened. Our eyes have been opened to see our sin and the holiness of God.

And in light of God's holiness, the more knowledge that we have of God's holiness, the more wicked we understand ourselves to be.

And so there's always going to be that struggle, that constant fighting against the thing that you want to do to please

God, but your flesh. Why is this flesh still bothering me in this way?

Even to the point that you may start asking yourself, am I really saved because my flesh wants to do sinful things?

That's exactly what Paul is talking about here. Paul being an apostle in no way is unable to relate to the plight of even the most mature or immature

Christian. An apostle was no less a man than you and I are. He had these struggles in his flesh, just like you and I do of wanting to put the flesh to death and be alive in the spirit and in the body to do those things that are pleasing unto the

Lord. And it's in light of the salvation that we have in Christ. Paul is eventually going to get to saying in Romans 12, one in view of God's mercies.

I urge you brethren to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy unto the

Lord, holy and acceptable to God. This is your spiritual worship. Living your lives, committed to living lives in holiness and righteousness.

Now that desire comes from the salvation, the justification that we have in Christ, that we even have that desire to do the holy thing and the ability to carry it out is therefore going to be by the power of the spirit working within us.

It's going to be a struggle though, but we have this promise in Philippians one. I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it at the day of Christ.

Continue to cling to Christ. Look to Jesus, look to the cross. There is no such thing as entire sanctification on this side of heaven.

You will never come to a day where you stand up and you say, that's it. I've finally achieved it.

I am now fully sanctified. You need to be standing on the other side of glory. When you make that statement, you won't be standing here on this corrupt earth prior to God's judgment of it or his bringing in of the new heavens and the new earth.

It's not going to be on this side of heaven that you can declare your full sanctification.

And it's a heresy for anybody to say that they are for this person, as it says in first John chapter one is a liar and he makes

God out to be a liar. First John one eight. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

No one by their own ability, by their own doing of good works is able to bring about their own justification.

And nobody by their ability to do good works even brings about their own sanctification. This is the work of God that is working in you to bring you unto holiness.

My friends, when you are tempted, turn to Christ. Do not continue to be looking at that sin when you're tempted with it.

You look at the sin when you, when you experienced temptation in your flesh, don't be looking at the sin, looking at it, pondering over it, going, hmm, now how do

I avoid not doing this? Well, while you're sitting there looking at it, it's awakening in you the desire to do it.

So don't do that. Don't sit there pondering over the temptation. What you're doing in that moment is you're trying to overcome the sin by your own flesh and you can't.

You have to look to Christ. When you're tempted with something, turn to Jesus. God, take hold of this thing in my mind.

Don't let me dwell on it. Help me to focus on you. This is Paul's instruction in 2

Corinthians 10, to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and to take every thought captive to obey

Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience. When your obedience is complete.

So we are pursuing the righteousness of Christ that is in Christ.

We do not find righteousness by our own ability to resist temptations that may come our way.

The flesh is still the flesh. It's still coming to corruption. The things of this world can still corrupt you.

Hence why Paul had to tell the Corinthians, do not be yoked with unbelievers for bad company corrupts good character.

Hold fast to Christ. Be among those who call on the Lord with a pure heart that we may uphold one another, encouraging and admonishing one another until the day of Christ comes near.

So here we are again. Verse 15. I do not understand my own actions for I do not do what

I want, but I do the very thing I hate. You don't hate the sin unless you're in Christ.

You love the sin until Christ shows you that it's sin and your desire is

Christ and not your sin. Then once you have come to Christ, these things you hate, but your flesh still wants them.

Now, if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good.

Paul doing what he does not want to do, doing the wrong thing. So if Paul is doing the wrong thing, how does he still agree with the law that it is good?

Well, he's saying that he has not lost that agreement. Just because he has sin does not mean that he thinks the law is bad.

Because remember, that was the argument in verse 13. Did that which is good then bring death to me? By no means.

The law is good. The law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Also, in first Timothy one, eight,

Paul saying to Timothy, we know the law is good if one uses it lawfully. So just because I do what

I do not want, I still agree that the law is good. So now it is no longer

I who do it, but it is the sin that dwells in me. The spirit that is within Paul still agrees that the law is good because the spirit that he has has been brought to life in Christ.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me. Verse 18. I know that nothing good dwells in me and my flesh that is in my flesh.

He makes that very clear. Not talking about the spirit of the person that is right in Christ.

We're talking about the flesh that is still sold to corruption. I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh, for I have the desire to do what is right.

The desire to do what is right that has been put into him through the new heart that has been granted by the

Holy Spirit of God, but not the ability to carry it out. So the new desire is there, but you don't have the ability to do it because you're still a human doing righteousness is still not possible by man.

It is the work of God through the person. This is why that that that reformed teaching of justification and sanctification is is so important to value and uphold throughout the history of the church and even to this day, because it is that reformed teaching that explicitly states it is not by man's power that these things are achieved.

It is by God's power that you are saved. It is by God's power that you stay saved. It is by God's power that you are glorified.

Salvation is from beginning to end the gracious work of God. It's never your work.

There's no synergism here. There's no cooperation between God and man. God does this work.

We are submissive and obedient to it even in this way through the Holy Spirit that is within us so that when we hear these things talked about in the word of God, we submit ourselves to them and obey them because the

Spirit has given us the heart to do this. So the desire is there. I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

The evil I don't want I keep doing. Now, if I do what I do not want, it is no longer

I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. This is Paul stating once again that the sin is still there.

This is why we need sanctification. So we're not just sitting on the argument that he's made from chapter three through chapter six that we're justified by faith.

Boom, that's it. That's all the doctrine that I have to teach to you. Romans were justified by faith.

Now go and do your thing. He doesn't stop with that.

He continues on that. They may understand now. Now, having been justified, you may want to do the right thing, but there is still a sin in you that needs to be worked out through sanctification.

There is that continual need to daily submit yourself unto Christ when he talks about in Romans 12 to about renewing your mind.

That's a daily activity that you constantly need to have the toxicity of the world flushed out to have that dead man inside of you trying to rise up.

You need to stomp him back down, focusing on Christ and through the power of Christ that is in you, achieving the sanctification that is needed, holiness that is needed.

For as it says in the book of Hebrews, without holiness, no one will see God. So we continue to pursue that holiness in Christ Jesus.

He gives it to us. He will accomplish it on his great day. Amen. Let's finish there because we got a little bit more to wrap up here in Romans chapter seven, but we're out of time today.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your goodness. Humble us today. May we submit ourselves to you today.