Sin, The Alien and How to Kill it - Romans 7

Sin is the alien, the foreign body, that invaded into our flesh and caused us to do what the very thing that we hate. Romans 7 explains how sin works and gives us the answer to kill it. 

What is Sin?
Most people will tell you about wrong acts. Some theologians will tell us about the original sin that it from Adam and Eve and that we all have it. All men are born sinful they say. But if you read Romans Chapter 7 carefully, you will find a different answer. Sin is not from us. Sin is the alien, the foreign body that invaded into our body and takes hold of us. Paul repeated twice, 7v17,20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. We are born good and we know God's laws are good and want to follow them. Paul again repeated twice, in verse 16 "Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good." and verse 22 "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being".

Romans 7 gives us the full story of God's law/commandments, sin and its working, and most importantly how are we saved from the power of sin through Christ and how we are to live in this new life through the Spirit. Here is my mind-map with some rephrasing of the biblical text to make it clearer to you. Please read the original text at the same time as you go through the mind-map.

Sin is: (from the Star in the above mind-map)

Sin is

• Sin is the alien virus that invades us that kills us.Rom 7:9,11
• Sin bind us through deceptions (just like the Devil from whom the sin came).
  • It lies that the Law is the demanding bad guy that condemn us.Rom 7:8
  • It twisted the effect of the Law from life to death Rom 7:10
  • It is the external intruder that cheated us that it is us and not an alien.Rom 7:17,20
  • We can be our own god and be rejecting a relationship with God.
• Through Bondage
  • I know what is Good 7:16,22
  • BUT I could not do it 7:18, 23
• Law is God's righteousness. It takes God to be like-God. So we are the rebirth in the Holy Spirit as Children of God.

The Victory over Sin

Sin's Destruction

Jesus overcomes sin for us.

• Rom 7:24
  • Wretched man that I am!
  • Who will deliver me from this body of death?
• Rom 7:25
  • Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
  • Before
    • I myself serve the law of God with my mind,
    • but with my flesh(invaded by sin) I serve the law of sin.
• But now
  • Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 
  • We are saved, belong to Christ, to glorify God
    • Rom 7:4 - Purpose
      • You have died to the law through the body of Christ,
      • so that you may belong to Christ
        • who has been raised from the dead,
      • that we may bear fruit for God.
    • Rom 7:6 -Method
      • But now we are freed from the law,
        • having died to that captor
      • We serve in the new way of the Spirit
        • Not in the old way of the written code.
      • Spirit Led vs Law Enforcement
      • Internal vs External

Lim Liat (c) 22 Jul 2017

Making My Cross easier to bear

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

So far all preachers that I heard on this topic stressed on denying themselves in order to follow Jesus. They painted a story of the needs of suffering for Christ.

Actually, the ability to bear the burden depends not on how great and able are we to suffer for Him but on knowing how good Christ is. The more we know His goodness and love, deserving all we can do and have for Him, the easier it is for us to deny ourselves. The more we preached on His goodness and less on our sufferings and the burden, the more we don't feel we are denying ourselves of anything; because knowing and experiencing Him is worth so much more. Hence Paul can boldly proclaim in Philippians 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.

To gain Christ, I am willing to forgo all. Please note that, what Paul counted as losses were not his weaknesses nor sins, but rather his position as a Pharisee of Pharisees, the protegee, his zeals for God etc. Things that the world and us will value highly.

So Paul says again, 2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

We should not just preach denying ourselves as if we are suffering for Christ and hence claiming credits that God owe us. But rather, as Paul, we forgo whatever, be it riches, comfort, honors, pleasures, that stop us from gaining Christ. We willing forgo such. The exchange is worth it, many times more. Do we know Jesus as good as that?

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose. – Jim Elliot.

Am I missing anything? Am I suffering without purpose? Consider what you are gaining.

Lim Liat (c) 19-7-17