Chuck Larsen

The defeated Christian life is one of confusion, guilt, shame, addictions, self-condemnation and according to Romans 7:18-20, it’s a life filled with frustration. Paul writes, “No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t! When I want to do good, I don’t. When I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. Now if I am doing what I don’t want to, it is plain where the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp.” (See Living Bible Translation) Solomon discovered the frustrations of life everywhere he looked. He said it was all “vanity of vanities.” There is an emptiness about it all. Frustration permeates everything. Paul is going to affirm this truth later in Romans chapter 8, verses 20 and following when he says, “For the creation was subjected to frustration…” Then in Verse 22, he says “the whole creation” groans to be delivered from this frustration.

Another name for frustration is “burn out.” People get burned out, according to David Jeremiah, “…because they work hard without focus, purpose, or accomplishment.” He goes on to say, “Burning out comes from trying to accomplish something that is unattainable…” He has truly captured the theme of the Book of Ecclesiastes as well as Paul’s exasperation with himself in his efforts to win a declaration of righteousness through acts of the law. It will lead only to frustration, and it is clearly a “vanity of vanities.” It is impossible to win God’s favor by being good. The greatest achievements and the greatest self-denials in the world accomplish nothing. Jeremiah also says, “All around us in our world we see frustrated people—road rage on the freeways, shooting sprees in corporate offices, hopelessness in the hearts of individuals.” This list could go on!

Chapter 7 of Romans ends (24-25), “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  Let me say it again, the answer to our sin problem is not a 12-step program. It’s not a prescription. It’s not a procedure, a pamphlet or a principle. It’s a person! The war has been fought and has been won on our behalf. Chapter 8 begins with the exciting news of our victory. The first two verses read, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Jesus redeems us from the frustration and futility of life. He provides true meaning and purpose to the entire universe. And as Morgan writes, “…if there is meaning and purpose to the universe, there must be, somehow and somewhere, meaning and purpose to life. And if there is meaning and purpose to life, there must be, somehow and somewhere, meaning and purpose to my life, and to yours.” I’ve always loved the old hymn, “Stayed Upon Jehovah.” The chorus reads, “Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest, Finding as He promised perfect peace and rest.”

Romans Chapter 7 is all about the many things that characterize the defeated Christian. They are confused, overwhelmed with guilt and shame, are susceptible to compulsions and addictions and they are also awash in self-condemnation. I like the way the Living Bible translates verse 18. In it, Paul says, “I know I am rotten through and through…No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t.” When we attempt to find righteousness through our own efforts, we always come away the loser. Job defended himself before God, but in the end, he recognized that he didn’t have a leg to stand on.  When confronted with the perfect righteousness of God he exclaimed, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:5-6). When Isaiah got a glimpse of the grandeur and glory of God he also exclaimed, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5).

Whenever we lay ourselves alongside God’s perfect standard of righteousness it should drive us to our knees. That’s its purpose! We can either live in constant awareness of our failure which Paul refers to as “a mind set on the flesh” or we can live with our “minds set on the spirit” and experience victory. Although our lives condemn us, the law of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ declares us “not guilty.” We have been set free from this self-incrimination. John puts it this way, “…whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:20). It is a matter of living by faith not by works. Works, law keeping, accentuates our sinfulness. Salvation by grace through faith accentuates our righteousness in Christ. In Romans 10:8, Paul tells his readers that this salvation from condemnation under the law is right here in this Gospel. He says, “But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming.” Commenting on this verse, Redford writes, “Here is the difference between the way of law-keeping (works) and the way of faith. We do not have to travel to a distant realm and accomplish daring feats in order to impress God. The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart. The message is close to us and ready to be accepted—if we respond in faith. Salvation is not a matter of trying through our own efforts to reach God; it is accepting God’s love that is offered to us. Righteousness is received, not achieved.”

Chapter 7 of Romans ends (24-25), “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  I know I keep saying this same thing, but it’s really important. The answer to our sin problem is not a 12-step program. It’s not a prescription. It’s not a procedure, a pamphlet or a principle. It’s a person! The war has been fought and has been won on our behalf. Chapter 8 begins with the exciting news of our victory. The first two verses read, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

In Romans Chapter 7, Paul describes for us what the defeated Christian life is like. I’d suggest that Paul is arguing from experience. He knows because he’s been there. The first thing that characterizes the defeated Christian is confusion. That’s expressed in verse 15. It says, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” The second thing that characterizes a defeated Christian is guilt and shame. Verses 16 and 17 read, “I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking.” The third thing that will characterize my life is “addictions and compulsions.” Paul says at the end of verse 17, “But I can’t help myself because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things.” Have you ever heard a clearer expression of defeat?

This is an entry from the diary of a self-professed addict: Sunday, October 14: I’m living on borrowed time. I really don’t know how long I’ll make it. I can feel my heart beat; I just wonder how long my body can take this abuse. I’m sitting at a phone booth right now, not really sure who or why to call. I know exactly what they are going to tell me. … This is so hard. It is worse than hard—when you know this is killing you and you keep on doing it. It is pure hell!!! What is so bad is that I try to think of all the people that love me and care for me. And believe me; I realize it’s a lot of people. But I just can’t quit right now.” The cry of those trapped in some addictive or compulsive behavior is that they just “can’t help themselves.” Even the Apostle Paul knows those feelings. Is there anything that describes the defeated life more clearly? Some time back, Hunter Biden, the President’s son, was on trial for illegally purchasing a gun while a drug addict. His journals and emails exposed his situation when he said with his own words that he spends all his time high or looking for where he’ll find his next fix. He concluded that all his efforts were towards “feeding the beast.”

Chapter 7 or Romans ends (24-25), “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The answer to our sin problem is not a 12-step program. It’s not a prescription. It’s not a procedure, a pamphlet or a principle. It’s a person! The war has been fought and has been won on our behalf. Chapter 8 begins with the exciting news of our victory. The first two verses read, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, “…The greater majority of the slaves in the South went right on living as though they were not emancipated. That continued throughout the Reconstruction Period.” When asked what he thought about the “great emancipator,” one slaved is reported to have said, “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout Abraham Lincoln ‘cept they say he sot us free. And I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that neither.” (cited by Swindoll)

In Romans Chapter 7, Paul describes for us what the defeated Christian life is like. I’d suggest that Paul is arguing from experience. He knows because he’s been there. The first thing that characterizes the defeated Christian is confusion. That’s expressed in verse 15. It says, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” The second thing that characterizes a defeated Christian is guilt and shame. Verses 16 and 17 read, “I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking.”

Our consciences always move us to the reality of our sin. The reality of our sin always results in shame. In Genesis 3:7, Adam and Even saw their nakedness, that is their guilt, and they were ashamed. Sin is a real thing in life and so is guilt and shame that should, and eventually will, accompany it. Feelings of guilt and shame focus all of our attention on ourselves. In Romans chapter 7, Paul uses the first-person pronoun (I, me, my, myself) 41 times. It’s all about his sin and his struggle and his confusion and his guilt and his shame. Feelings of guilt and shame cause us to withdraw and live defeated lives. Larry Richards writes, “A sense of guilt and shame blocks the flow of love which is the key motivation in the Christian’s life. God does not seek to make us respond to Him. Instead, He sets us free and invites us to shake off our past failures and step out to experience liberty. As a basis for this freedom—to assure us of our acceptance even if we should fail—God clearly announces the great realities. Jesus has once and for all dealt with sin. With sin forgiven, both guilt and shame lose their grip. God is not ashamed of you. God does not condemn you as guilty.”

Chapter 7 or Romans ends (24-25), “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The answer to our sin problem is not a 12-step program. It’s not a prescription. It’s not a procedure, a pamphlet or a principle. It’s a person! The war has been fought and has been won on our behalf. Chapter 8 begins with the exciting news of our victory. The first two verses read, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Max Lucado writes, “Think of it this way. Sin put you in prison. Sin locked you behind the bars of guilt and shame and deception and fear. Sin did nothing but shackle you to the wall of misery. Then Jesus came and paid your bail. He served your time; he satisfied the penalty and set you free. Christ died, and when you cast your lot with him, your old self died too. The only way to be set free from the prison of sin is to serve its penalty. In this case the penalty is death. Someone has to die, either you or a heaven-sent substitute. You cannot leave prison unless there is a death. But that death has occurred at Calvary. And when Jesus died, you died to sin’s claim on your life. You are free.”

In Romans chapter 7, Paul describes what it’s like to live the defeated Christian life. He knows about it because he’s spent some time in it. He knows that when a Christian lives “according to the flesh” he will never experience victory in his battle against sin. When we try to fight spiritual battles with fleshly weapons, we are destined to failure. The battle is a spiritual one and it requires spiritual weapons to win the war. When we try to depend on our own strength, we end up living a defeated life. Paul describes that defeated life for us in Romans Chapter 7, beginning at verse 15. The first thing that happens is that we experience profound confusion. That verse says, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”

Although delivered from the law through our faith in Christ, believers are constantly doing battle with the inclinations to focus their attention on the dos and the don’ts of the law. Christians argue about whether Paul is addressing his pre-Christian experience or a post-Christian experience in this passage regarding his struggle with sin. I’d argue he’s addressing both. His point is that the law is totally inadequate as a means of attaining righteousness before God, either as unbelievers or as believers. Salvation for an unbeliever is by grace through faith. Sanctification, winning the victory over present sinful tendencies in our lives for the believer is also by grace through faith. The righteous do not live by works of the law, but by faith. The just shall live by faith. Our attempts to acquire righteousness on our own always results in the confusion that Paul describes. We know what’s right and wrong, yet we can’t win the battle against our flesh nature which continually confronts us with our moral failures. Lopez says, “This results in spiritual schizophrenia (since he possesses two opposing dispositions/inclinations) like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Law and Grace are two diametrically opposed systems. They cannot coexist and when they do they are like a two headed turtle. According to scientists, two-headedness can occur in all animals but the survival rate is short. The reason is that each head tends to work independently of the other, controlling its own side of the body, creating disunity, confusion, and frustration.

The chapter ends (24-25), “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The answer to our sin problem is not a 12 step program. It’s not a prescription. It’s not a procedure, a pamphlet or a principle. It’s a person! The war has been fought and has been won on our behalf. Chapter 8 begins with the exciting news of our victory. The first two verses read, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”