Pauls "Struggle" with sin?

All In One Accord

In this episode, we address a common misconception: the misuse of Romans 7. Over the years when counseling a fellow Christian who is struggling with a sinful behavior (giving into the temptation, not the temptation itself) we will often hear someone say something like,

“Don’t beat yourself up. It is hard. I mean even Paul struggled with sin. Look at Romans 7. He says that ‘I don’t know what I am doing. The [sinful] behavior I don’t want to do, this is the exact thing that I do.”

This is an attempt to show compassion to the downcast brother and not let them feel condemned. But there is a way to show this same compassion but according to true knowledge and all discernment, and not seriously misreading our beloved brother Paul’s words and thereby smearing his character.

My brothers, I mean Paul just said paragraphs before (Romans 6) that we cannot live to sin anymore because we have died with Christ. That through faith baptism in Christ Jesus we died and raised from the dead, and as a result we are no longer slaves to sin; we don’t have to be addicted to any sin any longer PERIOD. So then after emphatically stating this, he goes on to a confession of his own current sinning (in Romans 7)? Are you serious? This is NOT what he is saying, brothers, whatsoever. If one reads all of 6, 7 and into 8, this is painstakingly and gospel glorifying obvious! Stop this teaching, my friends, in your own counsel toward one another.

Truth being delivered in love sets a person free. Repenting and turning to the truth away from the lies and idols sets us free.

This false teaching suggesting that Paul still struggled with sin (meaning that he gave into temptations and performed sinful acts such as fornication, stealing, getting drunk, gossiping) as a well seasoned veteran in the Lord Jesus (he writes Romans way into his call as an apostle) is giving yourself permission to compromise. This kind of thinking is lazy theology. It's not enough to say, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace." The Gospel is meant to set you free from sin!

Join us as we explore and discuss Paul's teachings, shedding light on the message of his words.

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