ICS Daily Devotions
The Struggle of Man
Romans 7:15-19 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
Throughout history, man has had one constant struggle – the struggle to overcome sin. The law of God revealed to man what sin is and the knowledge of sin. However, the law being a schoolmaster is not able to make man perfect or enable him to overcome the sin nature. The sin nature was passed down to generations after Adam and Eve sinned against God. Therefore, there is a constant struggle for doing good because the law requires it and our conscience tells us that it is important to be good. Unfortunately, the flesh of men is weak, and therefore, we succumb to the sin nature that works in us. Thus we sin against God and fail miserably.
Man has a desire to be good and do the right thing but the flesh is weak, therefore there is a constant condemnation in our heart. There doesn’t seem to be a way out of this misery. This is the situation before we accepted Christ; we were dead in our sins and trespasses.
Ephesians 2:1-3 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
The Bible tells us very clearly that the life of an unbeliever and that of a believer is a world apart. No matter how good-natured a man is, he is still a sinner without Christ in his life. The sin nature causes everyone to sin and there isn’t a sinless man on earth except Jesus Christ. Therefore, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory and the expectation of God.
As unbelievers, when we were living in sin and were struggling with sin we know what the law is because the built-in conscience in us tells us what is right and wrong. Our family and society also taught us moral values. But we always fail to meet expectations. We end up doing what we like in this world rather than doing what is right.
Man is a tripartite being, made in the image of God. We are a spirit being with a soul and we have a body. The body is temporal but the spirit and the soul lives for eternity. The spirit of an unbeliever is dead as it is separated from God. Then the soul is the master of the being and the body is the slave. The world and its ungodly principles influence the soul and thus the body yields to these fleshly desires, failing to heed to a pricking conscience.
Man is influenced by the course of this world where we do whatever we like based on the values and principles of the world. We conduct ourselves based on the flesh, which is the sum of appetites and desires to satisfy self and to live independent of God. The prince of the power of the air and the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience is the devil. Adam handed him the power to rule this world when he and Eve sinned. They used to have the authority and dominion given by God which they lost in the moment of lapse. The devil is influencing the people today in a very subtle manner and we see it in their action or behavior.
There will be a constant struggle in the heart of man because the built-in conscience knows that one should be good. However, the sin nature in every man is also pulling us to sin against God and the flesh is weak. There is in fact no way out for a man who attempts to be good and acceptable before God based on his own strength. We were a slave to sin and held under bondage by the law. But there is hope for a believer who walks in the Spirit. In Christ, we are a new creation with a spirit that is alive and connected to God. The spirit becomes the master of the soul and body. The Holy Spirit who lives in us helps us to operate in the life of the law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus. It has set us free from the law of sin and death!
Sermon Series: We are Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Christ
