Thursday, February 18, 2016

Romans 7:15

Copyright Ó 2016 J. Neely
Romans 7:15

15 For [gar] that which [hos] I do [katergazomai] I allow [ginosko] not [ou]: for [gar] what [hos] I would [thelo], that [touto] do I [prasso] not [ou]; but [alla] what [hos] I hate [miseo], that [touto] do I [poieo].   KJV-Interlinear

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

Having believed in Jesus Christ, Christians are already designated as righteous, however, that righteousness is not yet perfected, but will be perfected at the resurrection.

Prior to faith in Christ, which is prior to ones salvation, evil had rule over body and soul.

When Christ went to the cross, He paid the price, and defeated both sin and death.

In order to obtain freedom from sin and death, the individual must believe in Christ, and by that faith, identifies with Christ in his work on the cross, which is to say His death, burial, and resurrection.

Even though we are saved, we still live in this world, in our physical bodies, which are still chained, so to speak, to the sin nature. And as such, we have a war within us, between good and evil.

Paul describes that battle in this and the next several verses.

That which I do, is a reference to the evil that we do. I allowed not, refers to our preference to not do evil. In other words, I don’t want to do evil, but I do it anyway.

In the next phrase, for what I would, refers to what I prefer to do, namely good, I do not do.

In the final phrase of this verse, demonstrates the trap that we are in, while living within these physical bodies. And that final phrase simply means that we do evil even though we don’t want to do evil.

In the summary of this verse, is that, though we have a preference to do good, we have a tendency to do evil.

The whole point of this, is to demonstrate that sin and evil have power and authority and control over us. And we cannot escape that power and authority on our own.

As unbelievers, there is no resource to get away from sin and evil and death.

As believers, Bible doctrine is a resource to help us neutralize sin and evil in our life, but we will not fully escape its influence until the resurrection, or until our physical death, wherein we leave the physical body behind, and enter into heaven, thus leaving the sin nature behind, and eventually being restored to a resurrection body, which is incorruptible and eternal.

While we are here in this world, we have to put up with the bad, so to speak. But we have Bible doctrine to help us endure in that process.

And needless to say, if we lack Bible doctrine, because we have not learned it, then life will be just that much more miserable for us, due to lack of resources, namely Bible doctrine.





These studies, are a part of the massive daily study web site at DailyBibeStudy.Org, that is easily accessible, and are written, so that you can come to Christ if you have not done so already, and therefore not be lost forever. 

And if you have already believed in Christ, then these studies are written so you can learn and understand and grow in your spiritual life, so that you can come to the full knowledge of Christ, so that you can fulfill your meaning and purpose in life as God intended for you, and so you can qualify for a phenomenal eternal reward which you will have forever. 

To ignore this opportunity to pursue a daily study means you will be incomplete, unfulfilled and you will lose out, big time.

The Daily Bible Study is online, making it possible as never before in all of human history, to advance in ones relationship with God, through Christ, and to complete yourself beyond your imagination.

But you have to decide to make that commitment.  No one else can study for you.  You have to do that yourself.