Category Archives: Sin

Bible, Desires, Law, Romans, Sanctification, Scripture, Sin

WHAT DO YOU DESIRE?

ROMANS 7:16

“However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, that the Law is good.”

You have probably heard the expression “No Pain, No Gain.” That applies if you are lifting weights or working out. A little sweat never hurt anyone. But that expression does not apply to other areas of life too well. If you are like me, I try to avoid pain if I can. I have neuropathy in my feet which can be very painful at times. So, I am careful to avoid stepping on things that cause the pain. That also applies to spiritual pain, as you will see in today’s verse.

Paul further explains his dilemma in verse 16. He doesn’t want to do the things that bring pain spiritually, but the flesh is strong. He knows these things are not good for him just as the Law tells him. Therefore, the Law is good in this sense. It shows him and us where we are off course. As I heard described last week in our Pastor’s message, a train is good as long as it stays on the track. But when it gets off track, a wreck is unavoidable.

APPLICATION

Barnes describes this struggle with sin in his commentary on this verse. “Perhaps nothing can be a more decisive test of piety than a long-continued and painful struggle against evil passions and desires in every form, and a panting of the soul to be delivered from the power and dominion of sin.” The struggle we have with sin shows our desire to live holy. If we didn’t feel that pain from sin, we would stay in it and not pursue the Lord.

In Matthew 16:25, Jesus uses the same word for “want” Paul uses when He says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” The Greek word is theló. It means to “desire, be disposed toward, intend.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). We have a choice to make. Do we desire the things of the world or the things of God? Do we wish to please Him or the flesh? Will sin reign or the Spirit?

So many people struggle with determining what God’s will is for their life. It really isn’t hard to find out what He desires for us. One example of that is in 1 Thessalonians 4:3. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification;…” You can’t live a sanctified life, if you live in sin. That’s why God’s Law is so important and why Paul says, “that the Law is good.” Don’t fight the Law (God’s Word). It is not meant to make you feel guilty. It was given to us by the Lord to point out those areas of danger which keep us from living sanctified lives. Choose to avoid those pitfalls. That struggle is real, but it is one you should embrace.

Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your Word which is good.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Choices, Flesh, Scripture, Sin, Spiritual

I AM FLESHLY

ROMANS 7:14

“For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold into bondage to sin.”

Try as I might, I will never live perfectly. As a human being it is just not possible. I don’t care how much Bible I read or how many hours of the day I pray, I still battle my flesh. That’s why the remainder of Romans 7 really hits home with me. I can relate to Paul’s confession here. Most scholars agree that these verses (14-25) are referring to Paul’s life after Christ, whereas back in verse 7 he was using the past tense of the verb denoting his life before Christ. Hey, if Paul is saying this about himself, I am in good company.

But what a way to start his confession! He says, “but I am fleshly,” To be honest, we can all say that. Paul is not saying he is some extreme fleshly being seeking sin out in every corner. He is simply stating the fact that he is still in the flesh which has all the same old temptations before it. Becoming a Christian did not immediately remove all those “common” sins from Paul no more than it does for us now. As long as we live in this fleshly, human body, we will be in the presence of sin and its influence.

APPLICATION

Great news, Carl. I guess I can just give up then. Now, hang on. We will be analyzing the rest of the chapter a verse at a time as we normally do. We will see what Paul is saying about this dilemma and will see how to apply Paul’s confession to our own. The word used here for “fleshly” is sarkinos which comes from the root sarx. However, this adjective form is referring to the human flesh and not the fleshly behaviors. That is sarkikos. That’s a big difference. Can we all agree that if you are still living and breathing, you are in the flesh? You have a fleshly body.

Sarkinos is used in 1 Corinthians 3:1 when Paul says, “And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people, but only as fleshly, as to infants in Christ.” He uses the word again in 2 Corinthians 3:3 referring to “human” hearts. “revealing yourselves, that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

And then we see it used one more time in the New Testament in Hebrews 7:16 where the writer says, “who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.” The word “physical” is sarkinos.  So, in just four verses, we see it translated as fleshly, human and physical. Don’t beat yourself up then. Just because you’re made of human flesh, that doesn’t make you fleshly in behavior. That is your choice. We’ll see more on that later. Today, choose the spiritual over the fleshly.

O Lord, even though I am still in this old human body, I desire to live holy and pure before You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Commands, Death, Good, Law, Scripture, Sin

SIN IS UTTERLY SINFUL

ROMANS 7:13

“Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”

If you want to read a really good commentary on Romans 7:7-13, I urge you to look up Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on these verses. You may need to read it two or three times to grasp all he says there, but it’s worth the read. Towards the end of his words on these verses he writes, “The same heat that softens wax, hardens clay. Food or medicine when taken wrong, may cause death, though its nature is to nourish or to heal. The law may cause death through man’s depravity, but sin is the poison that brings death. Not the law, but sin discovered by the law, was made death to the apostle. The ruinous nature of sin, and the sinfulness of the human heart, are here clearly shown.” Hmmm, food for thought.

Paul continues his diatribe on the Law and sin in today’s verse. But he is pointing directly at sin as the culprit of our downfall, not the Law. I love how he ends this verse by saying, “sin would become utterly sinful.” My first thought was Well, duh! But then I decided I should not read that phrase so lightly. Let’s take a look at the word used here for “utterly.”

APPLICATION

Huperbolé occurs seven other times in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 12:31; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 4:7, 17 (2x); 12:7; Galatians 1:13). I encourage you to look at each of those verses to see how the word is used by Paul. It refers to “an extraordinary degree, or a surpassing quality. Whether it modifies power, suffering, sin, gifts, or glory, it stresses an intensity that cannot be explained by normal human categories.” (Topical Lexicon)

This word is used to express something that goes past the ordinary to the extraordinary. It is used to show the depth of sin, the power of grace, the weight of suffering, the excellence of love and the magnitude of the glory of God. We simply cannot put the divine expressions down adequately. Some things just won’t be understood this side of eternity.

But we can all agree that sin is utterly sinful. It is extraordinarily sinful. It exceeds our wildest imaginations and will lead us to an eternal death from which there is no escape unless…we turn to Jesus and confess those sins which the Law so adequately points out in our life. Make things right today with Jesus, if you haven’t already and flee from all appearances of sin in your life.

Oh, the greatness of Your love and grace and glory far exceeds the greatness of sin.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Deceit, Deception, Devil, Scripture, Sin

SIN DECEIVED ME

ROMANS 7:11

“for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it, killed me.”

Don’t you hate getting the wool pulled over your eyes? That’s when someone intentionally deceives or tricks you so you can’t see the truth. Usually that do that to gain some kind of advantage over you. Do you know where that saying comes from? It was used to refer to the woolen wig worn by judges. The saying suggested pulling the wig over the judge’s eyes so they couldn’t see clearly and was meant to influence their decision.

Sin does the same thing to us. It pulls the wool over our eyes with one intention – to harm us. Paul states it pretty clearly. He says it deceives to kill. And who is the author of all sin? The devil. John 10:10 gives us his purpose. Jesus says there, “‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;…’” Sin will never lead you to a place of rest. It will always seek a way to destroy you and your testimony.

APPLICATION

The Greek word used for “deceived” is exapataó which is only used six times in the New Testament, all by Paul. Later in Romans 16:18 the word is used to describe people who try to deceive. “For such people are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” We have to watchful for such people.

One of my memory verses in 2 Corinthians 11:3, where the word is used again. “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Doesn’t that verse perfectly fit the description of pulling wool over someone’s eyes? The devil wanted to trick Eve and take advantage of the situation, trying to bring down God’s plan for mankind. He’s still at work trying to do that.

Exapataó also “emphasizes the end-impact of deception – i.e. missing true reality because ‘biting on the bait that brings the hook!’” (HELPS Word-studies). It’s not the deception itself. It looks at the result of the deception, the damage done because of the deception. We have got to be aware at all times of the devil’s schemes to try to deceive us, to get us to take the bait. It’s then he will set the hook.

O Lord, forgive me for falling to the deceptions of the devil. Give me holy eyes to spot it in advance.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Knowledge, Law, Scripture, Sin

POINTING THINGS OUT

ROMANS 7:7

“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Far from it! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COVET.’”

A good teacher is quick to point out a student’s mistakes without making them feel bad about them. We all learn from our mistakes. We learn when we cut that board too short that we should have measured twice and cut once. When we put too much salt in a recipe, we learn to be more careful the next time. These mistakes are not fatal, however. Today in our text we see another teacher, the Law, that pointed out our mistakes to us which eventually pointed us to a Savior.

Over the past verses, Paul has been showing the futility of the Law, but he does not want to give the impression that the Law was useless. On the contrary, it served a special purpose which he points out in this verse. He says he “would not have come to know sin except through the Law.” The Law showed him how to live holy unto God and what to do when he failed. The sacrificial system was meant to appease a just God when men failed Him, which they would undoubtedly did time and time again. So, although the Law could not save them, it served a purpose.

APPLICATION

The Greek word Paul uses for “know” is ginosko. This word is a commonly used verb throughout the New Testament and normally used to speak of a personal knowledge gained through experiencing something. It is the word used in Luke 1:34 when Mary said she had not known a man, meaning she had no personal experience with a man physically. This is a knowledge you gain through life experiences.

For instance, I have knowledge of physical suffering because I have gone through some pretty major health issues (two stem cell transplants in ten years). I could have never been able to explain to another patient how it feels unless I had experienced this firsthand. But now I can. I wish I had never gained that knowledge, but God allowed me to gain it in a way that I will never forget it.

Your knowledge of your need for a Savior is based on your knowledge of your sins. You cannot save yourself. No amount of law-keeping will get you there. That’s what Paul has been saying. But the law and now the Holy Scriptures show us where we fall short. Holy living is hard if we try to do it ourselves. In fact, it’s impossible. But through the knowledge of His Word, we can walk holy before Him. So, get smart – read His Word.

Father God, I am totally dependent on You and Your Word to guide me toward holy living.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Flesh, Fruit, Law, Scripture, Sin, Unfruitful

BAD FRUITBEARING

ROMANS 7:5

“For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were brought to light by the Law, were at work in the parts of our body to bear fruit for death.”

Farmers know the importance of maintaining their crop. Citrus farmers are constantly battling beetles, flies and blight in order to produce a good crop. They have to be steadily alert to the signs of these intruders on their trees and fruit. Sometimes drastic measures have to be done to product the integrity of the whole grove. They cut down and burn infected trees, so the problem won’t spread. Otherwise, they will get bad fruit instead of good.

Paul tells us that the invasion of sin into our lives that occurred back when Adam and Eve disobeyed God infects us. Unless that “disease” is purged through Jesus, we will never produce good fruit, only bad. Paul even goes on to say “the sinful passions…were at work…to bear fruit for death.” Let’s take a look at some of those “sinful passions” and make sure we are purged from them.

APPLICATION

The phrase “the sinful passions” is literally in the Greek “the passions of sins.” The Greek word for “sins” is the one we have seen before. It is hamartia which means we miss the target which God intends for us to hit – obedience to Him and godly living. The Greek word for “passions” is pathéma which can mean strong emotions or sufferings. In the sixteen times it used in the New Testament, all but two refer to the sufferings of Christ or our sufferings for Christ. Only two times, here in Romans 7:5 and in Galatians 5:24, is pathéma used negatively to refer to sinful passions and desires.

According to HELPS Word-studies, the end of pathéma tells us something about this word. “Note the -ma suffix, emphasizing the end-result (experiencing strong feeling).” Let’s apply that to today’s verse. What is the result of sinful passions? Paul tells us. It’s death. Our lustful passions and desires only lead us downward, not upward.

The other time pathéma is used in Galatians 5:24, Paul writes, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” It is obvious from this verse and today’s verse that these kind of sinful passions and desires were never meant to be part of our walk with Jesus. Examine yourself today. Look at your lifestyle. Is it one of willful obedience to Christ and crucifying your flesh or are you living life to please yourself? Don’t bear bad fruit.

Help me, Father, to be a good fruit bearer for Your kingdom.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Christ, Death, Freedom, Husbands, Scripture, Sin, Wives

THE EXAMPLE CONTINUES

ROMANS 7:3

“So then, if while her husband is alive she gives herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress if she gives herself to another man.”

Paul continues his example of marriage and remarriage in today’s verse. Like I said yesterday, these two verses are an illustration of the truth of sin being put to death in our lives and our new life in Jesus. That is the reason Paul uses this earthly example. It’s something the people could understand.

Jesus did the same thing when He spoke in parables. When his disciples asked Him why He spoke in this way, He explained Himself. We find that in Matthew 13.10-17. Let’s look at part of that passage here. “13 ‘This is why I speak to the crowds in parables: although they see, they don’t really see; and although they hear, they don’t really hear or understand. 14 What Isaiah prophesied has become completely true for them:

“You will hear, to be sure, but never understand;
and you will certainly see but never recognize what you are seeing.

15 For this people’s senses have become calloused,
and they’ve become hard of hearing, and they’ve shut their eyes so that they won’t see with their eyes or hear with their ears or understand with their minds and change their hearts and lives that I may heal them.”’” (Isaiah 6:9-10)

APPLICATION

Can I give you some advice on sharing the Gospel? Use personal examples from your life, things that others can relate to. That’s what Jesus and Paul were doing. They gave us a model to follow. When I have the opportunity to share with someone, I talk more about how the Lord has changed my life rather than rattling off Bible verses or waxing eloquently about Bible doctrine. I want whomever I am talking with to get a picture of what God does in someone’s life.

Paul’s use of the example in Romans 7:2-3 can make a deep theological thought more understandable. Death brings freedom. For the wife whose husband has died or husband whose wife has died, they are now free to remarry if God so ordains. Our sinful flesh was nailed to the cross and died with Christ. Because of that death, we are now free to live anew in Jesus. We are married to Christ forever.

Don’t make the simple more complicated just to sound more spiritual. I don’t think Jesus or Paul tried to make themselves sounds smart. They were more interested in telling them about God’s great plan of salvation than impressing anyone. Remember the comments about the disciples after Christ died. People knew these were ordinary men, but they had been in the presence of Jesus and were changed. You and I need to stay in the presence of Jesus and allow Him to impress, not us.

O God, hide me behind Jesus whenever I speak of Him.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Christ, Death, Eternal Life, Eternity, Gifts, Jesus, Scripture, Sin, Wages

WAGES VS GIFTS

ROMANS 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Here we are again with another one of my Every Man A Warrior memory verses. We teach this verse to men to train them to share the gospel. Google “The Bridge Illustration” and you will find numerous examples. We use this verse because it spells out the Gospel so simply for anyone at any age. I actually have an App on my phone called “ShareYourFaith” which uses the Bridge Illustration also. Check it out.

Paul brings us to the end of chapter 6 (of course, there were no chapters in his letters) with this familiar verse. I want us to look at the key words of this verse today – wages, sin, death, gift, eternal life, Christ Jesus. And the biggest word in the verse is right in the middle – but. That word changes everything. Everything said in the first half of the verse is trumped by what is said in the second. But…a little word with big implications.

APPLICATION

“…the wages of sin is death,… We earn death (our wages) because of our sin. Since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, man has been held liable for their sins. The punishment for Adam’s disobedience was death, first a physical death. Then, if that sin was not atoned for, a spiritual death. Since Adam mankind has suffered these deaths. There is no way of escaping this punishment in and of ourselves. We cannot earn back our physical or spiritual life.

BUT… God had a plan from the foundation of the world. He knew what would happen in the garden. If He had not known, He would not be much of a God. And even though He knew the choice Eve and then Adam would make, He did not intervene to stop them. They had to decide on their own to obey Him. If He forced their obedience, they would rebel against that. You see, Jesus was not God’s plan B. He was always the plan.

“…the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As Paul Harvey used to say, “Now, the rest of the story.” God gives us a gift. It cost us nothing. It’s free. We just have to accept it. What is that gift? Eternal life with Jesus. Hold on, Carl. What’s the catch? No catch. You see, that’s what causes so many to stumble. They are looking for the hook in this gift. God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you (John 3:16). If you haven’t accepted that gift yet, do it today. If you have, give Him praise for this inexhaustible gift that has brought billions of people into His kingdom. There is always room for one more.

This world doesn’t know how to accept free gifts. Thank You for giving so freely so I can live with You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Bondslaves, Enslavement, Eternal Life, Fruit, Sanctification, Sin, Slaves

THE GREAT EXCHANGE 

ROMANS 6:22

“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”

This time of the year there are lots of Christmas parties. One of the favorite games among adults is “Dirty Santa.” Now, that sounds worse than it is. The rules are everyone brings a gift which is supposed to cost within a certain range, say $10. All the gifts are wrapped without any names attached. Everyone gets in a circle, and numbers are drawn representing everybody who is there. Number 1 goes first, selects a gift and opens it. Number 2 goes next, but they can take Number 1’s gift or select their own. If they “steal” Number 1’s gift, Number 1 gets to select again. This continues until everyone has gotten a gift by “stealing” someone else’s or selecting one of their own. Some exchanges are good while others not so much.

Paul tells us clearly that we exchange slavery to sin for slavery to God. We know the slavery to sin leads only to death and destruction. But Paul tells us here that slavery to God produces good fruit (same word we saw in yesterday’s blog). This fruit results in sanctification and eventually to our eternal life with Christ in the heavenlies.

APPLICATION

It’s important to look at the verbs in today’s verse. “Set free” and “enslaved” are both Aorist Passive Participles which are tied to the main verb “derive.” Aorist means a certain, undefined point in time. Passive means it is done to you. In the first one, “set free,” we have the Greek word eleutheróō, which means “properly, set free, release from bondage; (figuratively) to remove the restrictions of sin (darkness) because delivered by God into true spiritual liberty (growth).” (HELPS Word-studies) We see that used in John 8:36: “So if the Son makes you free you will be free indeed”

The next verb (participle) is “enslaved,” which is the Greek word doulóō. This form of the Greek word, according to HELPS Word-studies is “focusing on the status of being a bond-slave.” Do you know what a bondslave is? It is someone who has chosen to serve someone. They weren’t taken by force. It was a willful surrender of their will to the master’s. What a great picture of our surrender to Jesus.

The main verb of this verse is “you derive.” That’s the Greek word echo, and I don’t mean that is something you hear when you yell in a cave, lol. It’s a simple verb, but the important thing is it is in the Present Indicative Active. Let me just say it’s an ongoing activity. We will derive or get the benefit or fruit continuously. Hallelujah! The Great Exchange – the bad for the good – sin for righteousness – impurity for purity – unholiness for holiness. Now, go live that way today.

Lord, I am not worthy to be called Your child, but You have chosen me and I serve You willingly.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Enslavement, Righteousness, Scripture, Sin, Slaves

CHOOSE RIGHTEOUSNESS

ROMANS 6:20

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness.”

You have surely heard the expression “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Have you ever stopped to think about what that saying means? It means you can’t enjoy two incompatible things at the same time. You just can’t. This idiom dates back to the 16th century, but it is still true today. Too many people think you can claim to be a Christian and still live like the world. The two are not compatible.

Paul is continuing to draw the line between sin and righteousness. This verse today is not hard to understand. He is saying when we were obeying our sinful flesh and living immorality, we had no part with righteousness. In fact, we did everything we could to avoid it. 1 Peter 4:3 describes this slavery of sin so well. “For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries.”

APPLICATION

Let’s take a look at our viewing habits. So many things in the media today point us directly at those things described in 1 Peter 4:3. But instead we are to pursue holy things. I don’t mean you have to sit and meditate all day. I am not saying all you can read is the Bible or that you are not allowed to enjoy a good movie. But there are some things we should avoid if we want to pursue a righteous life.

Don’t forget, any righteousness we have as followers of Christ are from Him. Do you want to soil His righteousness. It would be like borrowing someone’s Sunday best and then wallow in a pig pen. Not only would you soil the clothing that you were entrusted, but you would also carry with your stench of those pigs. Believe me, you don’t want that smell on you. Sin stinks. Always has and always will.

So, today choose righteousness. Shun even the appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says that. Even the appearance! That means we can’t have our cake and eat it too. We can’t say we are a child of God and live like the devil’s. We shouldn’t want that. Do you? I sure don’t. I know I fail miserably many days, but I pray my failings are just that – failings. They are not because I pursued something evil. Beloved, join me in chasing after righteousness from above.

O Lord, I know I fall short of Your glory, but I desperately want it. Help me today to pursue it fully.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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