I think many of you will agree: life constantly presents us with challenges. One after another, whether we like it or not, they come. It feels like we are constantly fighting for something. Some of us are just coming out of a battle, some are still in the middle of difficulties, and some may be anxious about the future, whether it is related to ourselves or with our loved ones. These challenges come in various forms: conflicts in relationships, whether with loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, or friends; financial obstacles; physical or emotional discomfort; or even spiritual discouragement. We are not exempt from these trials. They are part of the ongoing battle we face on our faith journey.
If you are wondering when this battle will end or when life will become easier, I can tell you this: we will be free from these battles only when we are called to be with the Lord. In other words, this invisible war will end the moment we die. However, I believe none of us wants to accept that answer. Until our God-given time is completed, we must be prepared to continuously fight this battle for His glory on our faith journey.
From a spiritual point of view, there are three main enemies we need to be aware of. The Bible refers to them as the flesh, the world, and the devil. The first battle is within us, due to our own sinful nature. The second battle is around us, in the world we live in and in the culture that influences us. The third battle is the spiritual attack from Satan, the devil.
In our text for today, the Apostle Paul explains the first enemy and illustrates it with an example of his own inner struggle. Whether we admit it or not, you and I are often our own worst enemies. We are our biggest obstacles. Paul identifies six consequences of this inner invisible war and offers solutions for how we can overcome them. This morning, I want us to explore this first spiritual warfare taking place inside of us and apply sacred lessons to our faith journey.
Before we go any further, I want to remind us of the Apostle Paul, the author of this epistle. Paul wrote many letters in the New Testament, including this powerful epistle to the Roman believers. He was well-educated in religious matters and well-trained as a Pharisee, a spiritual elite in those days. One of the titles he was given was “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5). This expression, I believe, could be used for someone chosen as “Person of the Year” due to their outstanding contributions to the community. Paul was especially “eager for righteousness” based on God’s law (Philippians 3:6) As a divine leader, Paul knew many religious principles, applied them to his daily life, and sought to be righteous before the Lord. He seemed to be almost perfect in his efforts, however, despite all his background and achievements, he faced his own inner struggles and fought these battles over and over.
Today, I want us to reflect on Paul’s unseen struggles and the internal battles he encountered. These challenges are not unique to him; we can identify with them in our own lives.
Firstly, Paul experienced confusion when he tried to fight the inner conflict with his own power. He said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). Did you notice that Paul uses the first-person pronoun “I” six times in this verse? If you carefully read all of Romans chapter 7, you will find that Paul uses various forms of the first-person pronoun–“I,” “myself,” “me,” and “my,”–a total of 41 times. This suggests that Paul had an “I” problem. Whether we admit it or not, you and I have an “I” problem too. The inner struggles we face often arise from trying to do things our own way and/or on our own. Even Paul, known as a mature follower of Christ, did not always understand himself. I’ve experienced this in my own life on many occasions. I mean, I’ve tried to understand the motives behind other people’s actions; however, I’ve often realized that I cannot even figure out my own motives when I do something wrong. Like me, many of you may not understand why you cannot stop doing bad things or why you struggle to keep doing what you know is good for you. Paul called this confusion.
Secondly, Paul experienced guilt when he did not know how to fight the spiritual battle within himself. He said, “And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me” (Romans 7:16). Paul knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he was also aware that God’s law was good. Because of the sin living inside him, Paul carried a great deal of shame and often excused himself with the following statement: His spirit was willing to do good, but his flesh was weak. Like Paul, I’ve been there, feeling guilty and ashamed because my willingness to do right did not match the wrong choices I made.
Thirdly, Paul had compulsions when he did not know how to win the battle within himself. What is a compulsion? It is a habitual, wrong activity that becomes a pattern in our lives. Eventually, it becomes a destructive habit, and when we continue in this cycle, it turns into an addiction. Paul said, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now If I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” (Romans 7:19-20). Paul confessed that although he deeply desired to do right, he kept doing what was wrong due to his sinful nature.
In Genesis chapter 6, when humanity began to increase in number on the earth, God saw how wicked people had become in their hearts. The author of Genesis wrote, “Every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:6). In the same chapter of our epistle today, Paul reflects on his sin-darkened attribute, using the image of slavery: “We know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin” (Romans 7:14). Paul tried to walk away from the things he did not want to do, but he found that he was still doing them. Here in this scripture, addiction or spiritual bondage is described in these terms: “the stronghold,” or simply “sin.” No one worshipping in this sanctuary is immune to this spiritual bondage called compulsion or addiction. One way or another, we’ve all done things we are ashamed of. Addiction is not just physical or emotional; it is also spiritual. On our own, we cannot escape it. In fact, the more we try to break free, the more we feel ourselves trapped. Sin has a powerful attraction and influence on us. Confusion, guilt or shame, and compulsion or addiction can lead us to the next consequence when we do not know how to defeat our spiritual battle.
Fourthly, Paul had self-condemnation because he kept stumbling in the same area again and again. He said, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (Romans 7:18). Do we know who told Paul that good things did not reside in him? No one else but Paul himself felt this. He was condemning himself or putting himself down. I believe that self-condemnation is one of the main symptoms when we develop wrong habits and repeatedly fail in certain areas.
In the sermon Time to Dream, delivered at the beginning of this year, many of us made resolutions to pursue our God-given dreams and visions. How are we doing with those decisions? Do we feel down because of things we have not done well so far? The Bible says, “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes” (Proverbs 24:16). The difference between the righteous and the wicked is not whether we face setbacks, but whether we get back up or not after falling. When we live before God with repentant hearts and sincere trust, the Lord provides perseverance to keep moving forward, no matter the challenges we encounter today or in the future. One of the primary tactics Satan uses to attack us is to constantly fire his invisible arrows of confusion, shame, guilt, compulsion, and condemnation.
This leads us to the fifth consequence of the spiritual warfare, which is frustration. Paul said, “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me” (Romans 7:21-23). Frustration is another huge result when we fight this invisible war using only our own willpower. According to the Book of Revelation, our divine adversary Satan has seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 12:3). Can we even imagine such an evil force? The devil is wicked, corrupt, and powerful, and in our own strength, we cannot defeat him or his demonic forces.
I want to share a children’s story called Cookies, from Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel… Are we familiar with this type of struggle? How many times have we played Frog and Toad with something we promised ourselves, “I’m not going to do it anymore… I’m not going to do it anymore… I’m not going to do it anymore…” and then, we do it anyway? This is frustration. And it eventually leads us to the last consequence we face when we do not know how to win the spiritual battle within ourselves.
Sixthly, Paul felt discouragement in the war taking place within himself. Once again, whether we admit it or not, each of us faces our own spiritual bondage. To win this invisible battle, we need to understand the status of our spiritual enemy. Even the Apostle Paul, despite his vast spiritual knowledge and discipline, was lost in this battle when he tried to fight it on his own. He cried out in despair, “What a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24). Can we hear the despair in Paul’s voice?
There are two common theories regarding human nature. One is called the “theory of goodness,” which suggest that humans are born with “an innate goodness.” As children, we are pure and innocent, but as we grow older, we become corrupted by external influences. The other theory, the “theory of evilness,” suggests that humans are inherently evil from the start. Even babies, for example, are naturally selfish and greedy. According to this theory, education and discipline are needed to make us better. I believe both of these theories touch on the truth of human nature.
From a biblical perspective, human nature is a combination of both good and evil. Before the fall of Adam and Eve, humans sought goodness; after the fall, however, as their spiritual descendants, we began to pursue evil. Since then, we have inherited a “fallen nature,” or what the Bible refers to as “sin,” which inclines us toward wrongdoing and cause us to resist doing what is right. In other words, because of our sinful and selfish desires, we tend to do what is easy and avoid doing what is good.
How many of us have started a day by praying, “Lord, today is going to be different. I’m going to break this bad habit. I’m not going to do this or that”? And then by the end of the day, we realize that we haven’t changed at all. Paul is simply admitting here that he has a sinful nature inside of him that leads him to do wrong doings. Again, Paul describes his state of mind: “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). Does this sound familiar? We have two natures within us: the old nature we were born with, and the new nature given to us when we repent of our sins and place our trust in Christ. These two natures are constantly fighting with each other in our spiritual hearts.
Once more, do you know when this spiritual warfare will end? There will be no ending point for this battle on earth. That is why the Apostle Paul encourages us to fight “the good fight of faith” (2 Timothy 4:7) until we are called to be with the Lord in Heaven. Even though we were created in God’s image and given His sacred characteristics, our old nature is still alive. That is why Christ commanded His disciples to “deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him” (Matthew 16:24).
I recently came across a story from an old Indian Christian chief who was trying to explain this battle between the two natures to his son. He said, “It is like two dogs fighting in my mind. One is good and the other dog is bad, and they are fighting each other.” The young son asked, “Dad, which one wins?” The chief replied, “Whichever dog I feed the most.” I believe this a good analogy for our walk with God. We can see which nature is winning by which nature we feed with all our hearts and strength. Do we feed our old nature, or do we feed our new nature? That is a crucial question in this spiritual warfare.
Once again, our willpower alone is not enough to defeat our old nature. Consider the Apostle Paul, the author of today’s epistle. Imagine how much willpower he had. Despite his deep religious background and spiritual discipline, Paul was still struggling with the inner battle and crying out to God because he found himself constantly defeated. How did Paul overcome this invisible war and become a conqueror?
I want to conclude this sermon with Paul’s solution shared in this scripture. In verse 25, Paul says, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). Paul was not just thanking God for his salvation through Jesus, but also for the Lordship of Christ in his life. Paul placed his trust in Jesus and surrendered to His leadership, inviting Jesus to be the Lord of his life. Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords, has all power in heaven and on earth. Paul acknowledged that it was only through Jesus Christ that he could be freed from all the bondages that had once captured him.
That is why Paul later declares confidently, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul understood that only Jesus Christ could set him free from the struggles of his sinful nature. And Paul thanked God for what Jesus had done for him through the cross and resurrection.
That is why we must deepen our relationship with Christ and depend on His attributes.
To win the inner battle, we need to ask Christ to control our thoughts, words, and actions in our daily walk with Him. Allowing Christ to lead us is not a one-time event on Sundays; it is an ongoing, daily request. We need to continually ask the Lord to help us to think with His mind, see with His eyes, hear with His ears, and do with His hands and feet what He wants us to do in our divine adventure.
Let us ask ourselves again: Are we crucified with Christ, or are we still trying to please God and ourselves by our own strength? We must be aware of our true identity in Christ. We have been crucified with Jesus Christ, and we no longer live for ourselves–Christ lives in us, 24/7!
*In preparing this sermon, I have been inspired by Rick Warren’s Invisible War series, based on texts from Romans 7:15-25.