Session 6
Romans 7:4-6,14-25
Memory Verse: Romans 7:4
As a child, I loved playing tug-of-war.
Each side would grab the rope, dig in, and pull for all they were worth.
The rope might lean one way or the other
before one side would pull their opponents across the middle line.
Today, we use “tug-of-war” to describe conflict:
teams in a close game, parents in a custody dispute, a debate between political parties.
The apostle Paul saw our spiritual lives as a tug-of-war,
a struggle between sin and the Savior.
Even though we have died to sin through Christ, we still wrestle with Satan’s tricks and temptations.
At times we are pulled by the old way of life,
even as we strive to live in the power of Christ in us.
Sin remains a powerful force in our world,
and that won’t change until Jesus comes back.
Believers shouldn’t be surprised when obedience is a struggle,
but we can remember that Jesus brings hope and help in our struggles.
Everyone loves a good rescue story.
Some rescue stories are dramatic,
like the firefighter who pulls an elderly couple out of a bedroom window
just before their house collapses in flames.
Others are less dramatic but no less inspiring,
like the teacher who stays after school to tutor students who are struggling in class.
However, nothing compares to the way God rescued us through Jesus. (PSG, p. 55)
briefly discuss how each one might relate to the idea of being rescued. Paul understood the importance of our spiritual rescue from sin:
Everyone is a servant- either to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness. Believers, freed from sin through Christ, now serve God, resulting in holiness and eternal life. Paul concluded that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus” (6:16-23). .
However, just because believers are set free from sin’s power and are dead to sin, it doesn’t mean that they no longer struggle with sin. In Romans 7:14-25, Paul described the inner struggle of desiring to do good but being pulled by sin. This tension shows human weakness and dependence on Christ. (PSG, p. 56)
“New Life in Christ.” This study focuses on how even though sin remains a powerful force, Christ gives us the power to overcome.