The Spirit . . . My Sin

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let
any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give
yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So
use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
(Romans 6:12–13)

In his letter to the Romans, Paul does a masterful job of preparing the reader for his first mention of the Holy Spirit. For almost half the letter, the subject is sin. Sin, sin, and more sin for five consecutive chapters.

Then, Christ is introduced. Since He has redeemed us from sin‘s domination, a bright light of hope appears on the horizon. Sin‘s power was at last diffused, and the bondage was broken—at least theoretically. Sin was not eradicated, but its permanent hold on us was once-for-all released.

Romans 6 states that sin no longer has power over us. We have been emancipated. The freedom is ours to claim. Since you’re free from your old master, don’t let sin reign over you any longer. But then Romans 7 says that sin is still present within me; I sometimes struggle over who is going to be in charge. I may have been emancipated, but the old master is very much alive . . . and there are times he gives me fits.

You and I may have a new Master but sin is still there within us, still crouching near the door ready to pounce! The battle is so relentless it sometimes gets depressing, which may have been the very reason Paul finally let it all out:

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24 NASB)

Great question! Who indeed will “set me free” from the clawing, clutching, clinging presence of sin?

And we’re back to the same magnificent solution: the Transformer Himself—THE HOLY SPIRIT! Which becomes the subject of Romans 8. The Spirit provides a new dimension of living. The depressing syndrome set forth in Romans 7 is overcome in Romans 8. The “law of sin and of death” that habitually condemned us in our lost estate has been conquered by “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” That is why “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1).

Why is the Spirit suddenly introduced in this manner? Because there is no way you or I could curtail and control the fleshly side of our lives apart from Him. But the good news is this: Because He is in us, we can. And because we can, we must!