Do not read this! (1 Kings 2; 1 Chr 29; Rom 7)

“Do not read this!” Why does that make you want to read this? Or why when you see a “wet paint! Don’t touch” sign do you want to touch it! The thought of touching the wall before reading the sign wouldn’t have crossed your mind, but once you see a command telling you not to, you want to!

Does that make the sign bad? No! It’s a good sign intended to protect you from getting paint on you. There is nothing wrong with the sign, the problem is our nature which wants to disobey because we don’t want anyone telling us what to do.

There is nothing wrong with God’s law, as Paul tells us in Romans 7v12 “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” The problem is our desires. In this great chapter Paul helps us to understand this struggle, why do we keep on doing the things we don’t want to! Why is it that even though we know God’s ways are best, we keep on struggling against them?

Yesterday we saw John Stott’s helpful comment on the three tenses of salvation, those in Christ have been saved from the penalty of sin, we are being saved from the power of sin and one day (when Jesus returns) we will be set free from the presence of sin.

I think that helps to understand this ongoing struggle. We have died to sin when we put our trust in Christ, but we still live in the flesh, which means we still struggle with sinful desires. We can, by the power of the Spirit say “no” to sin, but it is a hard ongoing battle that leaves the apostle crying out “who will deliver me from this body of death?” (7:24).

If you find the Christian life a struggle, you are not alone. The good news is that the struggle only lasts a lifetime! There is a glorious eternity ahead of us, look how Paul ends the chapter by answering who will deliver us – “thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” There is rescue in Jesus, he’s paid the price for our sin, he gives us power by His Spirit to say no to sin, and one day, He will set us free from the very presence of sin. How good that will be, no more temptation, no more guilt from giving in, no more battle. Amen, come Lord Jesus.