“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” – Romans 7:14-17
After conversion, every believer discovers something unexpected lingering within—the presence of indwelling sin. Though we are new creations in Christ, sin doesn’t vanish overnight. It no longer reigns, but it still resists. Romans 6 tells us that the old man was crucified, and sin no longer has dominion over us. Yet Romans 7 reveals the tension that remains. Like an outlaw hiding in the hills, sin tries to reclaim territory it no longer owns. This isn’t an excuse to sin—it’s an explanation of the battle we face in sanctification. And understanding this conflict doesn’t weaken our faith; it strengthens it. It helps us walk with clarity, not confusion, as pilgrims in a fallen world.
Paul’s words in Romans 7 are raw and honest. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). Some argue that this must be the voice of an unbeliever. But that view doesn’t hold. A non-believer doesn’t wrestle with sin like this. They don’t grieve over it or cry out for deliverance. Paul’s cry—“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”—is the cry of a man awakened to the war within. He’s not confused about his salvation; he’s convicted about his condition. The Holy Spirit is writing through him, showing us that this struggle is not a sign of spiritual failure—it’s a sign of spiritual life. The believer feels the weight of sin because he’s alive in Christ.
We must reject the idea that mature Christians live on a constant mountaintop. That teaching only leads to discouragement when valleys come—and they will. No one walks in uninterrupted victory. Some days we soar; other days we stumble. But the presence of the struggle doesn’t mean we’re defeated—it means we’re engaged. It means we care. It means we’re alive. So here’s the call: don’t let the battle discourage you. Let it drive you to Jesus. Let it remind you that you’re not home yet. And when you feel the weight of sin pressing in, remember—only the living feel weight. The dead feel nothing. Your struggle is proof that you belong to Him. Keep walking. Keep trusting. And keep your eyes on the Cross, where victory was secured once for all.
“There are teachers who teach that this passage in Romans 7 is something a Christian goes through but once. Then he gets out of it and moves into Romans 8, never to return to Romans 7 again. Nothing could be further from the truth! Even as mighty a man as Paul went through it again and again. This is a description of what every believer will go through many times in his experience because sin has the power to deceive us and to cause us to trust in ourselves, even when we are not aware we are doing so. The law is what will expose that evil force and drive us to this place of wretchedness that we might then, in devotion to the spirit, cry out, Lord Jesus, it is your problem; you take it.” – Ray Stedman
surrendered devotions 