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We Cannot Save Ourselves
Romans 7:7-25
Mari Ikeda
Today I would like to talk about the concept that ‘we cannot save ourselves’. Both personal and social problems have the same underlying problem which is our human sin. We all need to take responsibility for our actions; however, we need to know that our underlying problem is so serious that it is beyond our control. In the face of that problem, human conscience and morality are of no help, and trying to fix it with effort and perseverance will not fix it.
The main part of today’s topic is a bit abstract and depressing, but what I want to communicate is that; it is for this reason that we must seek for help from outside ourselves and it is OK to do so. We have to send an SOS to the people around us, and we also have to ask God for help. Now, let’s read a little at a time. First, we will read only verse 7.
A. Human conscience and morals cannot save
1. If there are no rules, there is no deviation from rules (7)
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not cov
Paul’s focus, as before, is on the Jewish law. As I told you last time, we do not keep the Jewish law, but there is a common problem between those who valued the law and us. Since today’s passage talks about how the law affected the moral life of the Jews, we can replace the word “law” with human conscience and morality.
What verse 7 is saying is that if there is no rule, there is no offense. “Don’t covet” is a commandment to “not covet (or envy) another man’s house, or his wife, or his slaves, or his cattle, or anything that belongs to another. I think we know that morally and from our conscience, without being told. But we may also say that it is because we have a conscience and morals that we can recognize that it is wrong. It is because we have conscience and morality that we can recognize sin as sin. It is something obvious. Let’s move on to verses 8-11.
2. Are people just wired to want to break rules? (8-11)
8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.
Are rules something that we want to break? It varies from person to person, but I think we have all experienced that when someone tells us not to do something, we want to do it, and when someone tells us to do something, we don’t want to do it. Especially during the rebellious period, just the fact that the person is a parent or a teacher makes us want to rebel.
But this defiance of rules is more serious than we think. It was out of defiance of God that Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree that God told them not to eat. Not wanting someone to tell us what to do, rebelling and wanting to do everything at our own disposal is a fundamental problem that we humans have. It is a false overconfidence and arrogance that we can lead ourselves right. Verses 8 and 11 say that “sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,” which means that we are more likely to be ignited into rebellion by rules than to accept being limited by them.
Rebellious children eventually face their own pain, realize their own mistakes, and grow up to become adults. But rebellion against God is hard to get out of, no matter how old you are. Let’s continue to verses 12-13
3. Rules are not at fault. We are. (12-13)
12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
God has provided us with a conscience and morals, but we lack the power to act according to them. Even when we make various rules, we find loopholes and create excuses!
The other day, the world’s leading organization for studying climate change released a report stating that there is no doubt that human activities are causing global warming. We must know that if we continue to destroy the environment, there will be no future for our children, and we must stop the trend of putting economic wealth first, but it is not that easy.
As for corona, while some countries give the third dose of vaccine on one side, most people in other countries don’t get even one dose of vaccine. We know that the virus cannot be contained without the cooperation of the entire world, yet the inequity of the world remains unchanged.
Human arrogance is not light enough to be controlled by conscience, morality or rules. We do what is against our conscience, allow what is against our morals, and break the rules. The second half of today’s text takes it even further as a personal issue. Let’s read the whole passage, verses 14-25.
B. Effort and determination cannot save (14-25)
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 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. 19 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. 20 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. 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 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. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
1. We cannot follow rules even if we want to
I think this part of the passage is easy for anyone to relate to because it honestly expresses Paul’s personal inner struggles. I think this struggle is especially real for Christians who are aware that they are fighting a daily battle against sin.
But Paul didn’t write this passage for Christians to sympathize with each other. We can’t do what we want to do even before or after we know Jesus. Paul says in verse 20, “If I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that lives in me.” At first glance, this may seem to be saying that it is sin that is bad and not me, but it is not; rather it is saying that there is sin living in me that I cannot get rid of by my own power. We need to humbly accept our inability to lead ourselves properly, whether we have faith or not.
However, this verse does not end with a lament about how incompetent we are. The lament is directed at our past miserable selves because we know that even we have been saved by Jesus.
2. So, what should we do?
So, what we are to do, which will be discussed in the next chapter 8, is simply to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. But from a little broader perspective, we need to seek help beyond ourselves or to ask for help from others.
The more serious the problem, the more you have no control over the struggle of wanting to do something but not being able to or wanting to stop doing something but not being able to. I think various addictions are a prime example. Even if you have not been diagnosed as an addict, I think the tendency to become dependent on something or someone is a defense reaction to protect yourself from loneliness and hurt. There is no way you can manage that with your own effort or perseverance. If you could, you wouldn’t be dependent on them in the first place.
What we need to do is not to try to keep our darkness to ourselves. If we believe in God, it is of course most important that we bring our darkness to Him. God will illuminate our darkness through His Holy Spirit. But at the same time, whether we believe in God or not, we need to have the courage to admit that we can’t save ourselves and send out an SOS to those around us. We may not be able to solve the root of the problem among human beings, but we can share the problem together.
We can’t save ourselves, but Jesus has already saved us. And we can save each other a little, as Jesus’ hands and feet. The center of this is the work of the Holy Spirit, and I would like to talk about that in the next message.
The images of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on the news last week were very painful and shocking. Today’s message is not to say that we have to give up on Afghanistan because human sins are too great to do anything about!
Whether it is the situation in Afghanistan, climate change, coronavirus, or various social problems in Japan, we are often overwhelmed by the size and complexity of the problems and feel helpless. But Jesus is the one who came to our helpless world and loves us.
Because we cannot save ourselves, we need to ask Jesus for help and help one another. Jesus wants us to be able to receive someone’s SOS, and He will change us into such a person through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let us not give up on any problem, but continue to pray and do what we can to help.
(Prayer)
Lord Jesus, despite our shortcomings, you have still loved us and have given and entrusted us with so much. Use this life you have given us for your good plans. Lead us to spread your love in our lives and relationships, even if only a little, to this world. Pour out your Spirit upon us and transform us so that we can grieve with you in your sorrows and rejoice in your joys. Lord Jesus, we pray in your name. Amen.
Summary
Regardless of faith, human beings all have ideas about morality. And yet no one can consistently follow a system of morals or even our own conscience. Human beings continue to do evil rather than good, whether it is to ourselves or to other people. This problem cannot be overcome by sheer effort or willpower. We need to have the courage to reject the fallacy that we can save ourselves, and instead, turn to something outside of ourselves for the salvation we seek.
For Discussion
- Share an experience in which you felt like you were beyond saving?
- What problems do you have and where (whom) do you turn to for help?
For the children (For the parents/guardians)
If you are going to read the Bible, verses 15-17 would be a good place to start. Adults and children alike experience many things on a daily basis that they know are “bad” but they still do them, or that they know are “good” but they still don’t do them. In school, we are taught to do only “good” things, but in reality, that is impossible. If it were possible, Jesus would not have had to die. When things don’t go well at school, or with your friends and family, ask Jesus for help. Let the children know that it is ok to ask for help from the people around them.