If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 1 John 1:8
Have you ever gone about your day, seen many people, or even had an important meeting, only to find when you returned home that you had a blueberry seed, or something similar, stuck in your teeth? We have all been there before, haven't we? When it has happened to me in the past, my mind immediately starts to think about all of the people who saw me (and why they did not say anything to me!). Then, I remove the seed, or whatever it is, from my teeth. It is only when I know that I have something in my teeth, that I can remove it. My friend, much more serious than an unknown blueberry seed in your teeth is unrealized sin in your life. If we do not realize our sin, we cannot do anything about it and take steps to remove it from our lives. Today, in our Bible study, we are encouraged to look at our lives, recognize any sin, and ask the Lord to help us turn away from that sin.
1 John 1:8 tells us clearly, "if we claim to have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth." While none of us like to talk about our sin, we all will struggle with sin in our lives, and to leave it unnoticed and unmentioned will not do us any favors. We have to open up about our sin struggles so that we can start changing.
Romans chapter 7 also addresses the struggle with sin that we will have on Earth. In verses 14-25 of Romans 7, Paul writes about his battle with sin. He writes that, although he knows the right things to do, he still wrestles with his sinful nature. He wants to do the right thing and obey God, but sometimes he finds that he ends up sinning, doing the exact things he does not want to do. As a result of this understanding, Paul exclaims, "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?" (verse 25). Maybe you have had the same sentiment while thinking about your sin.
The good news is that Paul's exclamation in Romans 7 does not end with verse 25. You see, the very next verse in Romans 7 says, "Praise God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord" (verse 26). You see, Jesus came to do something about our sin. He died on the cross and paid the price so that we could have forgiveness in Him if we confess our sin and place our faith in Him. Because of this, you have hope, but you must confess your sin and turn from it in order to be a recipient of that hope.
Spend some time right now asking yourself the question, "What sins am I struggling with right now?". Ask God to help reveal these things to you. When you can name some of the sins that you are struggling with, confess them to God. Ask Him to help you fight against them.
Read Romans 7:14-25 (NLT)
So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
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