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Romans 7:15 – That Thing You Do

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Will

For the thing I do, I do not understand. For what I determine to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

Truth to Learn

Paul battled his sin nature just as you and I do.

Behind the Words

The words “the thing I do” are from the Greek verb katergadzomai, meaning “to work fully, to finish, or to fully accomplish.” In other words, it is not simply something that Paul comes close to doing or that he does a little bit of, it is something that he does completely.

“Understand” is from ginoskō, which means “to come to know completely or to understand thoroughly.”

“Practice” is from the Greek word prassō, meaning “to practice, to do habitually, or to do repeatedly.”

The word translated “but” is alla. It is an adversative participle which can best be expressed here as “but on the other hand.”

“I do” is translated from the Greek word poieō, which means “to make or do.” It is expressed in the present tense, active voice, indicative mood, implying continual action.

Meaning Explained

This is one of the most important verses of the entire book of Romans. It is Paul expressing the frustration concerning the power that his sin nature has over him. He starts out this verse by confessing that he doesn’t understand why he acts the way he does. The thing which he wants to do (be obedient to God) he doesn’t always do. He is not saying that he never does the things he wants to do. He is saying that he doesn’t consistently do them. Paul wants to obey God and do those things which will glorify Him, but he doesn’t always do them.

Instead, Paul finds that the thing which he hates is the very thing that he continually finds himself doing.

This is a very revealing (and to the rest of us, comforting) aspect of Paul’s walk with God. He is the Apostle to the Gentiles, the most prolific writer of the New Testament and probably the finest example of “Obedience to God” in the entire New Testament. And yet, he has a constant battle with his sin nature and has not reached a state of perfect submission to Christ. Allow me to paraphrase this verse,

I don’t understand my actions. For that which I want to do I don’t always do. On the other hand, that which I hate to do, I keep on doing.

Application

Can you identify with Paul? Of course you can! Any Christian who is completely committed to God will undergo this same sense of frustration as he or she contemplates his or her daily walk with God. We want to be obedient, but we don’t always obey and we don’t understand why.

The answer, my friend, is our sin nature. It is constantly battling against us to produce sin in our lives, even when we want to be totally obedient to God.

Keep in mind that Paul wrote this letter toward the latter part of his life. He was not a “young Christian.” He was an experienced, mature Christian who was as submitted to God as any Christian has ever been. And – he struggled with obedience to God and submission to His will. Paul battled his sin nature until God took him to paradise. So don’t feel defeated when you have the same kind of struggles with your sin nature.

But you must understand that doesn’t excuse us! We are still guilty of the sin, but confession, and forgiveness through the grace of God, will restore our fellowship with Him even when we do that thing which we hate!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:3 – The Universal Judge

Posted on August 2, 2017 by Will

And, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, do you think that you will escape the judgment of God?

Truth to Learn

God will judge us all.

Behind the Words

The word “practicing” is from prassō. As we learned a few verses back this means, “to perform an action continually, repeatedly, or habitually.” It is a picture of a musician practicing his or her instrument over and over. It is expressed here as a present participle indicating current, on-going action.

“Doing” is translated from the Greek verb poieō, meaning “to make or do.” It is different from prassō in that it implies an occasional action rather than a habitual one. This word, however, is also expressed as a present participle indicating a current, ongoing condition. Hence, it refers to ongoing occasional action.

Meaning Explained

Paul is talking about the tendency for the Roman Christians to be judgmental of the pagan Romans who constantly engage in sinful practices while these mostly Jewish Christians are guilty of committing many of these same sins. He is warning them that God will judge sin and sinfulness no matter whether it is an occasional sin or a habitual sin. To God, sin is sin!

Paul is teaching these Roman Christians (and us as well) about another condition of the human mind. He just showed us that finger pointing is self-condemning because we tend to see in others what we do ourselves. But also, we all have a tendency to excuse our own actions. After all, we know why we do these things, and we can easily excuse them in our own minds. Besides, we don’t do these things very often, and yet we see others doing these things over and over again.

Let’s not miss the point here. It would be easy to read this passage and say, “We shouldn’t care how others live and we certainly shouldn’t be judgmental.” But that’s not what Paul is saying. He’s saying that before we condemn others for their sinful actions, we need to look inwardly and deal with our own sin. Clearly the sin of harlotry is one which is easily condemnable, but when Jesus was confronted by those who wanted to stone a woman (the legal penalty for adultery) caught committing this sin, He responded:

He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. (John 8:7b)

In other words, our tendency to judge others does not absolve us from guilt and the consequences of our own sin; in fact, it increases our own condemnation.

Paul is going to teach these Christians that it is not important to prove who you are descended from; rather, it is important to demonstrate who has adopted you. That is to say, faith, not heredity nor legal obedience, is the key to salvation and a fulfilled Christian walk with God. We do not, nor did we ever, earn this salvation, either by action or inheritance. It is a gift that flows from the kindness of God. That’s what makes it so precious!

Application

The next time you see someone acting in a way that you know is wrong, remember that God is the Judge of all mankind, and He will execute His judgment according to truth, not according to appearance.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 8:13 – Evidence of Faith

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Will

Romans 8:13

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Truth to Learn

Your actions indicate whether you are spiritually dead or alive.

Behind the Words

The words “you will” are from the Greek word mellō, which usually means “it is about to happen.” It is normally followed by a verb in the future infinitive form. However, in this verse it is followed by a verb in the present infinitive form. This makes the expression stronger than a future verb. It indicates a necessary consequence. Hence, we could translate this as “you are at the point of death” or “you are going to die.”

The word “deeds” is from the Greek noun praxis, which is from the verb prassō, meaning “to practice,” that is, to perform an action over and over. Therefore, we see that praxis refers to habitual, repeated actions.

“Put to death” is from the verb thanatoō, meaning “to kill,” that is, “to take an active part in causing the death of something.” Paul is telling us that a person who habitually satisfies their sin nature will cause their own death.

“Body” is from sōma, which refers to our physical body.

Meaning Explained

Let’s look at this one phrase at a time. Paul starts out with, “For if you live according to the flesh.” We have already talked about “according to the flesh,” meaning “satisfying the desires of the sin nature.” The end of this phrase is, “you will die.” It’s not a matter that you may die, but that you definitely will die. This is another indication that Paul is now talking about someone who is not saved. One of the characteristics of an unsaved person is that their actions are dictated by self, not by the Spirit of God, and he or she will suffer eternal death.

The second half of this verse is, “but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” In other words, if we personally take an active part in putting to death the deeds of our body, we will have life. This is a characteristic of a Christian. As born again Christians, we live by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we will actively fight against and put to death the selfish deeds of our sin nature.

Remember back in verse ten Paul said that if Christ is in you, the body is dead but the spirit is alive. He is now saying that one way for you to tell if Christ is in you (if you are truly saved) is that you will not continually be living to satisfy your sin nature because the Holy Spirit is living in you. Through the Holy Spirit we are continually working to kill the fleshly practices that our body (influenced by our sin nature) wants to do. But, those who are not saved are continually letting their body and its fleshly desires have their way. As a result, they are destined to die and be eternally separated from God. That’s precisely what James meant when he wrote:

Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:18b)

Application

So where do your actions say you will spend eternity? Do they say that you are destined to die eternally or that will live eternally in God’s presence as His adopted son or daughter?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 7:15 – That Thing You Do

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Will

Romans 7:15

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.

Truth to Learn

Paul battled his sin nature just as you and I do.

Behind the Words

“Doing” is from the word katergadzomai, meaning “to work fully, to finish, or to fully accomplish.” In other words, it is not simply something that Paul comes close to doing or that he does a little bit of, it is something that he does completely.

“Understand” is from ginoskō, which means “to come to know completely or to understand thoroughly.”

The words “what I will” are a translation of ho thelō, which means “that thing which I desire to do.”

“Practice” is from the Greek word prassō, meaning “to practice, to do habitually, or to do repeatedly.”

The word translated “but” is alla. It is an adversative participle which can best be expressed here as “but contrary to this.”

“I do” is translated from the Greek word poieō, which means “to make or do.” It is expressed in the present tense, active voice, indicative mood, implying continual action.

Meaning Explained

Instead, Paul finds that the thing which he hates is the very thing that he continually finds himself doing.

I don’t understand my actions. For that which I want to do I don’t always do. On the other hand, that which I hate to do I keep on doing.

Application

The answer, my friend, is our sin nature. It is constantly battling against us to produce sin in our lives, even when we want to be totally obedient to God.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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