Freedom

Scripture:  Romans 7:14-25

               The American Revolution often conjures up images of large troop formations marching and firing in lines at each other.   We often associate famous battles with the conflict, like the one at Bunker Hill or the Siege of Yorktown that won the war.  The war was fought for more than six years and during that time there were hundreds of engagements both on land and at sea.   Most of these happened on a much smaller scale.  A good example of this is the skirmish that occurred on November 14th, 1782, at Avant’s Ferry in South Carolina.   There a division of American militia under the command Captain William Capers clashed with their opposition.  This too place in an isolated rural area with little strategic significance and it is likely that a hundred or less men were involved in the fighting.  The only reason why the battle is even known is because of a couple of lines from an obscure 19th century biography.      

The battle of Avant’s Ferry is a fun tidbit for people who like forgotten history, but the most notable aspect of the fight is just who the American militia fought.   Captain Capers’ militia division did not face off against British regulars.  They fought loyalist militia.  At the battle of Avant’s Ferry American patriots fighting for independence clashed with American colonists fighting to defend the honor of the crown.   Today we celebrate American independence each year and we by and large believe this was the right action in the course of history.  It is easy for us to forget that in the late 1700’s American Independence was not so widely celebrated.  Historians estimate that at least 20% of colonial Americans were loyalists and opposed the concept of revolution.     The American Revolution was in fact revolutionary.  It is consistent that in human history any struggle for liberation, equal rights, and freedom has been met with opposition.  This is because an expansion of freedom and liberty will always bring about significant change, and change tends to always garner opposition.   Human history has shown this to be the case, but this morning’s scripture also speaks to this truth.   As this morning’s scripture points out, we find opposition to change on a personal level.  Following Jesus as Lord and Savior, seeking the guidance of the Spirit, and walking humbly with God the Father should create profound change in our life.   This scripture makes it clear that even though we seek and choose this change we paradoxically oppose it.  This scripture makes the case that living a life of faith is a spiritual struggle for true freedom. 

This morning’s scripture picks up in the middle of a highly technical argument that Paul is making.  This happens a lot when looking at scripture from the book of Romans.  Romans was written using a philosophical style where it continually builds on itself. One of the major points that Paul is seeking to make in Romans is that the grace of Jesus does not completely make the Old Testament law given to the Israelites worthless.  Before this morning’s reading Paul addresses this by stating the value of the Old Testament law is that it makes plain what is sinful.   Paul declares in Romans 7:12 “So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.”  In this morning’s scripture Paul tries to explain why, even though the law clearly spells out what sin is, why then he (and by extension his audience) continue to sin.  

               In making this argument Paul introduces an idea that at face value can seem somewhat problematic.   In verse 17 Paul wrote, “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.”   This idea of being indwelt with sin is only really found right here in the bible, and it is problematic because it creates an easy excuse to fall into.   It gives us an excuse for our poor decisions and bad behavior.   Much like claiming the devil made me do it, claiming the sin living in me made me do it, seeks to release us from accountability.   This morning’s scripture is not seeking to give us a ready excuse to get out of our sinful actions.  Rather it is naming the reality we face.  When we seek to make a positive change, when we seek to follow what is holy and good, when we seek to revolt against evil in our own actions then even though we want to do good, evil is right there with us. 

               This evil, this sinful nature, is not necessarily an external force influencing us.  Instead, it is a trap of our own creation.   You have likely heard the phrase of being stuck in a rut, and metaphorically that is what happens with us and our sin.   A rut is caused by wagon wheels in the dirt.   As heavy wagons travel across the land they leave an impression.  Over time these impressions become deeper and deeper and turn into proper ruts.   This repetition of repeating the same action is powerful.  For instance, outside of Guernsey, Wyoming there are still ruts from the famed Oregon Trail.  These ruts will last for centuries as hundreds of wagons crossing a bluff carved the ruts into the limestone.  Being stuck in a rut does not mean we are trapped and cannot move.  On the contrary.  Being stuck in a rut means we keep going the same way because since our wheels are in a rut it is easier to keep going where the ruts lead.   In the same way, before we yield areas of our life to Christ and seek that which is holy righteous and good we carve ruts in our lives through our sinful actions.  The more we engage in selfish, prideful, or unkind behavior the easier it gets to continue doing that.    Ongoing sinful behavior digs deep ruts into our hearts and souls.  

This can lead a lot of us to really feel Paul’s words in verse 15.  “I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do, I do not do but what I hate I do.”   We can be so stuck in the rut of our sin that it almost feels predictable.  We can feel so trapped by a prison of our own creation that it does feel as if there is this entire part of us that is out of our control. Given this it is no wonder that Paul wrote in verse 24 of this morning’s scripture, “What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”   The good news is that there is an answer to that question. 

   The good news is that God has already done the work to bring about true freedom.   In the struggle against sin, Jesus has already won the victory.  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  That proves God loves for us, and it is what enable us to make the change.  The power of God that loves us enough to save us is powerful enough to free us from the ruts of sin.   It is what enables us to go from doing what we do not want to do, to doing what God has called us to do.   For most people this often is not as simple as flipping a switch.   For most of us it is a process and it can still feel like a struggle, but thanks to Jesus Christ it is a struggle that we can find victory in.   I appreciate how Christian rock band Tenth Avenue North put it in their song The Struggle released several years ago.  The band sang, “Hallelujah!  We are free to struggle, we are not struggling to be free.”  As we consider this morning’s scripture, there are two critical steps we can take in our own struggle. 

  First, we must be willing to admit that we are sinners.  We tend trying to sugar coat sin.  We try to make downplay what it really is.  We might call sin a mistake, a bad choice, an indiscretion.   We need to be clear about this, often sin is willful disobedience against God.   Sin is often a purposeful decision to do what we know is not right.    As uncomfortable as it is, we must claim that we are sinners.  We have to claim that we have been wrecked by the Fall, and like Paul describes in verse 21 we have to admit that although we want to do good, evil is right there beside me.   It is our kneejerk reaction to rationalize our own actions, we tend to be good with coming up with justifications why our actions are the exceptions.  However, to get out of the rut, we need to be honest enough with ourselves to declare what the sinful problems of our hearts are, and we need to be willing to declare that Jesus is the answer.   

One of the things I really appreciate about 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous is the insistence that those who participate never stop being alcoholics.  An AA member could be sober for decades, but they still understand themselves as an alcoholic.   In the same way, even though followers of Jesus are redeemed, even though our sins have been separated from us as far as the East is from the West, we should understand ourselves as still being sinners.   No matter how righteously we live, no matter how often we get it right, we should still understand ourselves as people in need of grace and in need of a savior. 

Being willing to admit that we are sinners is important so that we can fulfill the second step, which is we must be willing to confess our sins and repent.   If we are not willing to name how we have turned away from God, then we are unable to seek reconciliation.   In order to seek forgiveness for our sins, we must be willing to confess them.    We must be willing to tell God what we have done wrong, ask for forgiveness, and then repent.   Repent means to turn away from, to leave behind, to “go and sin no more.”   One of the hard lessons to learn in our faith is that repentance, true repentance, is a process.   I wish it wasn’t.   I wish it was as simple as saying a prayer, making a firm decision, and then never falling into a certain temptation again.   To turn away from our sinful nature and delight in God’s law is a change, and remember we naturally resist change.  

  The reality is, that even if we truly desire to live like Jesus, even if it is our goal to live a life where we love God with our whole being, love our neighbor as ourselves, and willfully do not sin then there will be times when we still miss the mark.   Instead of following the path of Christ to new life, we will fall back into the same old ruts we are used to.   What makes grace so amazing is each time we fall, then God will still be there.  Each time, God will forgive again, and each time through the grace of Christ we will step back on the road to repentance.  When faced with this sinful nature, we are not helpless.  The same struggles that plagued us then might plague us still, but not all of them.  All of us have who are in Christ probably have sinful behaviors and sinful desires, which we have truly repented from.  That we have turned our back on and never gone back to.    It might have taken awhile, but by the grace of God we did it.   This is a reason to have great hope, because with God all things possible, and we can have hope because we know repentance is possible.  We can celebrate because in our life and faith there have been victories in Jesus.  There are sinful attitudes and desires we have been freed from, and we have experience in some measure true freedom in Christ. 

As followers of Jesus, we celebrate that we are free to struggle, and we are not struggling to be free.  We celebrate that our Lord and savior Jesus Christ has already made freedom possible.  So, may we continue to fight the good fight.   If you feel like you are losing the battle within you and you feel like you keep doing what you do not want to do, then may you claim the truth of this morning’s scripture, that the power of God is greater than the power of sin.  May we all confess that we are great sinners but Jesus is a greater savior.   May we all be willing to confess our sins and may we seek repentance. May we be willing to fully trust in Jesus, who has proven himself over and over.   May God grant us the grace to trust him more as we claim the full freedom he offers each of us.