In the Grip of GraceSample

The Battle We Fight

Why are we tempted to return to the prison of sin? What does the prison have that we desire? When we found Christ, we found grace. And now we have a much better understanding of sin and its influence in our lives. Yet we still feel tempted to succumb to sin—in spite of the consequences we know it brings. Call it the civil war of the soul. A struggle between what we know and what we used to know. Our old self versus the new self.

Paul faced this same battle (see Romans 7:18–19). Paul was amazed by God’s grace, but equally amazed by his own propensity to sin. Perhaps you feel as if things were better before you ever knew the law existed. That is a false notion. You are much better off having your debt paid and your freedom restored. But it does mean that you now have a war to wage.

Remember you are a child of God, and he claims you as his own. Some interpret the presence of spiritual battles in their lives as a sign that God has abandoned them—that no child of God would have these battles. That’s just Satan sowing seeds of shame. If he can’t seduce you with your sin, he’ll let you sink in your guilt. There are many who believe him, who spend years convinced they are disqualified from the kingdom.

If you’ve entertained such thoughts, let me remind you that you didn’t deserve forgiveness the first time you received it! Yet he gives you all things freely. Including salvation. And including forgiveness—no matter how many times you require it. That’s what’s so wonderful about God’s grace.

Also remember that God still guides you. When we are under attack, the tendency is to question the validity of God’s commands—of his Word. God’s commands in his Word are holy because they come from a different world, a different sphere, and a different perspective. Left to our own devices and our limited perspective, we make bad decisions. God doesn’t give laws for our pleasure. He gives them for our protection. Therefore, in seasons of struggle, we must trust his wisdom, not ours. We must trust his guidance and his Word, not our desires.

You are a work in process, so don’t give up in the battle. Stay engaged in the fight. Embrace God’s grace described in his Word—the improbable offer that God will make your relationship with him right through Jesus Christ, regardless of the depth of your sin.

We are children of God. And what does God give his children? No condemnation. Nothing can separate us from his love expressed through his grace (see Romans 8:37–39). Stand on this promise. Choose to believe it. Step out of the prison cell—and then never look back.

Respond

What struggle with sin do you experience today? 

How does God’s Word help you understand God’s grace? Write a definition of grace based on what you have learned from Romans 6—8.

As a child of God, how can you step out in faith knowing that God loves and forgives you?