S. Romans 7:24-25 NLT
"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."
O. I think Paul is referring to his former life, before Christ and dominated by sin revealed by law. He sets the context by illustrating a woman no longer being married if the husband dies. The law is dead (abolished by Jesus on the cross) and no longer does a person have to submit to it. The way out is by placing faith in Jesus. He has freed us from a life that is dominated by sin. This is a great segway into Romans chapter 8 in which Paul takes on the topic of the victorious Christian life by the power and control of the Holy Spirit.
A. While Paul is referring to his past, we can certainly apply this to our lives now. We do not need to be dominated by sin because Jesus has freed us from this. We no longer have to live, controlled by our past. we are free. We are liberated. We are given a new life that can bear much fruit.
P. Thank you heavenly father for the freedom in Jesus. Thank you that our past does not have to equal our present or become our future. I pray that the Holy Spirit will abide in each one reading this, with power, bearing much fruit.
