The Sin Shell

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Romans 7:15

At some point in our Christian walk we may have asked this question: “If I am a new creation and the old me has been buried with Christ’s death, then why does sin still have such an influence in my daily life?” It’s a reasonable question to ask and one, in fact, that I found myself contemplating many years ago, as I looked at this section of Romans. As I thought about it, I wrote this done:

Why do we get caught up in the things we know we shouldn’t? 
What draws us towards the doorway that is clearly marked *Don’t*? 
Why is it so difficult to walk the straight and narrow? 
Why do we say, “We will Lord” - when if it takes too much, we won’t?

The apostle Paul explains the answer well, when he says,

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. Romans 7:18

Paul goes on to talk of the battle that rages between the spirit and the flesh. It is a constant tug-of-war that every Christian can relate to, and it can leave us feeling like we’re failing. It is a reality that the closer we come to God and the more we wish to please Him, it can often feel like, the more we let Him down. This happens because our growing relationship with a Holy God illuminates the complex relationship we have with sin.

Our spirit has been renewed, and the Spirit of God fills our innermost being, but the new self is still housed within the body of the old self. That is where the rub is – that which is holy, redeemed and eternal has, for the moment, to walk side by side with that which is impure and mortal. The sin-shell is always attached, but the power of it has been dealt with by the work of the cross.

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin. Romans 8:2 (NLT)

Walk in step with the Spirit and walk confidently in Him, knowing that if the Son has set you free, you are truly free.