Romans 7 Why do I do what I don’t want to do?1. Do you ever do what you know is wrong but you do it anyway?

Spend a little time talking about this painful truth; we often know the right thing to do, but we don’t do it, we just do what we want to do and often what we want to do isn’t the right thing to do. Why do we do that? Want to dig a little deeper? Why do we NOT do what we know is right to do? Yep, not only do we do what we don’t want to do (sin) but we also don’t do what we know is right to do (also sin).

2. If we keep on doing what is wrong, should we just change the rules? What’s the problem, us or the rules? If we can’t dod what is right should we just change the rules so it’s right to do whatever we want to do? This can lead to an in depth discussion of subjective relativism if you want to really dig deep, or just talk a little about why we can’t change the rules since they aren’t our rules, the rules are God’s Law, not our law or the law of the USA or whatever state you live in. For every believer, God has written his Law on our hearts and minds (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10). We can’t change the rules (God’s Law) just because we we don’t like it or can’t keep it.

3. Why do we do what we don’t want to do? I do what I don’t want to do because I’m a selfish little sinner. I tell myself I want to eat healthy and then I find myself eating 2 bacon cheese burgers with a large fry and a Coke. It’s not a sin to eat a cheese burger, but it’s an example of doing what I don’t want to do. I want to eat healthy stuff, but I end up eating what smells good. I do what I don’t want to do.I sin. I don’t want to sin, I tell myself I don’t want to sin, but I do it anyway. I tell myself I don’t want to _________ (fill in the blank; curse, yell in anger, disrespect my parents, disobey my parents, steal, “borrow money from my parents without asking or telling them or paying them back”, lust, lust online, lust in the halls, gossip, talk about people behind their back (oh yeah, that’s gossip and that’s a sin too, like really?, yep), covet my neighbor’s car, clothes, body, friends, life, popularity, position on the team, ok I just want their life.)

4. Why do we not do the good stuff we want to do? I get it, I like to do what I want right, so the problem is what I want. I want what I want when I want it. Life should be like a 24hr McD’s where I get what I want how I want it when I want it. But the problem is I don’t want the right stuff all the time, as a matter of fact often (like almost all the time) I want what is wrong because I’m a selfish little sinner.

5. Is there any hope?Yes! Jesus, no really. At the end of the day as I realize I do what I don’t want to do and I don’t do what I want to do, our hope is in Christ. This body is a body of death, sin reigns in my body, but Thank God, God rescues us from death through our Lord Jesus Christ. You may want to discuss simul justus et peccator - we are simultaneously saint and sinner, holy and sinner.