The Grace that Conquers Sin
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Rom 7:11-24
For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it put me to death. So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did what is good, then, become death for me? Of course not! Sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin, worked death in me through the good, so that sin might become sinful beyond measure through the commandment. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold into slavery to sin. What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that the law is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Grace Prayed For
The grace to humbly acknowledge my own powerlessness over sin, and to surrender my will to Jesus, trusting in His saving power to deliver me from the law of sin and death.
Reflection
Have you ever felt the crushing weight of this passage from Romans? The feeling of wanting to do good, of truly desiring to live a life pleasing to God, only to find yourself repeatedly failing? This is the agonizing struggle of the war within, the conflict between the “law of my mind” and the “law of sin that dwells in my members.” Paul’s raw and honest cry, “Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?”, is a universal human experience. It’s the moment we realize our own helplessness, our inability to save ourselves. We cannot, through sheer willpower or good intentions, conquer the sin that clings to us.
This is the very point where the truth of “Jesus desires to save me” becomes not just a theological concept, but a lifeline. The passage forces us to confront our own powerlessness, and in that moment of surrender, we are prepared to receive the only answer that can truly set us free. It is not our own strength, but the saving power of Jesus Christ. This is the heart of the Gospel—that while we are “carnal, sold into slavery to sin,” Jesus’s love and sacrifice are infinitely greater than our brokenness. He meets us in our misery, not with condemnation, but with the grace to deliver us.
This intimate encounter with our own neediness and His profound mercy is the foundation of our relationship with the Triune God. The Father, in His loving plan, sent the Son to deliver us. The Son, in His obedient love, died for our sins. And the Holy Spirit, poured into our hearts, is the power that enables us to delight in the law of God and to walk in the newness of life, even as the war within rages on. This truth compels us to share the message of hope with a world that is so often caught in the same struggle. We don’t preach a message of “try harder,” but a message of “surrender to Him.” We can take this message into every encounter because our own lives are a living testament to the fact that Jesus is the one who delivers the miserable.
Announcing Jesus in Our Lives
The message of Jesus, who delivers us from the war within, is something I can live out in my daily life. I can evangelize by admitting my own struggles and pointing to Jesus as the source of my hope, not my own strength. When I am patient with a difficult person, despite the temptation to react in anger, I am showing the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. By offering a word of encouragement to someone who is struggling with a personal failing, I can be a witness to the forgiving and saving love of Christ. When I speak honestly about my own need for God’s mercy and how Jesus has impacted me, I am inviting others to acknowledge their own need for a Savior. My life, marked by both struggle and a deep reliance on Christ, becomes a powerful testimony that no one is beyond His saving grace.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post