We are the Problem

Spread the love

Rom. 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

I’ve heard some good sermons on guarding the tongue and watching what it says. It emphasizes on how it can cause fires or steer ships or something. Anyway, that’s all true, but guarding what comes out of your mouth is not the main problem. The problem is much deeper and much worse! The source of it all is the attitudes and thoughts of the heart. It is in the heart where the cleansing is needed.

Watchman Nee gave the best example of this: Let’s say you got fed up with all the alcohol in the city and decided to get rid of all of them. Well, you go from house to house, finding and smashing all the bottles, determined to get on top of the situation. The problem is, that while you are going from house to house, the local factory is producing more and more bottles! If you don’t go to the source of the problem (the factory) you are wasting your time!

In the above verse, Apostle Paul made a wonderful discovery that finally set him free. He found out that he was the problem! And if he was the problem, then he couldn’t be the solution. He then discovered 2 things: that the law of the Spirit of life can set you free from the law of sin and death. And that there is no more condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom 8.1-2).