The War Within
A reflection on The War Within - Romans 7:13–25 - By Michael Tooley
Every believer knows what it feels like to wrestle with sin. We want to love what is good, yet we still stumble. We delight in God’s Word, yet we find another law at work within us, pulling us toward what we hate. It can leave us wondering, What’s wrong with me?
Paul answers that question in Romans 7, not with shame, but with honesty and hope. The problem is real, but so is the Savior.
Seeing Ourselves Clearly
Pastor Michael reminded us that the closer we get to Jesus, the more aware we become of our weakness. That awareness isn’t a step backward. It’s the grace of God at work. “The closer we get to glory,” he said, “the more we see the weakness that is in our natural selves. In Christ we are graciously brought to the end of ourselves.”
When we see sin clearly, we also see grace clearly.
The Spirit opens our eyes not to condemn us but to remind us that Christ has already carried everything we see. The struggle within is not the absence of grace, it is the evidence of new life.
Confession and Gospel Community
When the gospel takes root, it doesn’t just change how we relate to God; it changes how we relate to one another. We stop pretending to be stronger than we are. We confess sin freely because Christ has already dealt with it fully.
Confession in community is not about guilt, but about freedom. When we bring darkness into the light with brothers and sisters who speak the truth in love, we experience the mercy of God through His people. The church becomes the place where grace gets real.
Signs of Life
Paul’s struggle in Romans 7 is not the story of a hypocrite, but of a saint who is alive in Christ. Pastor Michael put it simply: “Dead people don’t struggle. The struggle is a sign of life.” Every moment of conviction, every longing for holiness, every small act of obedience is evidence that the Spirit of God is at work.
This is why Paul can move from “Wretched man that I am” to “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” He knows that victory is not found in trying harder but in trusting deeper. Christ’s finished work gives us confidence to keep walking, even when we fall.
Gratitude That Depends on Grace
Gratitude becomes our way of fighting. When we remember what Jesus has already done, the weight of the battle lifts. He faced temptation to the fullest and never gave in. He took our sin, died our death, and rose to give us life that cannot be taken away.
Because of Him, we fight from victory, not for it. We are not trying to earn God’s approval; we already have it in Christ.
So when you feel the war within, don’t lose heart. Let it remind you that the Spirit is alive in you. Let it move you to confession, to community, and to gratitude that depends on grace.
We will fall, but we will not be forsaken. Jesus has already won.