Sinner and Saint: Finding Freedom in Christ

Jul 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Frustrated Fan Watching Their Own Life Play Out

Paul’s raw confession mirrors our experience of shouting at ourselves like spectators criticizing a poorly played game. We know what’s right, yet repeatedly fumble. This tension isn’t failure but proof we’re still in the fight—the Holy Spirit works even in our messy attempts to follow Christ. The struggle isn’t a sign of weak faith but active resistance against sin’s pull. Like Paul, we’re players and critics in our spiritual journey, learning to trust grace over perfection. [33:53]

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15, CSB)

Reflection: When have you recently felt like a frustrated spectator of your own choices? How might this struggle actually reveal God’s Spirit working within you?

Day 2: Simultaneously Saint and Sinner in the Same Breath

The Christian life is lived in the paradox of being fully forgiven yet still flawed. Like a coin with two sides, we are declared righteous while wrestling daily with selfishness. This tension isn’t meant to be resolved but navigated through repentance and grace. Our dual identity keeps us dependent on Christ’s strength rather than our performance. Victory comes not in eliminating the battle but in clinging to the One who already won the war. [36:49]

“For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.” (Romans 7:18-19, CSB)

Reflection: Where do you most acutely feel the tension between your saintly identity and sinful tendencies? How does this paradox deepen your need for daily grace?

Day 3: The Problem Isn’t Out There—It’s In Here

Political reforms and self-help programs can’t fix the human heart’s bent toward sin. Like a contaminated well, our deepest issues flow from within. Laws expose our flaws but can’t heal them. Independence Day celebrations remind us external freedoms can’t address our spiritual captivity. Lasting change begins when we stop blaming circumstances and let Christ confront our inner brokenness. [40:23]

“The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10, CSB)

Reflection: What situation have you blamed on external factors that actually reveals a deeper heart issue? How might Christ’s forgiveness free you from cyclical blame?

Day 4: Who Will Rescue Me? The Cry That Leads to Christ

Exhausted by self-improvement projects, Paul’s desperate question shifts focus from his ability to Christ’s sufficiency. Like a drowning man stopping his thrashing to be pulled ashore, we find peace only when we stop trying to save ourselves. The answer to our deepest struggles isn’t a strategy but a Person—the One who declares, “I’ve already done it.” [44:51]

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25, CSB)

Reflection: What recurring sin or habit have you tried to fix through willpower alone? How might surrendering it to Christ’s rescue bring deeper freedom?

Day 5: No Condemnation for Those Mid-Struggle

God’s verdict over believers isn’t delayed until we “get it right.” Even amid our worst failures, Christ’s righteousness covers us. Like a defendant declared innocent before the trial ends, we live from forgiveness rather than for it. The battle still rages, but the war’s outcome is secure. Our identity isn’t shaped by our performance but His promise. [47:00]

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, CSB)

Reflection: When have you felt disqualified by your struggles? How does knowing the final verdict rest on Christ’s work, not yours, change your approach to today’s battles?

Sermon Summary

Paul contrasts national freedom with the deeper freedom Christ gives from sin, death, and the condemnation of the law. Romans 7 lets that freedom speak in honest questions: if Christ has redeemed, why does the believer still feel like life is a fight. Paul becomes the fan on the couch, watching his own game, barking at himself, What are you doing, Paul. He confesses, I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. That voice is not an outsider’s; it is the baptized believer’s daily experience.

The struggle itself, Paul insists, is not proof of dead faith but a sign of life. The Spirit has taken up residence, so the heart refuses to make peace with the flesh. Classic Lutheran language names this reality: simul justus et peccator, simultaneously saint and sinner. That tension is not solved in this age. The Spirit teaches the church to live in it, to repent when the law exposes sin, and to receive forgiveness that sends the believer back into the fight.

Romans 7 lays out the limits of the law. The law is good, necessary, and true, but it cannot save or renovate the human heart. Political victories cannot do that either. Technology, medicine, and communication can advance, but pride, greed, anger, lust, envy, and selfishness remain. The problem is not simply out there to be legislated; the problem is in here, in the human heart. So the church uses its freedom not to boast in itself but to proclaim the Rescuer, even through something as ordinary as a week of VBS, where children learn that God created them, sin warped the image, and God keeps his promises.

At the center, Paul quits staring at himself and cries, Wretched man that I am. Who will rescue me from this body of death. The answer is personal, not procedural. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ carries the victory over sin, death, and the devil. Christ keeps forgiving and strengthening. Christ feeds his people with his body and blood for the battle ahead. The days may feel overwhelming, but God’s promises hold fast. The same Christian who cries wretched also hears the verdict that Romans 8 will announce: there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. The struggle is real, sinner and saint. Christ’s forgiveness is even more real. The battle goes on, but the verdict is already in.

Key Takeaways

1. Struggle signals the Spirit at work Struggle does not mean abandonment; it means the heart refuses to surrender to the flesh. The Spirit provokes holy discontent that will not call darkness light. Weariness in the fight belongs with the cry for mercy, not with shame. That cry is already evidence of life. [36:06]
2. The law is good yet limited God’s law exposes, defines, and restrains, but it cannot change the heart. Its goodness becomes accusation when the sinner looks to it for rescue. Salvation cannot ride in on rule-keeping or moral resolve. That road always ends in condemnation apart from Christ. [38:41]
3. Life remains sinner and saint tension Baptized identity is real, and ongoing sin is real. The goal is not to erase the tension now but to live by the Spirit within it. Repentance and absolution become the church’s breathing, so the fight continues under mercy. Glory will resolve what grace now sustains. [37:36]
4. Rescue comes from Christ, not self The gospel replaces the question what with who. Programs, strategies, and promises cannot carry the weight that only a Person can bear. Jesus answers the cry of the wretched with his cross and his presence, not with tips but with triumph. [45:09]
5. Political freedom cannot change hearts Civic gifts are good, but they do not regenerate. Elections can adjust policy, not purify desire. Only Christ dethrones the old self and raises a new creation. The church must spend its freedom on proclamation, not illusion. [40:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:03] - Romans 7 and true freedom
[31:16] - Why do believers still struggle
[32:19] - The fan-on-the-couch analogy
[33:53] - Paul yells at his own life
[34:54] - The daily experience of Christians
[36:06] - Struggle as a sign of faith
[36:49] - Simultaneously sinner and saint
[37:36] - Learning to live the tension
[38:41] - The law is good yet limited
[39:28] - Political promises and human nature
[40:23] - The real problem is the heart
[42:07] - Creation and a marred image
[44:51] - Who will rescue me
[45:09] - Thanks be to God in Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Romans 7:15-25 (CSB)
15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. [...] 18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. [...] 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 8:1 (CSB)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

Observation questions

In Romans 7:15, Paul says, "I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate." What specific tension does this reveal about his internal struggle?
How does Paul describe the relationship between knowing God’s law and his ability to obey it in Romans 7:18-19?
What does Paul’s cry, "Who will rescue me?" (Romans 7:24) reveal about his ultimate source of hope?
The sermon mentions the Latin phrase simul justus et peccator ("simultaneously saint and sinner"). How does Romans 7:25 reflect this tension? [36:49]

Interpretation questions

Why does Paul emphasize his inability to obey God’s law even though he agrees it is good (Romans 7:16-19)? How does this challenge common assumptions about moral effort?
How does the concept of "no condemnation" in Romans 8:1 address the frustration Paul expresses in Romans 7:24?
The sermon states, "The struggle is evidence that God hasn’t given up on you." How does Romans 7:15-25 support this claim? [36:06]
Why might Paul shift from focusing on his own failure ("wretched man") to thanking God in the same breath (Romans 7:24-25)?

Application questions

When have you experienced the tension Paul describes—knowing what is right but struggling to do it? How did you respond in that moment?
The law exposes sin but cannot save. In what areas of your life do you still try to "fix yourself" through rules or self-effort instead of relying on Christ’s rescue? [38:41]
How might remembering "there is now no condemnation" (Romans 8:1) change the way you approach guilt or shame after failing?
The sermon says, "The Christian life is miserable when we stare only at ourselves." What practical step could you take this week to shift your focus from your performance to Christ’s finished work? [45:09]
Where do you see the "simultaneously saint and sinner" tension playing out in your relationships or habits? How can repentance and forgiveness become a daily rhythm in those areas? [37:36]
Paul’s cry for rescue turns to gratitude for Jesus. When you feel overwhelmed by sin or failure, what tangible reminder of Christ’s victory (e.g., Scripture, communion, worship) could anchor your hope?

Sermon Clips

51s

#ForgivenAndFree

“``Today, Paul teaches us not to be ashamed of the struggle. And next week, he'll teach us also not to be ashamed of the of the verdict. Because the same Christian who cries, wretched man that I am, is also the Christian who hears God declare, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The struggle is real, sinner and saint. But Christ's forgiveness is even more real. So that while the battle continues, the verdict has already been rendered. You are forgiven. You are free. In Christ, you are his.”

87s

#HopeInGodsPromises

“There will be days when the battle feels overwhelming. Days when we don't recognize ourselves. Days when we wonder, will we ever change. Days where we cry out with Paul, wretched man that I am. And yes, that's true. But at the same time, what's also true are God's answers, God's promises. made you. I keep my promise to forgive you, to be with you, and to love you forever no matter what. Today, Paul teaches us not to be ashamed of the struggle. And next week, he'll teach us also not to be ashamed of the of the verdict. Because the same Christian who cries, wretched man that I am, is also the Christian who hears God declare, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The struggle is real, sinner and saint. But Christ's forgiveness is even more real. So that while the battle continues, the verdict has already been rendered. You are forgiven. You are free. In Christ, you are his.”

72s

#PromisesOverPain

“And yes, that's true. But at the same time, what's also true are God's answers, God's promises. made you. I keep my promise to forgive you, to be with you, and to love you forever no matter what. Today, Paul teaches us not to be ashamed of the struggle. And next week, he'll teach us also not to be ashamed of the of the verdict. Because the same Christian who cries, wretched man that I am, is also the Christian who hears God declare, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The struggle is real, sinner and saint. But Christ's forgiveness is even more real. So that while the battle continues, the verdict has already been rendered. You are forgiven. You are free. In Christ, you are his.”

61s

#EyesOnJesusOnly

“We need to look away from our performance, away from our struggles, away from our sin to Christ and to Christ alone. Paul answers his question. Verse 25, he says, thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Who? Christ. That's who will rescue me. The Christian life is miserable when we stare only at ourselves. It becomes hopeful only when we look at Jesus because the answer was never going to be found in Paul or in you or in me. The answer to the struggle is Christ alone. Christ who is victorious over sin, over death, over the devil himself for you. Christ who continues to forgive you. Christ who continues to strengthen you. Christ who holds you when you feel weak. Christ who feeds you with his very body and blood and bread and wine as his words and promises declare, because you need strength for the battle ahead.”

62s

#WeCantSaveOurselves

“Not what will save me, not how can I fix myself, not what strategy do I need or self help program? Look what he asks. It's a question. Who will rescue Because I can't rescue myself, Paul says. And I can't rescue myself, says your pastor. And you can't rescue yourself either. We need to look away from our performance, away from our struggles, away from our sin to Christ and to Christ alone. Paul answers his question. Verse 25, he says, thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Who? Christ. That's who will rescue me. The Christian life is miserable when we stare only at ourselves. It becomes hopeful only when we look at Jesus because the answer was never going to be found in Paul or in you or in me. The answer to the struggle is Christ alone.”

63s

#GodIsWorkingInYou

“Paul sees us as he writes in Romans that the struggle is not evidence that God has abandoned or left you. The struggle is evidence that God hasn't given up on you, and he is still working in you and shaping you. So that when Paul finally gets to the center of all these thoughts, he stops looking into himself, and he finally cries out and recognizes when it comes to himself, wretched man that I am. Who's going to rescue me from this body of death? Not what will save me, not how can I fix myself, not what strategy do I need or self help program? Look what he asks. It's a question. Who will rescue Because I can't rescue myself, Paul says. And I can't rescue myself, says your pastor. And you can't rescue yourself either. We need to look away from our performance, away from our struggles, away from our sin to Christ and to Christ alone.”

77s

#SpiritShapesTheStruggle

“That tension of feeling trapped between sinner and saint can leave you feeling frustrated and exhausted. Yet God has not abandoned The Holy Spirit is at work. Paul sees us as he writes in Romans that the struggle is not evidence that God has abandoned or left you. The struggle is evidence that God hasn't given up on you, and he is still working in you and shaping you. So that when Paul finally gets to the center of all these thoughts, he stops looking into himself, and he finally cries out and recognizes when it comes to himself, wretched man that I am. Who's going to rescue me from this body of death? Not what will save me, not how can I fix myself, not what strategy do I need or self help program? Look what he asks. It's a question. Who will rescue Because I can't rescue myself, Paul says. And I can't rescue myself, says your pastor. And you can't rescue yourself either. We need to look away from our performance, away from our struggles, away from our sin to Christ and to Christ alone.”

74s

#HeartsNotPolitics

“Every generation hopes that if we can just get the right leaders, the right policies, the right programs, everything will work out and everything will be fixed. Yet even after two hundred and fifty years, a lot has changed in our nation. Technology has improved. Medicine has improved. Transportation has improved. None of you came on horseback this morning. Communication has improved. But our human nature? Not so much. You still struggle with pride, greed, anger, selfishness, lust, envy. Because the problem isn't out there simply to be legislated. The problem the problem's in here. The problem of the human heart. Simultaneously saint, but at the same time still a sinner. That's why we celebrate our political freedom. But our political freedom can't change the human heart. We need Christ to do that.”

60s

#ChangeNeedsChrist

“Yet even after two hundred and fifty years, a lot has changed in our nation. Technology has improved. Medicine has improved. Transportation has improved. None of you came on horseback this morning. Communication has improved. But our human nature? Not so much. You still struggle with pride, greed, anger, selfishness, lust, envy. Because the problem isn't out there simply to be legislated. The problem the problem's in here. The problem of the human heart. Simultaneously saint, but at the same time still a sinner. That's why we celebrate our political freedom. But our political freedom can't change the human heart. We need Christ to do that.”

52s

#StruggleIsFaith

“You might think that struggling is a sign of the lack of faith, but I got to tell you, friend, struggling is a sign of faith. It's a sign that the spirit is at work within you. You're not just giving into your flesh, you're actually realizing something isn't right, and I'm going to battle against it. You are in what the old Lutheran theology would say, a Latin phrase, Simo Justus Epicator, simultaneously sinner and saint. That's who we are as Christians. It's a tension where at the same time, we are completely forgiven, washed free from all of our sins, yet at the same time, ourselves sinning again and again.”

61s

#KeepFightingFaith

“I've been a pastor for twenty one years now, and I can't tell you the number of times where where people begin to share their struggle, the thing they're wrestling with, the the questions like Paul is going through. And when they are going through those struggles, if they're brave enough to share them, coming for counsel, coming for for wisdom from the Lord, and they share them with me, one of the first things I say if somebody says, Pastor, I'm struggling with this, the first thing I say is, Good. Good. I am so glad you're struggling and that you haven't given up and that you haven't given in. You might think that struggling is a sign of the lack of faith, but I got to tell you, friend, struggling is a sign of faith. It's a sign that the spirit is at work within you. You're not just giving into your flesh, you're actually realizing something isn't right, and I'm going to battle against it.”

76s

#BaptizedAndBattling

“You see, this description that Paul is writing about is is not a description of a person who is an unbeliever. Paul's talking about the life of the baptized believer, the life of the one who has the Holy Spirit who's working in them and shaping them. There's this idea though that sometimes when it comes to the struggle, when it comes to this this battle that's within us, we think that if we struggle, that that might be a sign of a lack of faith or or of weak faith. I've been a pastor for twenty one years now, and I can't tell you the number of times where where people begin to share their struggle, the thing they're wrestling with, the the questions like Paul is going through. And when they are going through those struggles, if they're brave enough to share them, coming for counsel, coming for for wisdom from the Lord, and they share them with me, one of the first things I say if somebody says, Pastor, I'm struggling with this, the first thing I say is, Good. Good. I am so glad you're struggling and that you haven't given up and that you haven't given in. You might think that struggling is a sign of the lack of faith, but I got to tell you, friend, struggling is a sign of faith.”

51s

#LiveInHolyTension

“It's that tension of knowing we are a child of the most high God. We have been washed in the water of the word of our baptism. We have taken and received Christ's true body and blood. We have this identity as that beloved son and chosen daughter, yet we we still battle the old sinful man. It's the struggle, and it's attention. And it's attention that's going to remain, and it's not going away anytime soon. In fact, it's not going away until we meet Christ face to face. The goal of the Christian life is not resolving or solving the tension, but learning by the power of the Holy Spirit to manage and to live in that tension simultaneously as a saint and a sinner.”

62s

#BelovedYetBroken

“You are in what the old Lutheran theology would say, a Latin phrase, Simo Justus Epicator, simultaneously sinner and saint. That's who we are as Christians. It's a tension where at the same time, we are completely forgiven, washed free from all of our sins, yet at the same time, ourselves sinning again and again. It's that tension of knowing we are a child of the most high God. We have been washed in the water of the word of our baptism. We have taken and received Christ's true body and blood. We have this identity as that beloved son and chosen daughter, yet we we still battle the old sinful man. It's the struggle, and it's attention. And it's attention that's going to remain, and it's not going away anytime soon. In fact, it's not going away until we meet Christ face to face.”

50s

#GodNeverFailsUs

“Our promises, they fall short. How many times have we promised that that we're gonna do better, that we're gonna try harder, that we're gonna be more patient, that we're not gonna lose our temper, that we're gonna stop this habit or change this behavior. But Romans seven brings about the good news that salvation is not brought about by our behavior change. It's just not brought about by our trying to do better the next time or our self improvement. selves are just leads to condemnation. Paul admits it, I don't do the good I want, but I practice the evil I don't want to do. Even though I have the best of intentions, I fall short. And so that leads us to the third lesson, that even though I fall short, God does not fall short. And in him, I can find my safe place.”

58s

#SalvationNotSelfHelp

“But Romans seven brings about the good news that salvation is not brought about by our behavior change. It's just not brought about by our trying to do better the next time or our self improvement. selves are just leads to condemnation. Paul admits it, I don't do the good I want, but I practice the evil I don't want to do. Even though I have the best of intentions, I fall short. And so that leads us to the third lesson, that even though I fall short, God does not fall short. And in him, I can find my safe place. In him, I can find a mighty fortress that we sang about just a moment ago. That tension of feeling trapped between sinner and saint can leave you feeling frustrated and exhausted. Yet God has not abandoned The Holy Spirit is at work.”

52s

#WeAreOurOwnFans

“Maybe you've seen people like it. People who watch the game, who know exactly what their team should do, who know exactly what play they should call, what strategy they should have, and then they see what their team does is exactly the opposite of what they would have done. And so they jump off the couch, they yell at the television, what are you doing? Why'd you pass it there? Why'd you take that shot? Why didn't you defend him? As if they can hear us through that magical tube somehow giving our criticism. But here in Romans seven, we find Paul sitting on the proverbial stands of his own watching his own life play out and yelling at himself, what are you doing, Paul? What's going on?”

58s

#YoureNotAloneInThis

“Paul is simultaneously the player, the coach, and the frustrated fan. He's watching himself and his life, and he's saying, why do I keep doing this? Why do I keep struggling? What's wrong with me? And here you thought it was just you. Isn't it comforting Paul has that experience too? That we know what God says, we know what is right, we know what we should do, and then and then we don't do it. We know exactly what we should avoid, and then we walk right into it anyway. And afterwards, we wind up joining Paul and say to ourselves, what what was I thinking? Romans seven describes the daily experience of the Christian life. And honestly, when Lonnie read it this morning, even though it can be a bit of a tongue twister, it also was kind of comforting to know you're not the only one.”

75s

#CommunalStruggle

“And here you thought it was just you. Isn't it comforting Paul has that experience too? That we know what God says, we know what is right, we know what we should do, and then and then we don't do it. We know exactly what we should avoid, and then we walk right into it anyway. And afterwards, we wind up joining Paul and say to ourselves, what what was I thinking? Romans seven describes the daily experience of the Christian life. And honestly, when Lonnie read it this morning, even though it can be a bit of a tongue twister, it also was kind of comforting to know you're not the only one. Paul gets it, and so do the people around you. You see, this description that Paul is writing about is is not a description of a person who is an unbeliever. Paul's talking about the life of the baptized believer, the life of the one who has the Holy Spirit who's working in them and shaping them. There's this idea though that sometimes when it comes to the struggle, when it comes to this this battle that's within us, we think that if we struggle, that that might be a sign of a lack of faith or or of weak faith.”

50s

#Romans7RealTalk

“Romans seven describes the daily experience of the Christian life. And honestly, when Lonnie read it this morning, even though it can be a bit of a tongue twister, it also was kind of comforting to know you're not the only one. Paul gets it, and so do the people around you. You see, this description that Paul is writing about is is not a description of a person who is an unbeliever. Paul's talking about the life of the baptized believer, the life of the one who has the Holy Spirit who's working in them and shaping them. There's this idea though that sometimes when it comes to the struggle, when it comes to this this battle that's within us, we think that if we struggle, that that might be a sign of a lack of faith or or of weak faith.”

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St. Paul Lutheran Church Harlingen, Texas This sermon · AI assistant

What causes ongoing struggle despite Christian freedom?

What does sinner and saint simultaneously mean?

Where is the Christian's ultimate rescue found?