> There is a strange and often painful paradox at the heart of the Christian life: those who have been made new in Christ still feel the tug of the old. We are led by the Spirit, yet we feel the pull of the flesh. We long to obey, yet we sometimes do what we hate.

If this resonates with you, you are not alone. In fact, you’re in the very company of the apostle Paul.

Romans 7–8 and the Assurance of God’s Children

“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”
— Romans 7:19 (ESV)

In Romans 7 and 8, Paul opens up the inner battle of a believer and then lifts our eyes to the unshakeable security of those who belong to Christ.

1. The Honest Conflict: The Believer’s War Within (Romans 7)

Romans 7 shows us that genuine Christians still wrestle deeply with sin. Paul describes a clash between his renewed mind and the remnants of his sinful nature:

“For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war… making me captive to the law of sin.”
— Romans 7:22–23

Notice several things about this conflict:

a. The believer delights in God’s law

Paul says, “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being.” That is not the language of an unconverted heart. The unbeliever may feel guilt or fear, but he does not delight in God’s law as holy, just, and good.

Martin Luther once wrote:

“The law of God is a mirror. In it we see our sin clearly and are driven to Christ, in whom alone we find righteousness.”
— Martin Luther

The Christian has a new heart that loves what God loves—even when he fails to live it perfectly.

b. The believer hates the sin he commits

“Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”
— Romans 7:20

Paul is not excusing sin; he is distinguishing between his truest self in Christ and the indwelling sin that still clings. The new “I” agrees with God, mourning the very sin it still commits.

John Calvin said:

“For in the saints, until they are divested of mortal bodies, there is always sin; for in their flesh no good thing dwells. But there is also a striving of the Spirit against it, that they may not fall under its dominion.”
— John Calvin, Commentary on Romans

The presence of this inner war is not a sign you are lost; it is often a sign you are alive.

c. The believer feels deep desperation

Romans 7 crescendos with a cry:

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
— Romans 7:24

This is the groan of a man who is aware of his sin and longs for final deliverance. The Christian life is not antiseptic and tidy. It is often a battlefield of tears, confession, and clinging to Christ.

But Romans 7 does not end in despair.

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
— Romans 7:25

This cry launches us into Romans 8, one of the most hope-saturated chapters in Scripture.

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2. Life in the Spirit: No Condemnation, New Power (Romans 8)

Romans 8 answers the agony of Romans 7 with two massive truths:

1. No condemnation for those in Christ.
2. New power by the Holy Spirit.

a. No condemnation: The believer’s legal status is settled

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
— Romans 8:1

Notice the word now. Not “someday,” not “if you perform well this week.” Now. For those who are in Christ, the gavel has already fallen. The verdict is final. The sentence has been carried out at the cross.

Luther grasped this with radical clarity:

“When the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is, there I shall be also.’”
— Martin Luther

Your struggle with sin does not overturn the verdict of God’s court. If you are in Christ, you are justified—declared righteous—on the basis of His finished work, not your fluctuating performance.

b. New power: The Spirit enables a new way of life

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
— Romans 8:2

The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you:

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus… will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
— Romans 8:11

This means believers are no longer helpless prisoners of sin. We may fall, but we no longer live under sin’s lordship.

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.”
— Romans 8:12

Calvin put it this way:

“We are indeed justified solely by the grace of God, through the merit of Christ, without any respect to works. But it is equally true that we are sanctified by the Spirit, in order that we may walk in newness of life.”
— John Calvin

In other words:

• Justification: Christ’s work for us (once for all).
• Sanctification: The Spirit’s work in us (ongoing, often slow, often painful).

The tension you feel—between what you are in Christ and what you still are in experience—is precisely the space where the Spirit is actively working.

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Examining Your Faith: Do I Really Belong to God?

Because this battle is so intense, some believers begin to ask, “Am I truly saved? Do I really belong to God?” Scripture calls us to sober self-examination, but not to paralyzing doubt.

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:5

Romans 8 gives several marks—telltale signs—that someone truly belongs to God and is secure in His love.

1. A new direction: setting the mind on the Spirit

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”
— Romans 8:5

This is about trajectory, not perfection.

Ask:

• What do I most deeply value?
• Where does my mind naturally go for comfort, identity, joy?
• Do I care about spiritual things, about Christ, His word, holiness?

A professing Christian who habitually lives for the world, with no conviction and no hunger for God, has cause for deep concern (cf. Romans 8:6–8; 1 John 2:15–16).

But if, despite weakness and failure, you find a real desire to know Christ, to obey Him, to repent when you sin—that is not natural. That is the Spirit’s work.

2. An inner witness: the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
— Romans 8:16

This is a profound, often quiet reality. Over time, the Spirit gives a settled persuasion—rooted in God’s promises—that you belong to Him. It may not always feel intense emotionally; sometimes it’s a steady, stubborn confidence that clings to Christ when everything else shakes.

Calvin described faith like this:

“We shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”
— John Calvin, Institutes 3.2.7

The Spirit opens your eyes to see Christ as your only hope—and then quietly assures you: “These promises are for you.”

3. A growing hatred of sin and practice of repentance

“If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
— Romans 8:13

Those who belong to Christ will wage war against sin. Not flawlessly, not without setbacks, but truly.

Ask:

• Do I confess my sins to God, and when needed, to others?
• Do I feel grief over sin, not just its consequences?
• Do I see, over time, some patterns of sin weakening and some areas of obedience growing?

Luther summarized the Christian life in his first thesis:

“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”
— Martin Luther, 95 Theses

Lifelong repentance is not a sign that you don’t belong to God; it is a sign that you do.

4. A spirit of sonship, not slavery

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
— Romans 8:15

Those who are God’s children increasingly relate to Him not as a distant judge but as a loving Father. Fear of punishment begins to yield to reverent love, freedom, and trust.

You may still battle fear and doubts, but somewhere in your heart the cry “Abba, Father” has been born. You find yourself running to God rather than only hiding from Him.

5. Perseverance in faith amid suffering

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs… provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
— Romans 8:16–17

God’s children are not spared suffering; they are preserved through suffering. They cling to Christ when things fall apart—not because of their own strength, but because the Spirit keeps them.

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Fully Secure in God’s Love (Romans 8:28–39)

After describing the believer’s struggle and the Spirit’s work, Paul takes us to the summit of assurance.

– God’s sovereign purpose

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
— Romans 8:28

That “good” is not comfort or success; it is being “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). God weaves even your failures and battles with sin into His plan to make you like Christ.

– An unbreakable chain

“Those whom he foreknew he also predestined… and those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
— Romans 8:29–30

Every verb is past tense—even “glorified.” In God’s decree, your glorification is as certain as if it were already accomplished.

Calvin marveled at this:

“As the calling of God is without repentance, so they whom He effectually calls He never afterwards dismisses, but accompanies them to the goal.”
— John Calvin

– Nothing can separate us

Paul ends with a sweeping declaration:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
— Romans 8:38–39

Not your past, not your future, not your worst day, not your fiercest temptation—nothing can sever a true child of God from the love that chose them, redeemed them, and holds them fast.

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A Loving Warning: Examine Yourself Honestly

If you profess Christ but live comfortably in unrepentant sin—with no struggle, no conviction, no interest in God’s Word or His people—Scripture warns you not to assume you are safe.

“If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
— Romans 8:13

“They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.”
— Titus 1:16

Examine yourself:

• Is your “faith” only in words, or has it begun to reshape your desires and decisions?
• Do you love Christ, however weakly, and desire to please Him?
• When God’s Word exposes your sin, do you defend it—or bow and repent?

If you find you have been merely a churchgoer, a cultural Christian, or someone relying on a past decision with no present love for Christ, the call is not to despair but to truly come to Him now.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28

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A Strong Encouragement: Keep Fighting, Because God Keeps You

For the weary believer who hates his sin, who cries with Paul, “Wretched man that I am!”—hear this clearly:

• Your struggle with sin does not mean you are not saved.
• The very war inside you is evidence that the Spirit is at work.
• Your assurance is anchored not in the strength of your grip on Christ, but in the strength of His grip on you.

Luther, who knew profound spiritual anguish, learned to look outside himself:

“For faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times.”
— Martin Luther

Your confidence is not in the quality of your faith but in the sufficiency of your Savior.

A Challenge:

• Don’t make peace with your sin.
• Don’t use grace as an excuse for apathy.
• Don’t hide behind Christian words while your heart runs from God.

Instead:

• Bring your whole life into the light of God’s Word.
• Confess what is false, hypocritical, or divided in you.
• Ask God to show you whether you are truly in the faith—and be willing to act on what He shows you.

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
— Hebrews 3:15

A Closing Encouragement

If you are clinging to Christ, however weakly—if you grieve over your sin, long for holiness, and keep coming back to the cross—then take heart:

• There is now no condemnation for you in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
• The Spirit within you is stronger than the sin that wars against you.
• The Father who adopted you will never disown you.
• The Son who died for you will never cast you out.

Walk forward, then, in honest repentance and confident faith. Keep fighting the good fight, knowing that underneath your trembling hands are the everlasting arms of God.

“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Hold fast to Him—because in Christ, He is already holding fast to you.