Sunday School for September 5th – 26th

A consideration of why we struggle to do what we wish to do.

Overview of Class Sessions

September 5:

September 12th: The wish to be more than I am.

September 19th: The intent to be distanced from Bad Habits

September 26th: The desire to know for sure.

Romans 7:14-25

• Use this text to reflect upon the seeming division between your mind and body.

• Ask yourself the following questions: – What is something that I feel frustrated about that I cannot

seem to change. – Is it more related to my mind or my body. – Is there a possibility that the thing I want to change is also

important to me? – Was this an idea that was given to me by another person? – Did I have an experience that caused me to attribute

importance to this thing?

What does Paul mean by the Law in verse 14?

• Very general words like “law” almost always need some clarifying in scripture. In this instance, the word law does not mean “the law” but “a law”.. A general principle, a theory, a fact of observation.

• How does this change the meaning of the entire passage for you? Does it change how you might have answered the question on the previous slide.

Not me but the sin???

Verse 16 presents an interesting challenge –

How could a law be good if it represents what you struggle to achieve?

Is it believable that there is sin inside a person waiting to overtake the better judgment which must, surely, also be in the person?

The passage asserts that there is a difference between willing and doing. How might you distinguish the two.

Verse 18

• What does it mean to speculate that there is nothing good in me? – Does that mean that human beings are

fundamentally no good? – Does it mean that some human beings who

cannot change themselves are just bad? – Could it mean that we can be overcome and

immobilized