This body so often is treasonous.

It is complicitous.

It joins forces with sin and becomes the base of operations where sin takes me captive and makes me fulfill its passions and do sin.

The body is not intrinsically sinful, but oh, do many of our sins come through this avenue.

It becomes a kind of base of operations where this enemy called sin sets itself up and then takes captive the body and the members of our flesh,

and then we present them to sin as instruments of wickedness.

Is the Christian struggle with sin hopeless or does hope endure?

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper opens Romans 7, 14 to 25 to explore the tension between the believers' ongoing struggle with sin and the hope of future redemption.

This sermon was originally delivered at Bethlehem Baptist Church on August 19, 2001.

Great mighty fortress, our God, come and help me now.

I want to be faithful to your truth,

both in my words and in my affections.

And I long for there to be a resonance in this people,

both in right understanding and in right feeling, so that this is a

worshipful moment for us as a people, and it yields the fruit of obedience, a hopeful humility

and a humble hope.

Forbid, oh God, that when we are done, any would be willing to make peace with the law of sin or the body of death.

But grant, I pray there to be born in this moment a resolve to fight with all our might

and put to death the deeds of the body that we might live in holiness and righteousness

all our days, not presenting our members as instruments of wickedness,

but instruments of righteousness and love. Lord, work a great work. Now I pray, as your word is

unfolded, give us ears to hear, hearts to believe,

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