Rich Wilkerson, Jr. — The Book of Romans: The Struggle is Real

When we accept Jesus into our life, we believe turning away from sin means never sinning again. And although justification is the gift of accepting Jesus, the gift of sanctification is a daily process.

In our continued collection of talks on The Book of Romans, Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr. teaches on the idea that "The Struggle is Real." So often we struggle with consistency and fulfilling our commitments as well as second guessing our position in ministry because we focus on following the Law. The Law puts the magnifying glass on our sinful nature and in doing so points us to our need for a savior, Jesus.

Because of the Law we are made constantly aware of our shameful condition, even to the point of feeling the need to leave the faith altogether. After all, why risk being called out as a hypocrite? But when we understand grace, it allows us to go through the process of becoming more Christlike. We can avoid the temptation of giving up on our faith. We only become hypocrites when we can’t admit that we continuously fight back guilt and shame. Yes, our struggle is real, but we will not let our internal struggle with sin disqualify us from the victorious life Jesus died for us to have.

And we must remember that it's better to focus on what we've been redeemed to and on getting back up after falling in our sin. We can trust that when God sees us, he sees the finished work of Jesus on the cross. And we will pursue a life of sanctification, not from a place of fear but from a place of love for our savior.