Paul's Passing Thoughts

Rom 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I {would} like to {do,} but I am doing the very thing I hate. Rom 7:16 But if I do the very thing I do not want {to do,} I agree with the Law, {confessing} that the Law is good. Rom 7:17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. Rom 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good {is} not. Rom 7:19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. Rom 7:20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. Rom 7:21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. Rom 7:22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, Rom 7:23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Rom 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Rom 7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

One of the reasons we give our life to Christ is to escape sin. However, once enlightened by the Holy Spirit at salvation, sometimes all we can see is sin. This can be very, very discouraging. For the life of me, I cannot understand why every new convert is not immediately taught Romans 7. I myself, as a new convert, was perplexed about sin in my life and did not buy the pat answers doled out in regard to my struggle. My understanding of Romans 7 came way too late. In this passage, we have the sign of true salvation, why we still sin and what we should do about it. First, the sign of true salvation is in verses 15 thru 22. We desire to obey God and please him. Before you became a Christian, you where not obsessed with pleasing God. God was usually the last person on your mind. The only time sin discouraged you is when you had to pay the consequences. If you desire to please God, be of good cheer, this is the work of the Spirit. Remember also that we are to be continually cultivating our desire to please God and our disdain for sin through practice (Romans 12:9 ). Secondly, we are still in our mortal bodies which harbors sin in our total being. As a matter of fact, the remnant of sin within us actually wages war against us and the Spirit within:

Gal 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

Though difficult to understand, this is a fact, and brings us to the third point.  The flesh, is the realm within us that still harbors sin. But wait, it not only abides within us, it actually “wages war” against the Spirit of God that indwells us. This enemy within actually uses our own intellect against us. To wage war not only takes planning , but the fact that it challenges the Spirit of God testifies to i’s power and tenacity. In Romans 7:23, Paul uses “law” two different ways. The law of his mind, which is the word of God written on his mind (or heart ) and the “law” of sin in his members (or flesh) which is like the law of nature, or like gravity or such. However, in our case, the ultimate power of sin was broken when we were saved. Before we were saved, we were enslaved to the law of sin much like we are totally subject to the law of gravity. The law of sin is a constant pressure upon us to sin, Paul says not to “yield” to that pressure ( Romans 6:13, Romans 6:19 ). Notice also, the battle ground is the mind (Rom. 7:23 ). Sin seeks to win over the mind while appealing to the emotions via desire, wants, and perceived need. Sin is like an attractive sales person giving their intellectual pitch while flaunting what is pleasing to the eyes ( you can throw in some perfume or cologne as well ). This is the exact pattern that made Eve fall and was utilized in Satan’s attempt to attack Jesus in the wilderness (also see James 1:14,15 ). Paul eludes to this pattern as well in verse 23. Sin wins the battle in the mind with the result being slavery to the law of sin. A Christian must understand how powerful sin is and take it seriously. If it wasn’t powerful, Satan wouldn’t have attacked Jesus with it; he is not an idiot, he is a supreme being, and he knows what sin did to him as well. Also keep in mind that sin wages war in our mind with a specific goal in mind, it desires to own us ( Genesis 4:7 ). Though much could be said here concerning how we overcome sin, I will just touch on it for now:

Gal 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

The previous verses in Galatians touch on how we walk in the Spirit:

Gal 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only {do} not {turn} your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Gal 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the {statement,} “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Gal 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Also note Romans 12:2 and Psalm 119:11: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect”. “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You”.

Lastly, Paul gives us a hint as to how hard we are fighting sin in our life. If we are battle weary, this will be the attitude of our heart:

Rom 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Rom 7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

paul