The Christian and he Unredeemed Flesh - part 2 (Romans 7:14-25)
INTRODUCTION:
We began looking at the second section of Romans 7 last week and I am going to try to finish it up today. In this section of Scripture Paul describes the spiritually mature believer’s conflict with sin. A conflict that begins the moment we trust Christ, but we are more acutely aware of it as we grow in Christ.
I tried to make very clear that this conflict is not between two natures that are at war within us, we do not have two natures at the same time. We had a sinful nature that was crucified and was buried with Christ at salvation, that old nature is dead and gone and we were raised with Christ in His resurrection and given a new nature, a completely new creation. This new nature is redeemed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, this new nature is ready to enter into the presence of the Lord and be with Him forever because this new nature has been declared righteous in Jesus Christ. So, why do we have this conflict with sin? Because our flesh is not yet redeemed, and sin that reigned in our old nature and was disposed and banished at the cross has taken up residence in our unredeemed flesh and wars against our new nature in Christ seeking to control our lives again from the flesh. When we die, we will lay aside this corrupted body of flesh and go into presence of the Lord Jesus, free forever from the presence of sin. Paul goes on in this passage speaking of this conflict, coming at it from every angle so that we understand that this is an intense battle that we are in that exists between our flesh and our new nature or new inner self. Let’s pray and get back into our passage.
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Romans 7:14-25 again. We will read the whole passage, then I will start in verse 18 looking at the rest of the verses in this passage of Scripture. Please, stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Romans 7:14-25,
“For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 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. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 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. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 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. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 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. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 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.” (Romans 7:14–25, NASB95)[1]
NOTHING GOOD DWELLS IN THE FLESH (Romans 7:18-20)
Paul in this passage uses his own experience in this conflict against sin to describe it for us. In verse 17 he stated, “So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.” (Romans 7:17, NASB95)[2] The pronoun “I” refers to his new inner self, the new nature that he has in Christ that replaced his old nature that died at the cross the moment he put his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Paul goes on now in verse 18 and uses the personal pronoun “me” to refer not to his new inner self, not to his new nature in Christ, but to refer to his unredeemed, mortal flesh. He even qualifies it for us so that there is no misunderstanding, he writes, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh…” (Romans 7:18a, NASB95)[3] The sin, the nothing good that dwells in me, it dwells in my flesh, my old humanness, Paul says, that part that is still unredeemed, that part that is still corrupted by sin, that part of me that is still subject to death, that part of me that still must be transformed either through resurrection or the rapture.
Paul is again making it very clear to us that the only place in which sin can reside in the believer’s life is in his unredeemed flesh. The flesh in itself is not sinful, but because it is not yet redeemed, it is subject to sin and furnishes sin with that launching point or that starting place from which to operate in a believer’s life.
Paul goes on and tells us of the deep longing he had in his inner self, in his new nature in Christ to do only good, he writes that the wishing to do good was present within his redeemed inner self, he wanted to do what pleased God, he wanted to fulfill God’s will, he wanted to perfectly keep the Law. But this doing good that he wished for in his redeemed inner being was not present in his life. The good that Paul wished to do, he writes that he does not do it. Now remember as I said last week, Paul is not saying that he cannot do anything good, that he is incapable of doing anything pleasing to the Lord. Paul’s lament is that he cannot perfectly keep the Law of God. This is what he wrote to the Philippians in chapter 3:12-14 of that epistle, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12–14, NASB95)[4]
So, we see this conflict that is growing within Paul, and will grow in each person as he grows in his spiritual life in Christ, there will be a growing hatred of sin and a growing love for righteousness. As we grow in Christ and mature spiritually there will be a desire for holiness and our inner being will become more sensitive to and develop a great disgust and hatred of sin and will recognize how sinful we are. That is the other side of this difficulty as Paul writes that we practice the very evil that we do not wish. Remember this is the struggle of the mature man in Christ, this is the apostle Paul that says he is experiencing this inner struggle with sin and at times he practices the very evil that he does not wish. An immature believer does not recognize this inner struggle with the intensity that the mature believer experiences it because of this greater hate and disgust for sin that has developed in his inner man as he grows closer to Christ and desires to live a life of holiness.
Paul then repeats what he said in verses 16-17 with only a small change, he writes, “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.” (Romans 7:20, NASB95)[5] Paul again uses that Greek word translated “no longer” that is a negative adverb of time and refers to that time before his salvation and the permanent and complete change that took place at salvation. Before salvation it was Paul’s old nature who sinned and agreed with the sin. An unsaved person if he is truthful cannot say that he is not doing his sin, but after salvation, after his old nature, his old inner self has died and was buried and he received a newly created nature in Christ that is holy in Christ, this is a complete and permanent change that has taken place, and it is not Paul’s new inner self that is doing what he does not wish, rather it is the sin that has taken up residence in his unredeemed flesh and is in opposition to the Holy Spirit who dwells in Paul’s new inner being. It is no longer I because in my new nature I want to do what is good and pleasing before God, but the sin in my flesh struggles against my inner self.
THE PRINCIPLE OF EVIL (Romans 7:21-23)
Paul continues this discussion of the conflict of the mature believer with sin by looking at it from another view. Paul says that this evil which continues to be present in the believer is true of all believers, this is not an uncommon dilemma that only Paul must deal with, but it is a common universal principle, an unceasingly functioning spiritual principle or law in the members of our body. What Paul means is that this sin that dwells in our flesh, that is in our unredeemed humanness goes to war with every good thing a believer desires to do, every noble thought, every unselfish intention, every good motive, every encouraging word, anything good that we may do sin battles against it.
Paul proves that sin is no longer reigning in his life and that he is truly redeemed by God and made into the likeness of Christ in his inner being, this proof is that he can say, “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,” (Romans 7:22, NASB95)[6] Paul is saying that his new inner being has been declared righteous, has been justified by God and is on the side of the law of God and joyfully agreeing with it. No longer is he on the side of sin, which is true of all who are unsaved. Paul’s inner man hungers and thirsts after righteousness, his greatest desire is to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. The struggle is with the principle of sin in the flesh. Paul told the Corinthian believers in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16, NASB95)[7]
Paul goes on to say here in Romans that though his redeemed and justified inner man joyfully agrees with the Law of God he sees another law at work in the members of his body, this law does not operate in his inner person, but only in his still unredeemed and still sinful flesh and this law or principle is continually waging war against the law of my mind, Paul uses mind here to refer to his redeemed inner person. Again from another view Paul is contrasting the conflict that exists between the redeemed, newly created inner man and the flesh, that remnant of the old man that will remain with believer until we receive our glorified bodies or discard this body at death and our spirit goes immediately to heaven. What Paul means is that this principle of sin undermines the law of his mind, that part of him that desires to do what is right and temporarily makes him a prisoner of the law of sin, which is in his members, in his body of flesh. Paul is saying that this is the conflict that he faces, and this is why a true believer is constantly recognizing and confessing his sin because at times the law of sin makes him a prisoner, we give into it. We will see in the next chapter that what Paul has just said about himself cannot apply to an unsaved person, because an unbeliever in his mind and in is flesh, or in his inner being and in his flesh is hostile to God. No unbeliever has any desire to please God and he could not if he wanted to. Paul in these verses speaks of the believer’s constant struggle with sin that he hates and his desire to be rid of it forever.
As Paul has mentioned over and over already in this passage and as he mentioned in the first part of verse 23, the source of sin is no longer the inner man, which is redeemed and being sanctified. Like all those who have come to faith in Christ including Paul we all find ourselves at times to be a prisoner to the law of sin, this principle of evil is still in us, but now only in the members of our body, in our unredeemed flesh.
Paul like any other believer from the moment that he puts his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation he is made righteous in Christ and he is ready at any time to enter into God’s presence where he will be completely accepted and ready to meet God. But until that time and as long as he remains in the flesh, in a body subject to death, he continues to remain susceptible to temptation and sin. As believers in Jesus Christ on this earth, during this lifetime we cannot avoid living in this fleshly body, we should, and we can with the help of the Holy Spirit avoid walking according to the flesh in its evil ways.
WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM (Romans 7:24-25)
Paul in verse 24 cries out in frustration over his unredeemed flesh and the struggle, the constant struggle against the sin that wars against his inner being, he cries out in agony, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24, NASB95)[8] Paul’s cry comes from his perception of himself as a sinner when measured against the holiness of God and his Law. We see this same kind of anguish over sin expressed in the Psalms. For example, the psalmist in Psalm 130:1-5 cries out, “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.” (Psalm 130:1–5, NASB95)[9]
Paul asks who will set me free from the body of this death, again making clear to us that the cause of this conflict, the cause of this frustration and agony is the body of this death, because only the believer’s body, only his unredeemed flesh remains subject to sin and death. This phrase that is translated “set me free” is a word that means basically to rescue or deliver from danger. It is the idea of a soldier going to a wounded fellow soldier and carrying him to a place of safety off the battlefield. Paul’s cry here is that he be rescued once and for all from his old, sinful, unredeemed flesh. Paul understood that it was only when he was freed from the body of this death that he would truly be free and able to devote all of his energy to the worship of his Lord untainted by the presence of sin.
Paul knew the answer to his question, he knew that only One could deliver him from the body of this death and in verse 25 he bursts out in gratitude for the certain and eventual rescue and he offers thanksgiving to his Lord even before he is set free. In gratitude he cries out, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25a, NASB95)[10] Paul understands that as frustrating and agonizing this conflict with sin is, it does not even compare to the eternal glory that awaits us in heaven where we are forever set free from the presence of sin. We as true believers, having been redeemed and therefore having tasted the sweetness of the Lord through His goodness to us and through the revelation of Himself to us through His Word, our longing for the glory of heaven while we are still on this earth is all the more intense. Paul will write in the next chapter in verse 23, “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23, NASB95)[11] Our Scripture reading this morning describes for us the eventual glorified bodies that we will receive at the resurrection and the rapture, bodies without sin and forever free from the presence of sin, bodies that are no longer subject to death but like Christ’s own glorified body. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:51–57, NASB95)[12] We have a glorious future ahead of us, no wonder Paul was so full of gratitude just thinking about it.
Paul closes up this passage reminding us that the primary focus of this passage is not the believer’s certain and eventual deliverance from the presence of sin, but the conflict that we are now in with sin troubling every child of God who is growing in Christ and maturing as a Christian. Paul ends by summarizing the two sides of this struggle, he writes, “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.” (Romans 7:25, NASB95)[13] This conflict will continue until we lay aside our mortal flesh and take on our new glorified body. We can say that the new man, our new nature in Christ, has already arisen in us but at the same time we must confess that the old sinful flesh still exists. Remember Paul’s words from the next chapter, “…we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23, NASB95)[14]
CONCLUSION:
Are you sensitive to this conflict with sin in your life? Do you agonize and groan within yourselves waiting to be freed from the body of this death? As you spend more time in God’s Word and you are exposed to His perfect Law and you grow in Christ you will become more and more spiritually sensitive to this conflict as you do the very thing that you do not wish to do, you to will be more spiritually sensitive to this principle of evil that is present in your body of flesh. As you love the Law of God more and as your love for Him grows greater and greater you to will cry out with Paul, “Wretched man that I am!” because you will become so aware of your sin. At the same time, you will cling to the promises of deliverance and rescue from the body of this death. It will not hold us forever. The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is the law. The law makes us aware of our sin, that we fall short of God’s perfect standard of righteousness, but death no longer holds a sting for us because Jesus Christ has removed its sting and given us victory and we can give thanks now to God because this deliverance from the body of this death and from the presence of sin is certain because God is faithful to fulfill His promises.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.