Our Fleshly Desires and the Law
Our Battle
Our Victory
When lost recently…
Mayday…
SOS…
We all become lost and confused occasionally and God gives us some great advise through confessions of Paul that we must readily confess to be right with God…
Our Battle
Confession 1: We are carnal, sold under sin
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin [Rom. 7:14].
Paul starts by telling us what we do know..."We know" The Law is spiritual… given by the Holy Spirit and part of the Word of God.
The law was given by the Spirit of God (pneumatikos )…the name of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the source of the law.
"But I am carnal." meaning, "I am in the flesh [Greek sarkinos]."
Paul tells us how helpless he feels in this struggle. Human nature and knowledge alone are inadequate.
“His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5:22).
“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34).
“For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity” (Acts 8:23).
Paul describes his pitiful plight as a slave sold to a terrible slave master with a whiplash of evil.
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I [Rom. 7:15].
We have two natures in conflict, the old nature and the new nature.
The old nature asserts its rights... "For what I would" is what the new nature wants to do. "That do I not" -- the old nature rebels. "But what I hate" -- the new nature hates it -- "that do I"; the old nature goes right ahead and does it.
Have you experienced this struggle in your Christian life?
Do you do things then hate yourself because you do them?
Have you cried out, "God, oh, how I’ve failed You!"
We see three specific periods in Paul’s life in our study today.
First a proud Pharisee under the Mosaic system, kidding himself by bringing the sacrifices and doing other things which he thought would make him right with God. But the Law was condemning him all the while.
Second, he met Christ on the Damascus Road. This proud young Pharisee turned to Christ as his Savior, but he still felt he could live the Christian life. His new nature said, "I am now going to live for God!" But he failed and was in the arena of struggle and failure for a time.
And finally there came a day when there was victory, but Paul did not win it; Christ did. Paul learned it was a matter of yielding, presenting himself and letting the Spirit of God live the Christian life through him.
If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good [Rom. 7:16].
Realizing that the old nature breaks the commandment (in this instance coveting), then the new nature agrees with the Law that coveting is wrong. Paul was not fighting the Law because he broke it. He was agreeing as a believer that the Law was good.
Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me [Rom. 7:17].
In other words: It is no longer I (new nature) who am working it out, but sin (the old nature) living in me. You see, Paul still had the old nature…so do we.
Confession 2: We are void of any good thing
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not [Rom. 7:18].
Paul learned two things that we need to learn.
"In me (that old nature we have been talking about) dwells no good thing."
Have you learned that? Have you found there is no good in you apart from Christ?
We often times try very hard to do it in their own strength by the flesh.
Learn today what Paul learned: "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing."
Let me make it personal. Anything I Bruce Landry does in the flesh, God hates. God won’t have it; God can’t use it.
When it is of the flesh, it is no good. Have you learned that?
What a great lesson to take into our hearts today.
The Lord Jesus said, " John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” and that is all it will ever be, but " 1 John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
Wow, isn’t his wonderful! You and I are given a new nature, and that new nature will not commit sin. I assure you that the new nature won’t commit sin.
When I sin, it is the old nature.
The new nature won’t do it; the new nature just hates sin. That new nature won’t let me sleep at night; it says, "Look, you are wrong. You have to make it right!"…Praise be to God.
Paul found out something else that is very important for us to learn: "for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."
He found there is no good in the old nature and there is no power in the new nature.
The new nature wants to serve God, but the carnal man is at enmity against God; it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be Romans 8:7 tells us “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” But the new nature has no power unless we yield our bodies under and too Christ.
Remember when you started your Christian walk, you were going to live for God! Then most of us fell on our faces. We thought we could do it all ourselves, after all hadn’t we gotten to where we accepted Christ by ourselves.
We found there was no power in the new nature.
Have you come to the point in your life that you are ready to say, "I want to live for God. I want to do better."
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do [Rom. 7:19].
Have you experienced this?
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me [Rom. 7:20].
It is that old nature, that causes us trouble.
Confession 3: We find two laws or forces within us
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me [Rom. 7:21].
When you are attempting to serve God in the Spirit, have you discovered that the old nature is right there to try to bring evil?
Perhaps an evil thought will come into your mind. A law of evil exists.
Every child of God, must admit that in every act and in every moment evil is present. Failure to recognize this will eventually lead to shipwreck in the Christian life.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [Rom. 7:22].
"The inward man" is the new nature which delights in the law.
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [Rom. 7:23].
You see, you don’t get rid of the old nature who is subjected unto the law of sin when you are saved. And yet there is no power in your new nature. "I see a different law" is the enmity of the old nature against God. What hope is there we say? Much…
Our Victory
Confession 4: We are desperate, wretched people who need a Deliverer
This quandary should cause us to cry out, as Paul cried:
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? [Rom. 7:24].
Notice, this is not an unsaved man who is crying, "O wretched man that I am"; this is a saved man.
The word wretched carries with it the note of exhaustion because of the struggle. "Who is going to deliver me?"
He feels helpless. He feels hopeless. His shoulders are pinned to the floor -- he has been wrestled down. Like old Jacob, he has been crippled. He is calling for help from the outside. Have you felt like Paul?
Rest assured there is help…
Confession 5: Our Deliverer is Jesus Christ
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin [Rom. 7:25].
Jesus is the answer to Paul’s or any of our SOS’.
Just as the Search and Rescue units established a Send Rescue on Signal System (SOS). A Rescue ship or aircraft was sent to the triangulated site of a distress signal to rescue the vessel in need. God has provided you and I the ultimate deliverance. Romans Chapter 8 will give us details of our deliverance in great detail.
Both salvation and sanctification come through Christ; He has provided everything we need.
Run, run and do, the Law commands
But gives me neither feet nor hands.
Better news the Gospel brings,
It bids me fly and gives me wings.
—J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible
Have you taken advantage of the “Victory” offered through Jesus Christ?
