Romans 7:25b

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Paul offers a sobering conclusion: The new creation, wrought by God, the new, Spirit-filled nature is freed from bondage to sin and serves as a voluntary slave to God’s law, to Christ Himself; but the old nature, the sin nature, though defeated is still present and even still slave to sin. And as long as we inhabit a fallen world, those two natures will battle within us. And the battle is real. Temporary defeat is possible, and it better be disappointing. However, in the long-run, victory is certain for the believer.

Paul here is indicating something very important for us: The battle between the Spirit and sin does not cease at conversion, it begins at conversion. The first time believers begin to battle against sin is when the Holy Spirit has united them to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. And so we should expect this to be an ongoing aspect of reality, because the problem in this fallen world is us. We are the problem. The problem is not out there. It’s not something that somebody did to us; it’s not the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Our hearts are the problems. We have met the enemy, and he is us. (You’ve probably heard of the evil trinity: Satan, the world, and the flesh). And, therefore, there is a colossal struggle between the force of the spirit of life in our heart, and the remaining sin which is us. And this is so important for us to grasp. We’re not perfected at conversion; we’re beginning a journey. Christian growth in grace is characterized not by perfection, but by a steady growth in holiness. Augustine said, “The church is not a place where the perfect dwell, but rather, a hospital where sick sinners get well [once they are granted life].” And that is what Paul is pointing us to here when he reminds us that believers still sin.

Don’t be uncertain regarding the outcome. It’s effectively already done. God cannot fail. The Spirit reigns unfailing in the hearts of believers. But only when all creation is made new will the glorification of ourselves be complete. Until then, sanctification will have to do. We are being transformed. For that transformation to be complete, the old self, the sin nature must be destroyed. It has already been defeated, but it lingers, and more than that on occasion, until the final day. One of the things that believers struggle with is the question, “How could God have done such an amazing work in me, and I still sin? How can it be that I, a new creation, find myself trapped, feeling as if I will never be able to break out of the patterns and habits of sin? Do you ever wonder whether you’re really a Christian, given some particular sin that you struggle with? Continuing in sin is not necessarily a sign that you are not a Christian. The test should be: Do you love the law? Do you hate your failure? Do you cry out for forgiveness? Do you long for the day of perfection to come?

Notice also Paul’s emphasis on the mind. The difference between mind and sinful nature is easy to explain. The mind is the new creation here, not merely the brain or spirit. The sinful nature is the old creation, not merely the body. The mind represents the new self; and the sin nature, or the flesh, or the body, represents the old self. The flesh is not the opposite of the mind, but the opposite of the renewed mind. And the flesh can also be the opposite of the body when the body is being presented to God as an instrument of righteousness. But extending this further, we can say that Christianity today has lost focus on loving God with the mind, the brain. It certainly focuses on loving God with the heart and strength and soul. Scripture puts amazing demands on our minds. True, we believe the simple message of the Gospel like children, but we go on to maturity through life-long study and mental-wrestling with the truths of God. By asking and answering tough questions, rather than avoiding certain issues for comfort’s sake, we prevent our minds from becoming weak and lazy. If we fail to exercise our minds Biblically, then we cut ourselves off from great blessing.

Have you seen the bumper sticker, “I’m not perfect, just forgiven.” That’s merely one of many half truths that unfortunately characterizes the Christian world today. It is true that we are not perfect, and though it is true that we are forgiven, that is not all that is true for us. Conclusion: Believers still sin, sure, but they hate it. Believers can never be complacent in sin. And the very fact that God is doing a work of growth in grace in us makes it impossible for us to be complacent and sort of shrug off sin. The believer is serious about sin and hates it. And that’s a mark of the change that God has worked in our lives. Paul here characterizes his heart and life as love to God, love for the law, and a desire to serve the law of God. If you sneak ahead and look at Romans 8:1-4, you’ll see an example of the victories yet to come. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. In fact, that victory is so great that in Romans 8:37, Paul can say, “We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.” There are victories in the Christian life. The continuation of sin in our experience is not the whole story.

Believers long to keep the law of God. We desire righteousness and godly living. Believers don’t look to the law to bring about transformation in accordance to the law; we look to Jesus Christ, to grace, to the work of the Holy Spirit. But what do we desire to be conformed to? The image of God. And what does the law reflect? The image of God. And so true believers long to be conformed to the law and to keep it. And the sign that believers struggle with this is not a sign of spiritual deadness; it’s a sign of spiritual life. If you were spiritually dead, do you think that sin or Satan would be prompting you to be miserable in sin and to war against it? But if you were spiritually alive, don’t you think the Holy Spirit would be conducting an aggressive, offensive campaign against that sin? And that sin would be counter-attacking all along the way? The very fact that you’re struggling is a sign of grace. Only a live man can struggle. Dead men just lie there, there’s no struggle. When you have peace in sin, and peace with sin, you’ve got death. But the Holy Spirit won’t let His people have peace in sin. He wars against sin, and, therefore, the normal state of the Christian life is one of struggle. We must struggle to become what we are. We are repeatedly told, “You are a new creation.” So we strive to live like it. Coram Deo.