Good People...Bad Things

Paul, here, is speaking about a conflict which is present in all believers. In fact, he is speaking of his own struggles.

From the outset, Paul makes it clear that he is not demeaning the law in any way, for it is "spiritual".

He wants it understood that the fault lies within him, and the same holds true for all believers.

When we place our faith in the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, He lives in us.

Through faith we are declared righteous by God, and are accepted as His children.

Romans 5:1

Romans 5:1 NKJV

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

John 1:12

John 1:12 NKJV

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Through faith we are cleansed by the blood of Christ.

Romans 5:9

Romans 5:9 NKJV

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

We are transformed, but the believer continues to live in the same human body, and still struggles with sin.

Paul says that the law is spiritual, and he is carnal. What does he mean?

Spiritual means: of God, of the Holy Spirit.

Carnal means: having the nature of flesh. It denotes frailty, weakness and imperfection.

We are all weak, but we have the upper hand, Christ lives in us.

Humanly, we may be weak, but Christ lives in us.

Romans 8:11

Romans 8:11 NKJV

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

2 Corinthians 4:11

2 Corinthians 4:11 NKJV

For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

We can be assured that the day will come when our flesh will be redeemed.

Eventually, even our body will be redeemed.

Romans 8:23

Romans 8:23 NKJV

Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Until then, we can either let our bodies control our spirits or vice-versa.

Through faith, the believer is crucified with Christ and his flesh no longer has control of his life.

Through faith in Christ, we are no longer enslaved to sin.

Romans 6:6

Romans 6:6 NKJV

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

. . . but, the struggle continues.

The dedicated Christian will continue to put down his old nature, but the old nature keeps fighting back.

This becomes a continuous, life-long battle.

It is the battle that Paul describes here.

In fact, Paul hates those sinful things he does.

The believer cannot love sin, have the mindset of the flesh, AND be willfully obedient to God.

v.16:

In fact, Paul agrees that the law is good. His new nature defends God's divine standard.

vv.17-18:

. . . But sin continues to work.

As long as we live in this corruptible body, in a sin cursed world, sin will still exist within us.

This doesn't mean that all is lost.

When Paul says that nothing good dwells in him, he hasn't forgotten that he has Christ living in him. He is speaking of his fleshly nature.

He knows that his old self cannot figure out how to do good. It's not possible.

To do good requires a new nature, which comes with regeneration and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

When regeneration comes, the two natures will struggle for the rest of your natural life.

vv. 19-20:

"it is no longer I who do it" This is not a cop out, Paul is not making excuses.

When he speaks of "I", he is speaking of his new nature, which is his true self.

Our true identity is who God created us to be, not what the world has made us into.

It's not what you have declared yourself to be, and not what anyone else has declared you to be.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle for Christians to overcome, is to be who God has called us to be.

v.21:

Paul discovered a law. . . evil is always present, even when we want to do good.

In fact, this law has yet to be disproven. It is as much a law of nature as gravity is.

v.22:

However, Paul discovered an even greater law. . . The Holy standard of God.

Unlike the other law, this one is not a dismal revelation, it is a cause for joy.

v.23:

Through this Law of God, Paul knows right from wrong.

Yet, though he knows what is right, he is powerless against the effects of sin.

v.24:

We cannot rely on our own strength, but must rely on the strength of God.

v.25:

Victory is always possible in Christ, but without Him we are doomed to failure.

Victory is always possible in Christ.

Romans 8:37

Romans 8:37 NKJV

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

The conflict within you between the flesh and the Spirit, is a form of spiritual warfare.

You win much of the battle just by realizing that the conflict exists.

If you deny any sinfulness once you are saved, you have lost the battle.

1 John 1:10

1 John 1:10 NKJV

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Sin is still a powerful force, but it can no longer control you unless you allow it to do so.

If you are a born again child of God, you are not doomed to failure.

The truth is, you cannot wander too far, fail too many times, or exceed the limits of Christ's forgiveness.

When you repent and return to Him, He restores you to fellowship like nothing has ever happened.

Peter denied Jesus 3 times, despite his boasts to remain faithful; yet the Lord forgave him, and made him a great leader in the early church.

Despite the setbacks, Peter knew that his Savior remained forever at his side, ready to forgive.

You can be confident of the same.

Now is the time for a new beginning.

Forget the failures and setbacks of the past.

Ask forgiveness for your sins.

Repent and make a fresh start.

Be determined to live for God, from this day forward.

Create a daily routine of prayer and Scripture reading to strengthen your faith and resist temptation.

Start and end your day by connecting with God.

To be born again takes only a moment of faith, but to become like Christ, is a life-long endeavor.