Posted by Searcher
on 7/7/2009, 9:37 am, in reply to "The death of Romans 7:9 & five questions"
75.104.128.37
Dear Ray,
The subject in both Romans 7 and 1John 3 is the conflict between the flesh and the spirit.
Romans 7 is directed to Paul's brethren, the Jews. The law was given to the Jews. The dominion of the Law brings knowledge of sin. The law is spiritual, but man is carnal. Man is of the flesh. The flesh cannot please God. Anyone who was under the law was obligated to obey the whole law. The law was impossible to keep.
As stated before, the purpose of the law was to make man aware of his exceeding sinfulness and his need for a Savior. When Christ suffered and died for our sins, he forgave our sins, but sin is still in us as long as we are in these fleshly mortal bodies.
The wages of sin are death. We must die, bit those who believe in Him are given the "new man". The new man is the spirit of Christ which dwells in us by power of the Holy Spirit. Those who are in Christ are sharers of His peace, His coming glory, His righteousness, His love, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are his sons. We have the promise of eternal life and resurrection.
The flesh is the "old man", the carnal man, the outward man, the body of sin and death. The new man is given to us when we believe. It is Christ in us. This is how we know the truth and love of God.
As long as we are in this body of flesh, there will be conflict. Only death will free us from this body of sin. The flesh and all that has to do with the flesh (the evil thoughts, the senses, the desires and lusts,etc.) all end in death. (1Cor 15:22; Ro 8:6-8) Even now, we are to reckon our old man as dead. We are to identify with Christ's death to the point where we consider ourselves crucified with Him. At the same time, we should also identify with His resurrection.(Gal 2:19) He is our life. When we die, the breath of life leaves us, our thoughts perish, and we return to the dust from which we came, but Christ knows who are His. Even when we are in the grave, Christ remembers us. We will be resurrected with bodies like His.
The conflict between the flesh (outward man) and the spirit (inward man) is poignantly expressed by Paul in Romans 7.
Ro 7:18-25
18
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...20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
22 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
23,24 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. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
The answer:
25 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.
Searcher
Message Thread:
« Back to thread