“…nothing good lives in me…” Romans 7:18

These five words are used in Paul’s restatement of one’s slavery to sin, describing how he was “sold as a slave to sin.” (v.14) Even after one is given power to slay the sinful nature, there is an inward struggle each Believer experiences. Paul used the same words many articulate about their lives:

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do; but what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now, if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (vv. 14 – 20)

In this passage, Paul described the law as spiritual and good, as well as holy and just in verse twelve. The law reflects God’s perfect holiness and righteousness. Paul had already articulated how the law defines and exposes sin. In the section of scripture above, we discover the weakness of The Law – the law’s inability to change man’s sinful nature. All people inherit Adam’s sinful nature. Though the law is spiritual (working in the inner man – the conscience), it cannot transform one who tries to live by it. In fact, The Law will only activate the carnal nature within. One theologian described it this way: “The old nature knows no law, the new nature needs no law.” In other words, the natural man cannot be restrained by rules, the spiritual man or woman will reflect the goodness and love of Christ, Who is living in and through the one who has been born again.

When Moses received the law recorded in Exodus, the obvious purpose was for educating Israel on God’s expectation for living – an outward focus. In Deuteronomy, the spiritual side of the law was presented – an inward focus on how one’s heart is to be impacted by the law (the creation of one’s conscience, able to distinguish between what is good and evil). The spiritual focus is clearly given in Deuteronomy 10:12-13:

“And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”

The words: love, heart, and soul show a deeper context of how the law is to work within, and that is how the law is spiritual. However, since the fall of Adam in The Garden, the nature of man is carnal or from the flesh. Paul stated three times in Romans 7:14-20 that sin dwells in each of us, referring to the old nature – the natural man (vv. 14, 18, & 20). The passage, however, is not speaking of the problem presented in Romans 6 (How can I stop sinning?). The new problem for the born-again Believer is: How can I ever do anything good when sin is ever present in me? Paul exposed the dilemma every Faith-walker faces – the internal struggle against temptation and the desire to allow Christ to live in and through one’s life.

Paul was not describing himself as some mentally imbalanced psycho with a split personality. He was showing to the Roman Christians that he even struggles with the decision to compromise. There is always the battle within - between one’s nature to sin or to do good. Even when one lives a “good” life, sin or evil is always lurking. While salvation makes one whole, the problem of being controlled by one of the two natures is always present, which is why the Believer is to take one’s cross daily and be a fully devoted follower of Christ – dying daily to the power of sin.

Living to Christ makes the decision to die to sin much more intentional. Though the struggle may continue, the victory over sin becomes greater the closer one draws to Christ.

Have a blessed day