Romans 7 and victory over sin

[By M. L]

Romans 7, one of the most magnificent chapters in the Bible in my opinion, is often a misunderstood chapter. 
There are two general views on this chapter. 

The one says that Paul was talking about after his conversion were he was trying to do good, but failed to do that and did not overcome. The other party believes that Paul was talking about before his conversion and failed to overcome at that time.

I, however, believe the third party is right. Paul is not talking about failing to overcome sin, but instead he is actually talking about what it is like to overcome sin. 

The Greek will show this in great detail.

Before we start diving into Romans 7 I want to take a look at Romans 6.

Romans 6 tells us:

[Romans 6:5-14 KJV] "5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."

These verses are already talking about not letting sin rule in your members. When we are under grace sin will not have dominion over us. The death and resurrection of Christ is imputed to us by faith.Satan and sin claimed authority over us by our guilt. Satan, the accusser, claimed that since the world has chosen him in the garden of Eden and since we even chose him personally by sinning against God, he has rightful ownership over us as long as we live.

But Christ paid the price for our sins. He died and was resurrected and when we put our trust in this message this is imputed to us. Therefore we have died to sin, since our guilt is done away with, and we now live to God again being in covenant with Him through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

And since we do not live unto sin anymore, but to God, we are now legally able to obey Him.

This is what the chapter before Romans 7 is talking about. Paul has already established justification by faith and what it means to be living to God. 
He will go into greater detail about these things in Romans 7 and 8. 

So Romans 7 is after conversion.

Now let us take a look at the beginning of Romans 7:

[Romans 7:1-6 KJV] "1  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband. 3 So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter."

Jesus Christ sees His people as His wife. This of course is not in some strange biological way, but it's showing us the mind of Christ and what our mind is to be.

Naturally we are lusting to Satan as our lord and husband so to say. This is not biological lust or intercourse, but it's like that in a spiritual way.

This is what Paul is talking about before going into the spiritual battle between the flesh and the Spirit in himself.

Now before we continue we will take a look at three Greek words that Paul will use. 

The first one is:

γινώσκω ginṓskō, ghin-oce'-ko; a prolonged form of a primary verb; to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed):—allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.

This word, knowing, can also be used for the idea of intimacy. Remember that we are talking about this in a spiritual way here. It's about allowing a certain husband to be over you which could be Christ or Satan in this case. Whom do you follow? Do you follow the lusts of the flesh or the lusts of the Spirit? 

Now the other two Greek words are:

κατεργάζομαι katergázomai, kat-er-gad'-zom-ahee; from G2596 and G2038; to work fully, i.e. accomplish; by implication, to finish, fashion:—cause, to (deed), perform, work (out).

And:

πράσσω prássō, pras'-so; a primary verb; to "practise", i.e. perform repeatedly or habitually (thus differing from G4160, which properly refers to a single act); by implication, to execute, accomplish, etc.; specially, to collect (dues), fare (personally):—commit, deeds, do, exact, keep, require, use arts.

The first one, which we will call '1', is more about the idea of really working something out. It's performing something and actually doing it. 

The second one which we will call '2' is the regular word used for doing something. It's about just something that is done, but not equal to 1 in any way. Working something out and doing something are two different things here and both these words are used by Paul.

Now let's take a look at Romans 7 were Paul starts talking about the inner battle of the soul.

[Romans 7:14 KJV] "14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin."

 The law is good, holy and righteous. But we ourselves by nature are sold under sin. By our guilt which we have from Adam and ourselves we are legally under the authority of sin instead of righteousness. 

Satan would be our father. 

But as Romans 6 already told us; through Christ this position has changed. Though our old nature is still sold under sin, we ourselves are freed.

[Romans 7:15 KJV] "15 For that which I do (1) I allow (or know) not: for what I would, that do (2) I not; but what I hate, that do (1) I."

Our flesh will never submit to God. It is impossible. Our old nature is defiled and is always lusting against the Spirit. But what do we do? We work out what the carnal nature does not lust ever. That which we want is not done in our flesh or old nature. That which we by nature hate however, that's the thing we do. 

Let's continue and it will become more clear as we go.

[Romans 7:16 KJV] "16 If then I do (2) that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good."

If our flesh does what we ourselves do not want, then we are consenting to the law that it is good.

We ourselves with our will serve God and we actually work out that which according to the law, but our old nature is still not doing that. 

[Romans 7:17 KJV] "17 Now then it is no more I that do (1) it, but sin that dwelleth in me."

This is crucial. We ourselves are not working out sin. The sin in us however is still lusting against the Spirit. It is still very active. This is what it means to overcome. Even though sin still dwells in us and we see this flesh lusting against that which is good, we are able to obey Christ anyway despite that and work out that which is good by walking in the Holy Spirit and putting our will on the side of God. 

The will must be put on the side of God and even though this will be a horrible battle we will be able to overcome sin since we look by faith what we are in Christ. In Christ we are free from the power of sin and therefore we are free to serve Him despite the flesh.

[Romans 7:18 KJV] "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 (1) that which is good I find not."

In our flesh there is no good thing, but our will is on the side of God. In our flesh there is no way we will submit ourselves to God, but through the Spirit this is possible.

[Romans 7:19 KJV] "19 For the good that I would I do (2) not: but the evil which I would not, that I do (2).

The good that we want cannot be found in our flesh. Evil however is very present in the flesh. But we do not have to despair when we see our flesh rebelling against the Spirit. Stop looking at the flesh. We are able to ignore it and crucify it. Christ died in our place paying the price for our sins. When we look at the cross instead of our own flesh we will realise that this flesh has no more power over us even if it is raging against our will. We are made free from the law of sin. The flesh is already crucified with Christ legally, but we need to act this out by faith. This is what it means to crucify the flesh. It is not talking about destroying the flesh or getting some kind of holy flesh, but it's talking about seeing that nature as dead and destroyed by faith. 
What is faith? 
It is the substance of things hoped for. Our own flesh is not actually done away with yet since we see that these lusts are very present. But by faith looking at the cross we know that it has lost it's power and therefore we put our will on the side of the Holy Spirit and we work out that which is good despite the flesh.

Are you seeing a battle in your members? Are you calling out to God not knowing why these lusts never seem to go away?
Fear not. You are on the right path as long as you put your will on the side of the Spirit. Do not fear these lusts of the flesh in you or the guilt that comes with it. It's already destroyed on that cross. The mighty argument of the cross is able to cleanse us with the Holy Spirit if we walk by faith.

[Romans 7:20 KJV] "20 Now if I do (2) that I would not, it is no more I that do (1) it, but sin that dwelleth in me."

We ourselves do not actually work out that which our flesh is doing. This is the very thing Paul us trying to make clear. He is talking about victory over sin.

[Romans 7:21 KJV] "21 I find then a law, that, when I would do (2) good, evil is present with me."

Therefore there are two laws in us. But our will must be put on the side of Christ if we want to overcome sin. Remember that you are His wife and not that of someone else. He is your Lord, not that tyrant who is roaming around seeking whom he can devour. 

Hid in Christ, connected to the olive tree, we are able to do all things. We will bear fruits if we are in Christ and if we are justified by faith. 
But this experience will be a great battle. It will be a fight of faith, but it's going to be worth it. For the tribulation and trials of this age are nothing compared to the glory and beauty that is to come. 
Fight the fight of faith, lay a hold on eternal life. Put your will on the side of God by faith despite the flesh, make your choice now. If we overcome this fight of faith, if we abide and persist having our eyes fixed on Christ our Mediator ignoring all feelings, intrusive thoughts, men or demons that go against this, we will receive eternal life and we will enter into that new heaven and new earth with so much to explore. Then we will be with our Saviour forever and ever and there will be no more pain or death.

[Romans 7:22-24 KJV] "22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 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. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

When seeing these things in us even in our best obedience we will still cry out that we are but wretched and that we have a body of death.

The closer we come to Christ and the stronger our grip is on our salvation and the more victory over sin we have, the more we will see the flesh rebelling in our body despite of our best obedience. The more we will realise our own wretched nature and the more we will realise that the only thing that is able to justfiy us before this eternal God is the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all sins. 

Our best obedience on this earth and our victory over sin will not lead us to being puffed up or to say that we are now without sin and have no need of the justification that is by faith alone through Christ.

No, these things will only magnify our disgust towards sin and our own nature that is sold under sin and it will therefore also magnify the great medicine of justification by faith. 
If we see the blood of Jesus as some kind of side issue we do not have much of the Holy Spirit and it shows our heart has not changed. 

But if we beat our breast in humility knowing that we are poor in spirit and wretched it shows that we indeed have the Holy Spirit.

The very conclusion of this matter can best be described by the bible itself:

[Romans 7:25 KJV] "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." 

[Romans 8:1-4 KJV] "1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

[Galatians 5:16-17 KJV] "16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

[Romans 8:9 KJV] "9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

[2 Corinthians 5:2-4 NKJV] "2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in [this] tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life."

One day this fight will be over. One day we will receive a new body. Then we will change in the blink of an eye. On that day, on the return of Christ when the trumpet will sound, we will finally be free from the presence of sin our body. 

Amen.