I find then a law, that, when I would do good,
evil is present with me... 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... for the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 7:21,
23; 8:2
Let’s attempt to analyse these
passages, and see what we can learn from them. The word, law, is mentioned five
times in these passages. They are:
1.
A law, which
Paul described as finding evil present, each time he would want to do good.
2.
Another law,
which Paul said was in his members, warring against the law of his mind. This
law in his members that was warring against the law of his mind was bringing
him into captivity to a law he called the law of sin.
3.
The law of
his mind, which is equivalent to the law of God that was in his mind.
4.
The law of
sin which was in his members. We can then see that this law of sin is the same
as the first law that Paul mentioned that he found in verse 21.
5.
The law of
the Spirit. This law of the Spirit set Paul free from the law of sin and death.
It is important to know that the law of the Spirit did not set him free from
sin, it set him free from the law of sin and death; it was Christ that set him
free from sin.
The law that Paul saw in his
members, which were warring against the law of his mind, brought him into
captivity, not to sin, but to the law of sin. So we find that the law of sin
brings into captivity. Then Paul tells us that the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus, set him free from the law of sin and death.
A law is a governing principle that
goes into effect once the right condition is in place, like the law of gravity.
The law of sin is a governing principle that goes into effect the moment a
believer tries to live a life pleasing to God in the energy of his flesh, and
by the power of his will, and there's no surer way to failure than this. This
is the life of those under the law, who rely on their strength to do the good
that the law required of them.
The law of the Spirit, on the other
hand, is also a governing principle that comes into effect the moment a
Christian turns to the finished work of Christ as a means by which he hopes to
please God. Once this happens, the Holy Spirit supplies him with the power
needed for victory in the given situation. This is what it means to live by
grace, and it is God's order or way for victory; and this is what walking by
faith implies.
There's no surer way to victory than
turning to the cross, because that is where victory was wrought for us against
sin and death. It is impossible to contemplate victory over sin apart from the
help of the Holy Spirit, and it is impossible to contemplate the help of the
Holy Spirit, apart from turning to the cross.
It is true that we all struggle with
acts of sin in one area of our lives or the other; the heart of this struggle
is that we are trying to do something by ourselves, rather than trusting in
what has already been done on our behalf by Christ on the cross. It is an
exercise in futility to attempt overcoming sin in the energy of the flesh, just
as it is, trying to get justified by our good works. It is only as we turn to
the cross that we receive grace for victory in our daily walk.
If we can only believe the gospel
truth of what happened on the cross: that we were crucified with Christ; there
will be a release of divine power to overcome the lures of sin. The victory
that the believer has is one that derives from his faith in the finished work
of Christ on the cross. Until we believe that we are dead to sin, but alive to
God, as the scriptures teach, we will continue trying to do something to die to
sin, when we already have died to sin; and once this happens, we will continue
to be in captivity to the law of sin, and the struggle will continue.
Victory lies only in believing,
because it is only as we believe that the Holy Spirit intervenes and releases
His power to enable us experience the victory of the cross. Quite often we are
waiting to see the changes in our behaviour before we believe that we have been
delivered from sin, but we will only see the changes after we have believed
that we have been delivered from sin. For blessed is he that believes even
though he has not seen it. This is how grace works.
Toni
