It has well been said, “The old nature knows no Law, the new nature needs no Law.” The Law cannot transform the old nature, but it can only reveal how sinful that old nature is. The believer who tries to live under Law will only activate the old nature, but will not eradicate it.
Ex: In the original Mosaic law, the emphasis was on the outward actions. But when Moses restated the Law (Deu.10:12-13) the emphasis was spiritual on the inner quality of man’s heart.
The struggle for obedience with our own strength: (7:15-20):
In this paragraph Apostle Paul gives a struggle in the life of Christian. Paul uses 3-times ‘sin’ or ‘old nature.’
- Old nature: (7:15): He starts like a little boy with a honest question “I do not understand what I do?” It is true in every Christian life that what we wish we are not doing, in other words, what we hate, the very things we are It appears to be a split personality but it is not so. The law cannot enable us to do good. The old nature is always at our side. But the Holy Spirit is dwelling is us and Paul says: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1). The Holy Spirit helps us to lead victorious lives. Whenever I want to do good, the evil is right there with me.
- The struggle: (7:16-18): Salvation makes a man whole, but it is possible that his mind, will and body can be controlled by either old nature or new nature, either by flesh or by Spirit. Paul says “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature” (Gal.5:17a). They are in conflict with each other. The old nature is enslaved to sin and the new nature is enslaved to Christ. Although the old nature is dead, its sinful desires are still active that every Christian must resist it. The struggle is real. Paul clarifies that he is talking about the flesh, the old nature, not the new nature in Christ.
- The blame: (7:19): “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (7:18b), indicates the sin within us is hijacking us from doing good things. When a Christian sins, he is acting against his nature as a new man in Christ. It is the not his new nature yielded to sin, but Paul squarely puts the blame on the old nature, the desires of the flesh. All the good in Paul’s life and our lives comes from Christ living in us. Christians or believers are saints but they are not sinless. Every Christian wants to do well, but sometimes sins, because the sin within him is hijacking him, making him what he ought not to do. Giving further clues, Paul says that the impulse to sin does not come from the new nature but the old nature within us, but every Christian must own up whenever he sins. Of course it is not me, but my old sinful nature that is still enslaved to sin.
- Own your responsibility: (7:20) Again we need to be aware that it sounds like a good excuse. But we are responsible for our action. We must never use the power of sin or Satan as an excuse because they are the defeated ones. Without Christ’s power, we can never get over it because they are stronger than we are. Our Lord has conquered sin once and for all, and He will be at our side when we ask for help to defeat sins.
“To be saved from sin, a man must at the same time own it and disown it; it is this practical paradox which is reflected in this verse. A true saint may say it in a moment of passion, but a sinner had better not make it a principle.” (Wuest)
Conflict between mind and body: (7:21-24):
Paul’s mind was against his body, which has been hijacked by sin. Though he wants to do good, evil is right there beside. His mind is waging war against the body, because it sometimes causes to do things he hates. So Paul says: “we groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (8:23). Every Christian has his old nature in a dormant stage. The legalist says, “Obey the Law and you will do good and live a good life.” But the Law only reveals and arouses sin, showing how sinful it is!
The old nature wants to keep us in bondage. Many times we think that let’s get away from these sins and we will not do such sins. This means that we are trying to with all our will power, strength and energy trying to get rid of it which we succeed it only for a short time. But a time when we least expect it, we fall again. This is because we depended on the law to overcome our old nature. We know that Law cannot deliver us from the old nature. When we move under the Law, we are only making the old nature stronger, because “the power of sin is the Law” (1 Cor.15:56b). Instead of being a dynamo that is supposed to give us power to overcome, the Law is a magnet that draws out of us all kinds of sin and corruption.
Paul gives an allusion by saying that another law at work (7:23) that there is something which is repeatedly attacking, battering and reducing the man to extreme misery, bringing him into to the law of sin. It is not an occasional advantage gained by sin, but sin and corruption having a final triumph. Conscience and reason are taken prisoners, laid in fetters and sold for slaves. Can this ever be said of a man in whom the Spirit of God dwells, and whom the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made free from the law of sin and death? Taking this thought, Paul says that no wonder the believer under Law becomes tired and discouraged, and eventually gives up! Now he is a captive, and his condition is “wretched.” The law cannot enable us to do good. The Greek word for wretched indicates a person who is completely exhausted after a battle. What could be more wretched than exerting all our energy trying to live a good life, only to discover that the best we do is still not good enough!