This article is part of the series: The Chapters That Changed My Life

The Chapters That Changed My Life (5)

A study of Romans 7 and the conflict between flesh, sin, law, and life in Christ.

By Ben Brinkerhoff

Read Time: 7 minutes

Our last article showed that while the Law reveals sin, the deeper issue lies in human nature itself. Paul describes human nature in Romans 7 as passions, desires, arousal, evil desires and hate that draw us into sin. We focused on the word “passion” in the New Testament to show it is repeatedly linked with ungodliness, selfish desires, and destructive behaviors. Passion is a good word to see the body’s self-assertion, and to understand Romans 7’s description of the battle within. By understanding this, we recognize that Christ’s work must not only address sin but do so within the framework of our shared human nature and the passions we all struggle with.

In this article, we want to look at the battle within. Before we do that, it is useful to restate that, in this section of Romans, Paul has just finished addressing the issue raised in Romans 6:1, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”¹

But think about the question, “Shall we sin?” The question almost implies that you’re sitting back and thinking, “Hey, maybe I’ll sin today. Yeah, that would be good. Then there’ll be lots of grace. Now let’s see, how should I sin? Reader, do you have any good suggestions?”

The question almost implies this premeditated decision to sin. But is that how it typically works? Perhaps it is for some, but what about the earnest believer? Since Paul is a believer, he draws on personal experience to show us how sin works for him. And one clear law that illustrates the problem focuses on covetousness.

Having already shown in Romans 6 that deliberate sin is morally and philosophically inconsistent with baptism and life in Christ, Paul turns in Romans 7 to the example of covetousness as a lens through which to explain how sin truly operates in the life of one who desires to obey. In doing so, he demonstrates that the real problem lies not in the Law, but in the flesh itself. The Law, though holy, merely exposes sin and condemns the sinner. It cannot deliver even the sincere believer from sin’s power.

Paul first mentions covetousness in the passage below, which we quoted in the last article. Let’s look at Romans 7:7-8:

Of all the commandments, why then does Paul choose covetousness to make his point? Consider the difference: “You shall not steal,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not bear false witness,” or “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” Each of these can be observed as an outward action, visible to others. Covetousness, however, is of a different kind. It is hidden, silent, and internal. It’s an unseen desire of the heart, rather than a visible deed.

We most often think of sin as bad external physical acts. The reason is probably that when we were growing up, that’s what our parents punished us for—punished when we hit our brother or sister, when we wouldn’t share our toys, and when we talked back to our parents. Rights and wrongs are judged and reinforced based on external physical acts and words.

But where does sin start? Where does it originate? What’s really the problem?

Paul says when the Law told him, “You shall not covet,” sin produced in him all manner of evil desire, because through the commandment, he could see his natural desire was in contradiction to God’s will.

With that context, let’s jump ahead to Romans 7:15-17 to see Paul discuss the real source of the conflict, not the Law but his own sinful desire.

In this passage, Paul asserts the Law is good on the simple but profound basis that he agrees he should keep it. If he agrees that he should obey the Law, it means he believes the Law is good and worth following. The problem then isn’t with the Law, which he agrees to, but with the one who, having agreed to keep the Law, fails to do so. Paul shows this through personal example. “If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.”

But how could Paul, of all people, not keep the Law? In the last article, I asked you a similar question: “What is stopping you from doing good and eschewing evil?” And of course, the answer is what Paul, you, and I share in common.

Paul terms the part of him that wants to do well “I,” and he terms the flesh we all share, preventing him from doing well, “sin.” With those two terms in mind, we see the pinnacle of Paul’s conflict in Romans 7:18-20.

These words can be difficult to understand, but fortunately, Paul addresses similar issues in Galatians, though in fewer words. Galatians is a book that can help us understand and interpret Romans, and vice versa. So, let’s look at Galatians 5:16-18 to see Paul explain the same concept in slightly different, but I think easier-to-understand, terms.

This passage discusses the same conflict that Paul highlights in Romans 7. Here in Galatians, Paul uses the term “flesh” instead of “sin” found in Romans. And he uses the term “Spirit” in Galatians instead of the pronoun “I” in Romans. The key idea he repeats in Galatians and Romans is: “You do not do what you want.” Why don’t you do what you want? Because there is a conflict between the desires of our sinful nature and the spirit within us.

It is the desire of the flesh that all humanity since Adam has shared, and that must ultimately be overcome. The Law can expose this conflict and pronounce judgment against it, but it cannot resolve it. In the end, even those who sincerely desire to obey the Law and acknowledge its goodness, like Paul, still fall short of keeping it. Thus, while the Law is good, it is powerless to save.

We can’t read this section without some self-reflection. Considering this conflict, how wise do you really think it is to trust yourself when your passions are aroused? Do you really think that relying on your willpower not to sin will work better for you than it did for Paul? Do you think that self-will and self-control are really going to stop you from sinning, that they are going to save you? I’m sure you don’t, but we still rely heavily on these methods, or at least I did.

What’s the main problem in relying on willpower to stop from sinning? I’ll tell you what I think the problem is for me. It’s that I can’t be the problem and the solution at the same time. Because when I need “me” to be the solution is exactly when I am the problem. I can’t be both the problem and the solution at the same time. And you know what? You can’t either.

What about the Law? The same principle applies. When you need the Law to be a law the most, it ceases to be a law. Why? Because our fleshly desire overrules it, and the Law fails in our weakness. Not because the Law was to blame, but because we are sinful.

So, what have we concluded in this article? Briefly:

• The Law reveals sin, but the root problem is the flesh.
• Sinful passions and desires drive disobedience.
• Romans 6 rejected deliberate sin; Romans 7 shows sin’s power even in sincere believers.
• Paul uses covetousness because it illustrates the real source of the problem isn’t the Law but our own nature.
• The Law cannot save.
• Willpower and Law alike fail because the problem is in us, not in the Law.

As we conclude this article, let’s read through Romans 7:21-25 and gain some exhortation.

“O wretched man that I am.” Can we read these words dramatically enough? Can we read them with the sweat and tears of years of toil, trying to overcome sin? Let me ask this question: how long have you tried to go without sinning? And by sin, I don’t mean just the external physical acts, I mean covetous desire. Have you truly tried to master your mind? Paul was ready to understand how desperately he needed Christ, because he understood that the very thing that made him a wretch is what Christ so emphatically overcame.

This is why when Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross. He had to endure humiliation, insults, and total abuse to his body. He went for about 30 hours without sleep and 18 hours without food. How much time do the gospel writers spend focusing on the gruesome details of the cross? Half a sentence. Look at Matthew 27:35: “Then they crucified Him.”

And how much do the gospel writers focus on the insults, emotional abuse, humiliation, and slander he endured that would have enflamed his nature? Look at Matthew 27:39-44:

Christ’s sacrifice was an ultimate victory, not merely over pain, but over self, the desire to promote or preserve self. In other words, he did not have victory only over sin, but over our sinful nature. His own bodily nature opposed everything he accomplished. He overcame his passions and fleshly desires, so poignantly expressed in the phrase from Hebrews 2:10 (KJV),

Interestingly, that word “sufferings” in Hebrews is the same word “passion” from Romans 7. Jesus did not want to die: “Thy will not mine be done.” (Luke 22:42 KJV). That’s what gave his death meaning. He suffered, he cried, he shed tears.

So, Paul, knowing he has no way to make himself perfect, and no way to overcome his own nature, and understanding the Law is no help, says in Romans 7:24: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Readers, know yourself and know that you are a wretch without Christ, just like me. But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, that we can follow his example to crucify the passions of self-will, in exchange for the sufferings of Christ. For it is in Christlikeness we are saved, as we shall see in our next article, and which is beautifully summarized by Paul in Galatians 5:24-25:

Ben Brinkerhoff,
Christchurch North Ecclesia, NZ