How does Romans 7:15 illustrate the struggle between flesh and spirit in believers? Romans 7:15 – The Honest Confession Romans 7:15: “For I do not understand what I am doing. For I do not practice what I want to do, but what I hate, I do.” A Clear Picture of the Inner Battle • “I do not understand” – the renewed mind longs for holiness, yet encounters baffling resistance. • “What I want to do, I do not practice” – the will, enlightened by the Spirit, approves God’s law (v. 22). • “What I hate, I do” – the flesh (sarx) drags the believer toward sin that now repulses the new nature. Paul’s words put the conflict on full display: two contrary impulses vying for one life. Flesh and Spirit Defined • Flesh: the inherited, sin-bent disposition still resident in the physical body (Romans 7:18; 8:7). • Spirit: the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer, imparting a new nature that delights in God’s will (Romans 8:9; Galatians 5:22-23). While salvation grants a new heart, the flesh remains until glorification (Romans 8:23). How Romans 7:15 Illustrates the Struggle 1. Mutual Exclusivity – Galatians 5:17: “For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh…” – The same tug-of-war is verbalized by Paul: desire and action moving in opposite directions. 2. Ongoing Reality for Believers – 1 John 1:8 affirms continued vulnerability to sin after conversion. – Paul speaks in the present tense, underscoring a current, not pre-conversion, experience. 3. Moral Sensitivity Heightened, Not Diminished – Regeneration sharpens the conscience, making sin increasingly “what I hate.” 4. Dependence on Divine Power – Romans 7 transitions to Romans 8, where victory is found only “by the Spirit” (Romans 8:13). – The verse exposes self-effort’s failure, driving the believer to rely on the Spirit’s enabling. Other Verses Echoing the Same Battle • Romans 7:18-19 – expands the struggle’s anatomy. • Romans 7:22-23 – “I delight in God’s law… but I see another law in my members…” • 1 Peter 2:11 – fleshly passions “wage war against your soul.” • James 4:1 – conflicts “arise from passions at war within you.” • 1 Corinthians 9:27 – Paul disciplines his body to keep it in subjection. Living Within the Tension • Recognize the battle as normal for the regenerate. • Saturate the mind with truth (Romans 12:2) so godly desires grow stronger. • Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), moment-by-moment dependence that subdues the flesh. • Remember the promise of ultimate deliverance: “Who will rescue me…? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25). |
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