What does "evil is right there with me" reveal about human nature? Setting the Scene • In Romans 7 Paul is writing as a believer who treasures God’s law yet feels an ongoing tug of sin. • Verse 21 captures the tension: “So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” (Romans 7:21) Unpacking the Phrase • “When I want to do good” – there is a genuine, Spirit-born desire for righteousness. • “Evil is right there with me” – an unwelcome companion, constantly present, not occasional. • The verse is less about an outward tempter and more about an inward condition: indwelling sin that clings to our fallen humanity. The Dual Reality Within Us • Regenerate heart: delights in God’s law (Romans 7:22). • Residual flesh: still infected by sin (Romans 7:18). • Resulting experience: – Sincere longing to please God. – Simultaneous awareness of impulses and thoughts pulling the opposite way. • This clash is not proof of hypocrisy; it is evidence that new life and old flesh coexist until glorification. Why Does Evil Linger? • Original fall: humanity inherited a corrupted nature (Genesis 3). • “Children of wrath” by nature (Ephesians 2:3). • The flesh remains even after conversion, though it no longer reigns (Romans 6:14). • God allows the struggle to drive us to continual dependence on grace. Echoes in the Rest of Scripture • Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure—who can understand it?” • Galatians 5:17 – “For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit…” • James 1:14-15 – Desire conceives sin, leading to death. • 1 John 1:8 – Claiming sinlessness equals self-deception. • Genesis 4:7 – Sin crouches at the door, desiring mastery. • Romans 8:7 – The fleshly mind is hostile to God. The Hope Beyond the Struggle • Romans 7:24-25 – “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me…? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” • Romans 8:1-2 – No condemnation; the Spirit frees from the law of sin and death. • 2 Corinthians 5:17 – In Christ, a new creation has already begun. • Galatians 5:16 – Walking by the Spirit empowers victory. • 1 Corinthians 10:13 – God always provides an escape from temptation. Personal Implications • Expect the conflict; don’t be shocked by it. • Let the awareness of indwelling sin foster humility and vigilance. • Feed the new nature through Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and obedience. • Rely on the Spirit’s power, not sheer willpower, to say no to the flesh. • Celebrate every victory as evidence of grace, look forward to the day when “evil is right there with me” will be forever past (Revelation 21:4). |
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