The Romans 7 Dilemma pt. 4

In the last post, I was trying to show that Paul's intent in vs 14 was to making a connection with chapter 5:19, and to show that he was still under the curse of Adam. This initial act wasn't his doing (even though he participates in it), it was through the fall of Adam. Though he was made a new creation in the inner man (chapter 6), his flesh is still under the curse. Also, the word "sold" in vs 14 is different in the greek from the word "enslaved" in 6:6. So the chapter 6 condition that we are saved from is different than the chapter 7 condition he's in.

The next observation was the obvious battle that is going on in vs 15-25. "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." vs 15. Or "For I delight in the law of God in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members." - vs 22-23. The obvious question is, can a unsaved person have this kind of battle in "the inner man"? I want to look at some other passages to help answer this question. First, and most relevant, is chapter 3 of this epistle.

I'm thankful that Paul addressed this issue so early in this epistle. In chapter 3, Paul's purpose is to show the necessity of justification by faith. The first thing he does is shows us are destitute condition as fallen human beings by quoting a collection of old testament passages. "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." - Psalms 14:1-3. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." - Psalm 5:9. "The venom of asps is under their lips." - Psalm 140:3. "Their mouth is full of bitterness." - Psalm 10:7. "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." - Isaiah 59:7-8. "There is no fear of God before their eyes" - Psalm 36:1. In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul labors the point again: "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom WE ALL ONCE LIVED in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body AND THE MIND, and were by nature children of wrath , like the rest of mankind." Oh the consistency of the Word of God! Paul tells us that before salvation, the desires of the body AND the mind are corrupt. In Romans 7 he says that his mind now wants to obey the law of God. If this is Paul as an unbeliever, the bible has contradictions.

In continuing with the "consistency" theme, look at Paul's consistency of word usage in chapters 6-7. In 6:17 Paul says "But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have now become obedient FROM THE HEART to the standard of teaching to which you were committed". Hmmm. Doesn't that sound strangely familiar to 7:22: "For I delight in the law of God in the my INNER BEING". Paul differentiates between desire and action so as to be consistent with the reality of the fall.

Oh sooo much more on the consistency of scripture....more later....