Whenever I hear that hymn, I
always think of Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2, where she said
in her prayer, he lifted the beggar off the dung heap. That's
how God saves a sinner. Amen. Well, let's open our Bibles
to Romans 7. And I want to talk to you a little
bit about the warfare within us. Beginning at verse 14 of
Romans 7, the warfare within us, the battle
rages on. These are the words of a sinner
saved by the grace of God. I know men argue over that. In
this passage, they say the things that Paul the apostle writes
here You have to understand now, he's not just writing his own
personal thought. These are Paul's thoughts. These
are the thoughts of his heart. But these aren't simply his own
personal thoughts. These are inspired words. These
are the words of the Holy Spirit saying, Paul, you write this
down. And these are the struggles that he was going through in
his present state and standing as a Christian. words of verse 14, I believe,
settles the issue when he says, for we know that the law is spiritual. No one but a true believer, a
born again person, a regenerate child of God really understands
and knows that the law is spiritual. And somebody says, well, you
know, even unbelievers can say that the law reaches the heart.
And that's true, they can say that. But to say that the law
is spiritual is more than just saying that the law reaches the
heart. That's part of it. And Paul didn't
understand a lot about that before he was converted. And that's
what he deals with there in Romans chapter 7, verses 7 through 13.
How the Holy Spirit took that law of God that Paul, or I'll
say it this way, that Saul of Tarsus looked at and judged himself
to be righteous, to be saved, to be accepted of God. When the
Holy Spirit showed him the reality of the law, the spirituality
of the law, then Saul of Tarsus saw something different. Then
he says, sin revived. I thought sin was dead in me,
but I found out that sin revived and I died. And so to see that
the law is spiritual really means this, it really means that a
sinner has been convicted by the Holy Spirit to take sides
with God against himself. Have you ever done that? Have
I ever done that? To say, God, if you were to judge
me right now, today, based on my best efforts to keep the law,
what would I deserve? What could I say I have earned?
And the answer is eternal damnation. The law cannot save me. The law
cannot make me righteous and holy. Cannot do it. Paul saw
that. But even as a believer, even
as a Christian, the law cannot save me or make me holy and righteous. I must look to Christ and Him
alone. His blood, His righteousness
alone for salvation now and forever. God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. To say that these
words of Paul here, words of the Spirit rather, are difficult
is an understatement. Many people don't understand
them. I think as I read them more, the Lord gives me some
light on them and I see things I might not have seen before.
But I tell you where I think people get in trouble with these
verses is when they try to systematize them too much and put their human
understandings and human definitions into them. Let's just read what
it says. You know, last time when I talked
about arming ourselves for the battle. Well, here's the battle.
That's what he's describing here in these verses, the battle.
Now we've armed ourselves for the battle. How do we do that?
Well, first of all, by knowing and believing and being assured
that our salvation is totally by God's grace in Christ, period. Salvation in its beginning, in
its continuation, and in its fulfillment. It's completion,
is all of the grace of God in Christ. Not conditioned on me,
not conditioned on you, but on Christ alone. He saves me, and
Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1 verse 12, I know whom I have believed
and I'm persuaded that he is able. That's key, to keep that
which I've committed unto him against that day. Yes, we'll
persevere. I'll tell you why we'll persevere,
because he preserves. He is able. And that's what he
said over here in Romans 6 and verse 14, sin shall not have
dominion over you. Sin cannot condemn a child of
God. We stand before God washed in
the blood of Christ. Washed clean. How can man who
is born of woman be clean? Was asked in the book of Job.
Here's how, by the blood of the Lamb. That's how. And there's
no other way that man born of woman, that is born in sin, born
dead in trespasses and sin can be claimed, but the blood of
Christ. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
How can a man be just with God? There's not but one way, and
that's based on the righteousness of Christ, the obedience unto
death of Christ, charged, accounted, imputed to him. So you're not,
sin shall not have dominion over you for you're not under the
law. You're not cursed. You're not condemned. Christ
kept the law. He paid the debt. He satisfied
justice. We're under grace. And over in
Romans 5 21 he tells us grace reigns through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. So that's the first
thing in arming ourselves for the battle. Knowing our standing
before God in Christ. And that standing cannot change.
You know why? Because Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. I am the Lord, I change not,
therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3, 16.
It's of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. And secondly,
here's the second way we arm ourselves for the battle. Knowing
the reality of our life here on earth. And that's what he's
talking about in Romans 7 and 14, for we know that the law
is spiritual, but I'm carnal, sold under sin. I'm still a sinner,
even though I can claim. Now listen to me, and I know
people in religion can't get this straight in their mind because
it takes a work of God to reveal this to us. I know, listen, I
can claim a sinless perfection before God, but only in Christ. Only as I stand in him. But I
can claim no sinless perfection in myself standing before you. And that's what Paul's talking.
I'm carnal, sold under sin. What's he saying? I'll tell you
exactly what he's saying. This may shock you. He said, I can't
stop sinning. Well, what does he mean? Was
Paul an immoral man? No. He wasn't an immoral man
according to the standards of morality. In fact, even before
he was saved, he said, as touching the law of Pharisee, it means
the men could not blame him. He said, blameless. He wasn't
immoral. He was. Was Paul trying to use
grace as an excuse to sin? No. He said, God forbid, over
here in Romans chapter six, when that question was posed, shall
we sin that grace may abound? He said, God forbid. I'm dead
to sin. How? In Christ. Sin's not dead
in me, but I'm dead to sin by the blood of Christ. I'm sold under sin. But by the grace of God, one
day I will be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. Paul
wrote later on in Romans 8 and verse 29, he says, for whom God
did foreknow, that's foreloved. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. That's the goal of every believing
sinner, to be conformed to the image of Christ. He also wrote
in Philippians chapter three, we read this last week, I didn't
turn to it in the message, But here's what Paul, listen to the
words of Paul in Philippians chapter three and verse 12. He
says, not as though I had already attained, either were already
perfect, complete. What's he talking about? Well,
he just said this. He just said, he said that if by any means
I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Now the resurrection
of the dead is our final glorification. When our spirits are united to
our glorified, perfect, sinless bodies. And that's when we'll
be sinlessly perfect. And Paul's saying I haven't attained
that yet. I have in Christ by him, I have in Christ. But in myself I follow after
if that I may apprehend that for which also I'm apprehended
of Christ Jesus. Christ laid hold of me. You know
that's how we're saved. You're not saved by you laying
hold of Christ. We're saved by him laying hold
of us and then as a result we lay hold of him. And he says,
brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this
one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching
forth unto those things which are before or ahead of me, I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus. Now what is that prize? Sinless
perfection within myself. That's what he's talking about.
The Apostle John wrote it down this way, 1 John 3 and verse
2, he said, Beloved, now are we the sons of God. That's not,
see, I'm in Christ. I'm a son of God. And it doth
not yet appear what we shall be, future. What is it I shall
be? I shall be perfectly conformed
to his image, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is, that is, with unhindered
eyes. David wrote it this way in Psalm
17, verse 15. He said, ask for me. I will behold
thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with thy likeness. You see, I know what I am in
and by Christ. And you know how I know that?
This book says it. I don't know it by feeling. I
don't know it by what you say. Or even when I tell myself, I
know it because of God's word. He says if any man be in Christ
Jesus, he's a new creature, new creation. I know what I am still
in myself. I know people in religion try
to lie about that. Well, I know what I am in myself. You know what you are in yourself.
You may try to cover it up and hide it and try to deny it, but
it's there. I know that God keeps me by His
grace. That's right. He keeps me by
His grace, and if He didn't keep me, I wouldn't be kept. I run
the race of grace looking unto Jesus, the author and what? Finisher,
completer of my faith. I can say I long to be like Christ
in every way. Not by feeling, but by knowledge. We read about
that last week in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 in verse 5, casting
down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against
the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ. That's a battle, isn't it? That's
a struggle. I know that the law even now
cannot accomplish that. The law couldn't save me, the
law can't make me perfect. And again, and I say this over
and over again, and I'll tell you why I keep stressing this,
that it's not feeling, it's knowledge. Because religion tells you that
it's feeling. It's emotion. Somebody said,
well, if you don't feel like coming to worship the Lord, just
don't come. Oh, no. Oh, no. That'd be like saying
if you had some deadly disease, if you don't feel like going
to the doctor, don't go. You better go. If he's got the
cure, whether you feel like it or not. I gotta be honest with
you, I got a cold. I didn't really feel like getting
up and coming here this morning. I'm serious. But I know I needed
to be here. That's right, I need to be here.
Whether I'm preaching or listening, I need to be here. This is what's
good for me. This is good for my eternal soul. This is what feeds my soul, you
see. It's not feeling. If you go by
feeling, you know what you're doing if you go by feeling? You're
walking after the flesh. That's what it is. And I always
try, and when I read passages like this, I always try to relate
it and judge it as to myself now by one of our Lord's strongest
commandments. And that's this commandment.
Love your enemies. You ever feel like loving your
enemies? Pray for them that despitefully use you and say all manner of
evil against you. Do you ever feel like doing that?
I believe if, you know, maybe you're different from me, I don't
know. Maybe you're just better than me, but if you said yes,
I believe you'd be lying to me. I know that's what I should do
and I want to do it, not because I feel like doing it, because
I know it honors my Savior. It honors Him. I know this, when
God, before the foundation of the world, sent His love upon
me and sent His only begotten Son to die for me, you know who
He was doing that for? An enemy. Romans chapter 5, even
when we were yet enemies, Christ died for the ungodly. He died
for an enemy. So I want to be like Him. Oh,
to be like Him, blessed Redeemer. This is my constant longing and
prayer. Now I know this song says, gladly
I'll forfeit all earth's treasures. I have a little tough time singing
that because I don't always gladly forfeit those things. How about
you? But I understand what the hymn
writer meant. Jesus, thy perfect likeness to wear. Compared to
Christ, and just like John said, when we see him as he is, we'll
gladly forfeit all life's pleasures. Oh, to be like thee while I am
pleading, pour out thy spirit, fill with thy love, make me a
temple, meet appropriate for thy dwelling, fit me for life
in heaven above. Now we cannot depend upon ourselves
for anything in our salvation. We must look to the Lord always.
And that's what Paul's saying here. His last words in this
chapter, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from
this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. We must always look to Christ
only and always. Well, let me just read through
these passages. Let's look at the first set that you could
divide it into three parts, verses 14 through 17, and then verses
18 through 21, and then 22 through 25. But let's look at him. Here's
what he's saying. He says in verse 14, we know that the law
is spiritual, but I'm carnal, sold under sin. When it comes
to salvation, it's all of grace. I'm a bond slave of Christ, but
when it comes to my character and conduct as judged by the
law, even now, as judged by the law, if you want to measure what
I do with the law, I'm still a slave to sin. I'll tell you
how I can prove that. Psalm 130 in verse 3, Lord, if
thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, who would stand? Who among us
would stand if God charged sin? That's why David said, blessed
is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. That's why Isaiah
said that when I compare myself To the law, when I compare myself
to Christ, do you know what my righteousnesses are? Filthy rags. Now what he said, Isaiah 64,
6, and you all know what he meant by that. When I compare, my best
now, think about it, I'm talking about my best now. When I compare
my best to Christ, my best is altogether vanity. Filthy rags,
why? Because of remaining sin. So even as a saved man, I still
cannot look to the law for righteousness, for holiness. I must even now
look to Christ. And I'll tell you what, if you're
growing in grace and in knowledge, you'll see that even more. You'll
see your sin even more clearly, and you'll see your need of Christ
even greater. always and only to Christ. Speaking
as a sinner saved by grace with regard to his flesh as a son
of Adam, Paul says, in regard to the keeping of the law, I'm
carnal. I'm sold under sin. There's nothing
in him or in any believer even to begin to satisfy the law. That's why we do pray for Christ
in you, the hope of glory. That's why the law is established
in us as we look to Christ who is the end, the fulfillment of
the law to everyone that believeth. No wonder. Turn over to Colossians
chapter three. Let me show you something here
that's interesting. This is a passage that's very
similar to what we're looking at. He's talking about, first
of all, he starts off in this chapter about his standing in
Christ. I'm risen with Christ, Colossians
three. In verse one, he says, if you
then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. There's my assurance
right there. Christ, my surety, my advocate, my substitute, the
Lord, my righteousness is sitting at the right hand of the Father.
As long as he's there, I'm safe. And then he says, set your affection,
your mind, your heart on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you are dead. How are we dead? Paul was sitting
there writing this by inspiration of the Spirit. How could he say
he's dead? Well, I'm dead in Christ. When he died, he died
for me. He put away my sins. When he died, I died. The judgment
of God's law was upon him, for my sin charged to him. And when
he was buried, I was buried, and when he rose again, I rose
again. For you are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God. That's where we are. That's our
standing in Christ. I'm hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory.
That's our perfection in ourselves. We're already perfect in him.
in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and you
are complete in him but in ourselves we've got a long way to go well
look down there at verse eight now he's talking to those who
are dead to sin whose life is hid with Christ in God and here's
what he tells us but now you also put off all these stop doing
this anger you know what anger is? read it in Matthew chapter
five it's murder Wrath, that's vengeance. Malice, that's hatred. You mean
there's room in a Christian's heart for hatred? Too much. Too much room. Blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another. Seeing
that you've put off the old man with his deeds. What is the old
man? Well, that old man, it really can refer to a couple of things.
First of all, it can refer to what we are in Adam according
to the covenant of works. We died in Christ and the old
man was dead, Romans chapter 6. Or it could refer to my unregenerate
self before I come to know Christ. I'm alive in Christ now. And
so the deeds of the old man are his efforts to save himself.
We who are saved by the grace of God, we don't try to save
ourselves by our works. We rest in Christ. And then he
says in verse 10, and have put on the new man. The new man is
what I am in Christ. Putting him on, what does that
mean? It's believe what God says. Rest in him. Have this on your
mind, you see, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of him that created him. We learn more and more about
it. We grow in grace and in knowledge. He says where there is neither
Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,
bond or free, but Christ is all. There it is. Now Paul over here
in Romans 7, that's what he's saying, Christ is all and in
all. Look back at Romans 7 now. Look at verse 15. Now listen
to what he's saying here. He says, for that which I do,
Romans 7, 15, that which I do, I allow not. Some translations
put it this way, for that which I do, I understand not. But that's
not really a good translation of that. When he says I don't
allow it, that's a better translation. What he's saying is that what
I do, I don't approve of. What is he talking about? He's
talking about sin. He's talking about being carnal, sold under
sin, the fact that I don't operate in myself, in my thoughts, in
my words, in my deeds, in sinless perfection, I don't approve of
that. What Paul's saying here is I don't try to justify it,
I don't try to excuse it, I certainly don't try to promote it. That's
what he's saying. What the Colossians were doing,
their anger, their wrath, their malice, their hatred, Paul's
saying, I've got that in me too, I don't approve of it. And then
he says, for what I would, that do I not. What I want to do,
I don't do. I want to be like Christ. I want to love like he loved. Like he loves, not past tense. I want to obey like he obeys. I wanna think like he thinks.
Now again, was Paul, when he's talking here, now he says, he
says, what I do, I do not, but what I hate, verse 15, that do
I. What I hate, that do I. Now that
hatred is not based on feelings, it's based on knowledge. What is he saying? Again, was
he an immoral person? What was Paul involved in here?
Was he like David? Going down there with Bathsheba
and somebody like, no. No, he was on the missionary
field. And he's saying, what'd I do?
I hate. He's saying, when it came to
his efforts, even as a Christian, to keep the law perfectly, he
still fell short. I have a God-given desire to
be like Christ. Again, not feeling, but knowledge.
But in my daily walk, I find that my efforts always fall short.
Sin within me rears its ugly head and keeps me from being
perfectly conformed to the image of Christ in my thoughts, in
my words, in my deeds, in my attitudes. So many times. So
many times. And it's an everyday battle.
Look at verse 16. He says, If then I do that which
I would not, I consent unto the law that it's good. The problem
here is not the law now. You see, that's the way man naturally
thinks. And I'll tell you how that shows
up. The jails are full of people
who really didn't commit crimes and commit sin, they just made
some mistakes. Isn't that right? And the problem
is not really with them, it's with their environment. or with
their law. Now don't get me wrong, I believe
environment has a lot to do with the way people are brought up
and how they think, all that. But see, that environment just
simply plays upon what's in man by nature. And Paul's saying this, he says,
if I do that which I would not, if I do that which I don't approve
of, he says, I consent unto the law. The law's good, the problem
is not the law. I tell you where the problem
is, it's me. I'm the problem. Look at verse
17. Now listen to this. This is where
a lot of people go haywire on this thing. He says, now then
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Now,
first of all, I guarantee you that Paul is not passing the
buck here. He's not failing to take responsibility
for his sin. When he says, it's not I that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. He says that when, look
down at verse 24, O wretched man that who I am. I'm the wretched man. He's not
saying, he's not saying that if, he's not saying now it is
no more I that do it, but some part of me inside that's doing
it, without my knowledge and approval. He's not saying that. He's not saying the devil made
me do it. Paul's not, he's not a cartoon character. He didn't
have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. What's
he saying here? Well, several things. First of
all, he's tracing the problem to its source. What is the problem? Sinful human nature, fallen human
nature. Look over at Galatians chapter
two with me. And what is sin? Well, sin is
not a substance. Sin is not a person. He personifies
sin just to give us some idea of what he's talking about. But
sin's not a person. Sin is transgression of the law.
Sin is falling short of the mark. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Missed the mark. That's what
sin is. Sin is anything less than righteousness. Anything
less than holiness. That's what sin is. Sin is iniquity. That means it doesn't balance
out. In other words, nothing I do can equal righteousness.
That's what sin is. If it doesn't equal righteousness,
you know what it is? It's sin. That's why those fellows in Matthew
chapter seven, when they said, well, we've prophesied in your
name. Now let me tell you something.
There's nothing wrong or sinful inherently about prophesying,
preaching in the name of Christ. But if you think that makes you
righteous or that equals righteousness, it is sin. Christ is my righteousness,
not my preaching. Even if I tell the truth, that's
still not my righteousness before God. You see what I'm saying?
So sin is not a substance. But look at verse 20 of Galatians
2. He says, I am crucified with
Christ. That means when Christ died,
he died for me. He died for my sins charged to him. Nevertheless,
I live. I'm alive. My life comes through
his death, yet not I. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me." What's Paul saying? Is he saying, I'm living but
I'm not living? Is he being contradictory here?
Is he being confusing? No, he's just simply telling
you that the source of his life is not himself, it's Christ. And the same thing, he says,
and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith
of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Christ
is the source of my life. Sin is the source of my transgression. Look back at Romans 7. He's not
passing the buck. Let me give you something I believe
that will help you on this. When he says, now then it is
no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Now you've
heard me say this before and you've heard Brother Mahan said
it for years. There's only two types of people here on this
earth. sinners lost in their sin, sinners saved by the grace
of God in Christ. What defines the sinner lost
in their sin? Now you can't say according to
the world standard it's immorality because let me tell you something,
not all sinners lost in their sin are perverted, immoral people
according to the world standard. There are some fine, religious,
moral, upstanding people who are still lost in their sins.
What defines them? I'll tell you what defines them,
sin. That's why when the Holy Spirit
brings a sinner to Christ, He first convicts that sinner of
sin because they believe not on Him. In other words, if I
don't have Christ, I am nothing but sin in the eyes of God. And
I do nothing but sin, even in my best. Without Christ, I'm
sin. Now, the sinners saved by grace,
what defines Him? The grace of God in Christ, His
standing in Christ. That's the real him or the real
her. You might not see that at a given
moment. If you were to come up on King
David at a certain time in his life, you would think that he
is anything but a Christian. And yet he was. What defines him? his relationship
with Christ, his standing in Christ. And I believe that's
what Paul's getting at here. Now then, it is no more I that
do it, the real me. If you want to know the real
me, the reality of me, what defines me, it's my standing and my relationship
with Christ. I'm a sinner saved by the grace
of God. I may not look like it to you,
and you may hit me at a given moment that you'd think, boy,
he's anything but a Christian, but that's who I am. That's why we don't judge by
outward appearance, but sin that dwelleth in me. Look at verse
18. Here's the next set. He says,
for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good
thing. Christ told Nicodemus, you must
be born again. That which is of the flesh is
flesh. The flesh can only produce flesh.
That which is of the spirit is spirit. The flesh here I believe
he's talking about is the physical flesh because that's the instrument
through which sin works. What we see, what we feel. And
he says, in that flesh dwelleth no good thing. That's sin. He
says, for to will is present with me. The desire is there.
Now again, not the feeling, but the desire based on knowledge.
But how to perform that which is good I find not. I don't even
know how to do good. Now what does he mean by that?
You know, Paul, he knew how to worship. He knew how to pray.
He knew how to preach. He knew how to give. He knew
how to help a brother in need. Well, what's he saying there,
how to do good? I don't know, I'd find nothing. He's talking
about how to be perfectly sinless like Christ. And he said, I don't
even know how to do that. I can't tell you how to do that.
All I can tell you is you can't do it. I don't know how. I wanna be like Christ, but I
don't know how. Well, here's the thing. Being perfectly conformed
into the image of Christ, being perfectly like Him is not something
I do. It's not something you do. It's
something He does. No wonder we don't know how. That's God's
work. The church won't help you there.
The religion won't help you there. And all these ideas that are
floating around in some subtle form of sinless perfectionism,
they will not help you there. They'll help you lie to yourself,
and they'll help you feel good about yourself, but you still
won't know how. That's the work of God. Then
look at verse 19. He says, for the good that I
would, I do not, the evil which I would not, that I do. I wanna
be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ, but I can't. But the evil which I would not,
the evil which I know not to do, that's what I do. That's what he's talking about.
What we as believers have is life by the spirit of God, whereby
we've been made to see the corruption of our own flesh, but more importantly,
we've been made to see the perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ,
worked out by his obedience unto death on the cross, whereby we
stand justified before God. And what a blessed peace and
assurance this brings to that soul who's struggling in this
battle like Paul, who's been made alive by the Spirit of God
to see Christ who is all and in all, all our righteousness
through his obedience unto death. I have the God-given will, Paul
says, to be perfectly conformed to Christ, but I don't have the
ability to do so. Look at verse 19, or verse 20,
he says, now, if I do that I would not. If I do what I don't want
to do, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me. The same thing. It's not the real me. I'm defined
by Christ. I'm defined by the grace of God.
I'm a sinner saved by... only a sinner saved by grace.
That's what defines me. That's what identifies me. That's
the real me. A mercy beggar. One upon whom
God has shown mercy. But I still have sin, selfish
desires, selfish thoughts, ugly thoughts within me. So he says in verse 21, I find
then a law. The word law there is a powerful
principle. It's a dynamic. That when I would
do good, evil's present with me. I can't get rid of it. It's
too powerful in me. It's like a law. That's what
it's like. A principle of sin. And it's
present with me everywhere I go, when I go to sleep at night,
when I dream, when I wake up in the morning, when I go to
work. It's there. He says in verse 22, for I delight
in the law of God after the inward man. Now the inward man is the
heart. That's the regenerate person. who is saved by the grace of
God, it's my heart, it's what I really am inwardly that draws
me to Christ, that convicts me of sin and draws me to Christ.
And after the inward man in my heart, I delight in the law of
God. Now, how can I delight in the law of God? There's only
one way, by looking to Christ and seeing that law satisfied
by Him and knowing that that law cannot condemn me. because
I have him. But he says in verse 23, but
I see another law in my members, the members is the physical body.
Another powerful principle. He says, in another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, the law of my
heart, that's what that would be. The law that I know what's
right because God the Holy Spirit has taught me what's right as
I look to Christ. But there's another law warring
against what I know is right and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin, a powerful principle of sin which is in
my members. And then he says in verse 20,
oh wretched man that I am. I think when I see that verse,
I think about what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15. He says,
if in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most
miserable. Because here's what we are. Oh, wretched man. Oh,
wretched woman. Wretched people. Who shall deliver
me from this body of death or the body of this death? Either
one's fine. Who's going to deliver me from this present reality? This warfare, this battle. Verse
25, I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Here's my deliverance. I thank God through Jesus Christ,
my Lord. Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord,
for making me whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to
me thy great salvation so rich and free. So then, with the mind,
that is with the heart, with the inner man, the inward man,
The spiritual man. I myself serve the law of God.
I know what's right. I want to be like Christ. I want
to honor him. But with the flesh, that's sin. I serve the law of sin. The Bible
speaks of the law of the spirit of life. That's the gospel of
Christ. And then the law of sin and death.
That's our own selfish desires. The law of faith. That's looking
to Christ. That's the warfare within. So
I fight the warfare of the flesh and the spirit, Paul say.