But then, there is this:
NLT Romans 7:21-25 --->"I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22I love God’s law with all my heart. 23But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin."
KJV: "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
NASB:
"I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."
No matter how you slice it (NLT, KJV or NASB), it seems that Paul is tying any remaining sin to our mortality. While our minds and hearts (and Paul nearly equates the two) are servants of righteousness, our bodies continue to be subject to sin and death. Our resurrection bodies will be untainted by sin and death. Praise God! We have our betrothal promises (ketuba in Hebrew) and our minds and hearts are set wholly on those promises--our spirits are born again from on high.
Hi LC,
I agree completely with this above.
But our mortal flesh is weak and sometimes overwhelms our will to resist it--Jesus said to Peter, "Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:41). As we saw, Peter did give in to his flesh that night, during his denial of the Lord. Even later, the Apostle Paul took Peter to task for his hypocrisy (see Galatians 2 for the account). Peter had again given in to his cowardice. "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Indeed. The Church--the Bride is being told to watch and pray as the darkness descends. We need to have oil in our lamps so that we will be able to go out to meet the Bridegroom even if He comes at mid-night.
In this part, would say that the method the flesh uses to get past our willing spirit is deception.
Ephesian 4
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation
the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Another familiar verse:
1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
These things are not of the Father, but we are. The belong to the kingdom of darkness, we belong to God's kingdom. The flesh wants us to believe these are ours. So we forget that we've been cleansed of all those past sins.
Invariably, we still end up finding that we sin. A cross word slips out, a malicious or fearful or coveteous thought plays in the mind. A lack of faith and a corner cut, whatever it may be. Some deep dark thing that spends way too long working its way through until we lay it down.
But the message is of freedom, and the one who Christ sets free is free indeed!
I think the message is . . . don't get fooled again!
Much love!
