I wrote "The nature of the new birth/new man is not wanting to sin."
and you replied...
Just because there is a conflict as layed out in Rom 7, that does not negate our desire to be pleasing to the Lord. Even Paul said, "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." Rom 7:15
Romans 7 is used as an excuse to sin, claiming even the apostle Paul sinned regularly, but his dilemma regarding the conflict between sinning and living righteously, with Romans 8 being the answer.
Paul explains in Romans chapters 7 and 8, that after we have been saved there is a continuing conflict between our flesh and our Spirit - between temptation to walk in the flesh and live in sin - and our desire to walk after the Holy Spirit that now dwells in us: and the apostle Paul warns us in Romans 8, that choosing to live in sins (works of the flesh), will keep us out of heaven:
Romans 8. starts off with a conditional statement:
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, WHO WALK NOT AFTER THE FLESH, BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT.
Half of verse one is frequently quoted, absent the qualifier - that it’s those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit who are in Christ Jesus and have no condemnation.
Romans 8 then goes on to explain the consequences of letting our flesh win the conflict between our Spirit and flesh:
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded isDEATH, but to be spiritually minded isLIFE and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind isENMITY against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:6, above, is talking about spiritual death - not physical death - as proven by the prodigal son, who died spiritually while he was out in the world sinning:
In the prodigal son story, the father represents God, thus the son represents believers who are Gods sons.
He’s already a son when the story starts.
He leaves the father to live in sin
When he returns to the father in repentance, the father says: this is my son WHO WAS DEAD, but is now alive AGAIN, he WAS LOST, but now IS FOUND.
Luk 15:32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother *was dead*, and is *alive again*; and *was lost*, and *is found*.
He obviously wasn’t dead physically and resurrected.
How then was he dead?
He was dead in his sins.
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened,who WERE DEAD in *trespasses and sins*
Thus the son was alive, left his Father to live a sinful life, became DEAD in his sins, then returned in repentance, and became alive AGAIN.
Therefore Romans 8:6 contains a warning to the brethren not to live carnally, after the flesh, or they will die spiritually, as the prodigal Son did.
And Verse 8:7 of Romans warns us that believers having a carnal mind is ENMITY against God, meaning you actually become Gods ENEMY.
So does James:
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is ENMITY with God? whosoever therefore will be a FRIEND OF THE WORLD is the ENEMY of God.
The verse above says sexual sins and being worldly, makes you Gods ENEMY, and the verse that follows proves the Jas 4:4 warning above, is to believers, not the unsaved:
The next verse is irrefutably proves that warnings against living a lifestyle of sexual sins is to the BRETHREN:
1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, YOUR SANCTIFICATION: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
1Th 4:4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
1Th 4:5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
1Th 4:6 that no one transgress and wrong his BROTHER in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly WARNED you.
1Th 4:7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
1Th 4:8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Our sanctification is to abstain from sexual immorality, verse 3, above.
We are expected and required as believers, to live the most sinless life we can, and to repent when we know we’ve sinned.