Romans 7:14-25 that you were referring to some of the verses at the end was about those under the Law of Moses, which we are not under, because we are not in the flesh, so not under the Law.
I need to isolate the above...because you are getting ahead of God.
Because of your first sentence, I added what you were referring to: Romans 7:5-6
Oh my, I'm going to have to delete your whole post, and try to break it down into your paragraphs. There is too much I don't understand...
Any one person being born again in this world is enough to show the error of that statement, but God has allotted this unique two-part existence of all who are born again having two bodies, one flesh and one Spirit, for a reason not as yet complete. This time after Christ was finished and then began to send the Holy Spirit, also had a beginning and an end, which is not yet come. Close, but not yet.
"the error of that statement? What about Romans 7:5-6 do you not understand. Here it is again.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not
in the oldness of the letter.
I'm going to explain this based on what I think you are saying, but I could be wrong as I've never heard this theory before. This is speaking from the point of view of someone who has been born again and no longer in the carnal nature they were in under the law. The "carnal nature" is "the flesh." Here "the flesh" has nothing whatsoever to do with our physical body, but our inner spirit and soul that was corrupted with sin. When born again, our spirit and soul is now clean.
Your "two bodies, one flesh and one Spirit" is wrong if you are speaking of we who are born again? The flesh DIED. Again, not our body, our nature. Our old sin nature is what Paul called "the old man" in Romans 6:5-7. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be
in the likeness of
His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with
Him, that the
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
"body of sin" means our complete history of sin, like a composer's body of works. Look at body like a library.
So...you can speak spiritually and say what is true of the Spirit in you (or anyone) and leave out that unfinished walk, or race, or service of these many who are alive in the Spirit, but remain in the flesh, in the struggle, in the war--but that does not mean it is over--as long as any have breath. You are not wrong in that one respect in which you speak, neither was John to say such a one does not sin. But he too only spoke of what was just new within him, and otherwise remained in the flesh until Christ came--that is what Jesus was referring to when He said to Peter regarding John, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
I see this as dangerous, Scott, especially this statement: "and otherwise remained in the flesh until Christ came." "remained in the flesh" would be Paul saying "remained in sin." This is why Jesus said, "you must be born again." In other words, NOT IN THE FLESH, or NOT IN A CARNAL NATURE that is a slave to sin."
I see some more here that you are misunderstanding because of what the Reformationists erroneously taught. They taught that "sin is sin," and not what had been true for 3,500 years! 1 John 3 is only about sins unto death: that means that in the time of the children of Israel, if someone sinned against God's commandments they were stoned to death. They committed a sin unto death. What the RCC calls a "mortal sin." What you are referring to are the other type of sin that 1 John 3 does not speak of at all. In fact, there is only one verse in the entire epistle that is about what the RCC calls "venial sins." Or trespasses unintentionally committed, Lev. 5:15. That verse in the epistle is 1 John 1:7 "7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."
Therefore, of the two types of sins, let's call them "major willful sins" and "minor unintentional sins" 1 John 3:9 is the first, and 1 John 1:7 is the second. Even though the minor sins are called sins, Romans 8:9 is still completely true because the minor sins are continually being cleansed until you grow to maturity in every one of the fruit of the Spirit. They do not lead to death as in the Old Testament, instead of stoning, they offered a sacrifice from Numbers 15:22-29.
22 ‘If you
sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments which the Lord has spoken to Moses— 23 all that the Lord has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the Lord gave commandment and onward throughout your generations— 24 then it will be, if it is
unintentionally committed, without the knowledge of the congregation, that the whole congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering. 25 So the priest shall make atonement for the whole congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was
unintentional; they shall bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their
unintended sin. 26 It shall be forgiven the whole congregation of the children of Israel and the stranger who dwells among them, because all the people
did it unintentionally.
27 ‘And if a person
sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. 28 So the priest shall make atonement for the person who
sins unintentionally, when he
sins unintentionally before the Lord, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 You shall have one law for him who
sins unintentionally,
for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them.
Read full chapter
If you do not believe this, but believe that you have passed on and are no longer also in the flesh (that body of sin still destine to die), have someone pinch you--because walking in the spirit does not mean we abandon our place in this world in the flesh--that is called suicide. Even spiritually. To the contrary, we remain for a reason--to do the work of Christ as His body.
"(that body of sin still destined to die)"
already died when, or if, someone has been born again of the Spirit of Christ. If someone struggles with sins of the flesh like in Galatians 5:19-21 they are not born again, and will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Check yourself. I've already passed this test:
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told
you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
