In yesterday’s post I explained from Rom 7 that in regeneration believers are freed from the dominion of sin as a law over them. They are now placed under the law of the Spirit of life, by which they delight in good (6.17-18) and desire to do good (7.18, 21). And the discovery of the opposition and resistance of sin in them when they would do good (7.21-23) is actually an encouraging sign of grace.
Unbelievers, being dead in sin (Eph 2.1-3), are like dead fish floating downstream. They do not face the resistance that live fish do, who swim upstream against the current. Christians are alive, desiring and striving to do good. So what Paul’s saying is this: when we would do good, the law of sin within us resists it and wars against us. And the point is: this war and battle within us is a sign that we are no longer under the authority of sin but are under the authority of grace. This principle or law of sin is a law within us–which we must battle–but it is no longer a law over us.
Yesterday I gave you two comforts and blessings of knowing this. They were:
- That indwelling sin is a law in me and not to me assures me of sin’s effective dethronement in my heart by Christ.
- That the experiential discovery of this law and of its power against my will is a fruit of saving grace assures me not only of my salvation but of God’s enduring love and acceptance.
Here are the remaining three comforts:
- The fact that God’s power and grace sustain in me a prevailing desire to do good–despite the strong opposing presence to do evil, assures me that my salvation and perseverance are in God’s powerful hands as El Shaddai. My will to do good sometimes seems so weak against the strong inclination I feel to do evil. And it sometimes feels impossible to overcome the strong pull of my indwelling sin. But here is cause to rest in God’s monergistic work and here is cause to press on towards the mark: God is saving me, and not I myself; God is holding and upholding me, and not I myself; God will get the victory over sin in me, not I myself; and God will get the glory, not I myself (1Th 5.23-24). How precious, then, is the truth that His Spirit works in me both to will and to do good (Phil 2.13; Gal 5.17), and is fully committed with all His divine power to cause His righteousness and righteous cause to prevail in me (see Ezk 36.26-27). This truth motivates me to thank Him for the desire to do good and to look to Him for the grace to do the good I desire to do (Eph 2.10).
- The fact that indwelling sin is not only opposed to my doing good but will be particularly aroused against my every desire to do good teaches me not only that I need to be watchful against it in the very pursuit of righteousness, but also what I can expect in the path of godliness. I must neither be surprised by the opposition of my flesh to all efforts towards God-honoring good nor naive to think that the flesh will let a particular act of good pass unhindered. Whenever I set out to do good the law of sin within me will oppose it, resist it, and argue for another course. Therefore I must be diligent to make a particular stand against the resistance of my flesh when I set out to do the good God requires of me–and the greater the good is, the more I must be on my guard against the flesh. This provides me with realistic and helpful assistance in the daily pursuit of holiness. I know before setting out that my flesh (the law of sin) will resist a holy course and will try to persuade me to take another–or to take a holy course, but for unholy reasons.
- And lastly, the fact that there is such a terrible and strong thing as indwelling sin still in me not only helps us understand myself, but also sets me on my guard against “Parley the Porter” in my own heart. It teaches me that I cannot trust my heart as a judge between right and wrong (Jer 17.9), and therefore drives me outside of myself to depend upon Christ alone for the knowledge of what is right, the grace to love what is right, and the will to do what is right, for without Him I can do nothing (Jn 15.5).
I pray these last two posts have helped you better understand yourself and the battle within your heart as a Christian and have been used of God to bring you much comfort. *The fact that sin is a law within us makes life a daily battleground and the pursuit of holiness an uphill battle. *But the fact that sin is no longer a law over us assures us that we are the children of God, that He is at work within us, and that He shall complete the work He has begun (Phil 1.6). Sing His praises today; and fight the good fight!
