How I Cannot Help Myself

Romans 7, The Law of Sin and Death

In trying to sum up Romans 7, I think Paul points to this law: I do what I hate.  This inconsistency and lack of integrity in my heart is "business as usual" when I live "in the flesh," that is, by my own status and abilities, only.  Paul calls this the law of sin and death.  The death he describes is one of guilt and condemnation, although I do not think this excludes physical decay, as I note Paul's discussion later in chapter 8.

I unpack this law by identifying the parts of me that contribute to this way of life.  If I do what I do not want to do, then it is not I, but sin living in me that is at work.  I can see why this idea of Paul's might be used as an excuse for continued sin in my life.  It almost sounds like it is inevitable.  It is, "in the flesh."  This is the "natural" state of a person apart from the Spirit.  Paul is not promoting self-resignation here, but pointing out the enslavement of the will.  This is one of the indicators of this law of sin and death, this life in the flesh: enslavement to sin.

Another contributor to this way of life is the body indwelt by sin.  Sin is located in the members of the body most specifically.  I can see how this has encouraged a poor view of the body even to the extent of body hatred or mistreatment.  After all, Paul cries out in desperation, "Who will save me from this body of death?"  And yet what has happened is that the body has been offered to the wrong master.  In short, my body ends up full of sinful habits.  Things "come naturally" to me because my body has been trained to do certain things without thinking or directly willing them.

The mind is also affected by this law of sin and death.  Although I may be taught by God's laws and have some desire to do them, I find that sin takes these very good things and converts them into evil desires.  A mind without such knowledge is "dead to sin" in that it remains unaware of sin's active presence, but "death reigns" (Romans 5) even with this lack of knowledge.  Unfortunately, even with the knowledge, I may not "dead to sin," but find that sin produces death in me by taking such knowledge and deceiving me.  How does sin deceive?  It takes the knowledge of the law and produces evil desires.  I hear about what is wrong or forbidden and then I long for it.  The mind is darkened.  It becomes a place where even what is good becomes a snare because my desires remain opposed to God.  Whatever I think becomes rationalization for doing what sin in me desires rather than reasons to trust and follow Jesus.

The law of doing what I hate, then, shows that my will in enslaved by sin, my body is inhabited by sin, and my mind is darkened by sin.  The law of sin and death is that when I take on sin, I die.  I cannot overcome sin through choosing not to sin, sin my will is enslaved.  My will is enslaved by my sin-inhabited body, which by habit and training opposed my good choices with evil desires.  My mind remains darkened because the desires of sin rule and pervert my thoughts and feelings into rationalizations.  Sin rules in me through desires that inhabit my body, enslave my will, and darken my mind.

This is not how I am to live.  Romans 6 makes it clear that living enslaved to sin is not what God intends for his children.  Baptism is a picture of the death that I must enter so that I might find resurrection in my life.  I am not only looking forward to being raised form the dead, I am supposed to live a life raised from the death that sin brings in a new life in this age.

Romans 8 describes the freedom from this death, this condemnation that sin brings.  I am set free from the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit and life.  As sin brings death, the Spirit brings life.

Lord, I see that I cannot cope with sin or fight sin, I must lay myself out to die so that sin my be removed from my being and so that I may live a new life.  Let this immersion into death be done to me, so that I might be raised into your love and light, Father.  Increase my trust in you.  I fear leaving sin behind at times, but have found such hope in your work in my life.  Let me never try to manage sin.  It needs to die.  By your grace.  Amen.