In Romans chapter 7, Paul agonized over the sin in his flesh which kept him from doing the things he wanted to do. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find…..Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
We can all relate to this dilemma. This is the frustration of knowing the right thing to do, but due to the weakness of the flesh and the weakness of our own mental resolve we find ourselves doing the very thing we didn’t want to do.
Paul goes on to speak of the ‘law of his mind’ versus the ‘law in his members’ (his flesh/body). When those are our only two options, like Paul we will cry out ‘O wretched man that I am!’
That declaration describes self-condemnation. The frustration of continual weakness and failure leads to guilt. When we try to do the right thing strengthened only with our own will power, we will fail. Is there another option?
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Rom. 8:1)
Paul describes the life of will power as walking in the flesh. Though the mind may be at war with the flesh, it is also a part of the flesh and the flesh profits nothing. Flesh cannot defeat flesh!
He then declares that there is no condemnation (guilt and self-condemnation) to those who choose a third option – living by the Spirit! When we live by the Spirit of God we are equipped with something far more powerful than our will power and mental resolve. The Spirit of God allows us to live in the dimension of grace and peace, not relying on our own strength to conquer sin, but relying on His provision to live in the Spirit.
Sin only has power when we choose to confront it with our own strength. When we learn to live from the Spirit of God, sin is defeated. And the result? You won’t condemn yourself any more. There is no condemnation when you walk in the Spirit.
Barry Bennett is an instructor- Charis Bible College Colorado. He is a graduate of Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, and has been serving the Lord since 1972. He and his wife, Betty Kay, have served on the mission field in Mexico, Guatemala, and in Chile, where they spent almost 12 years before returning to Texas in 2001.
