Unlimited: In My Mind
Dec 13, 2022 971
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin (Romans 7:25b).
This isn’t the weak, anguished apostle Paul who is speaking. The one who is speaking is the one who has just triumphantly cried, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v.25a). The one who is speaking is the apostle who delights in the deliverance of Christ.
Christ’s deliverance this side of eternity doesn’t remove our sinful natures. His deliverance doesn’t mean that there will be no response within us to the law of sin. Not at all. There will be stumbles and there will be falls. To this, even the greatest of the heroes of faith of the Bible attest.
…in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
In what sense then, can Paul say that Christ delivers him? Christ has delivered him from the guilt of sin, but until glorification the results of sin will always be with him.
Paul could have ended this chapter with the first part of this verse,
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
But instead, Paul brings us back down to earth to the reality of our lives. We must remain always vigilant. We are engaged in constant warfare; however, as we struggle, we must always remember that we are loved and empowered by God, and that as long as we trust in him our victory is assured.
Spiritual Application
How do you reconcile, in your own life, that this side of eternity you are a slave to the law of God and a slave to the law of sin, at the same time?
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