The Law of Sin in the Believer

Romans 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

"A law is taken either properly for a directive rule, or improperly for an operative effective principle, which seems to have the force of a law. In its first sense, it is a moral rule which directs and commands, and sundry ways moves and regulates, the mind and the will as to the things which it requires or forbids. This is evidently the general nature and work of a law. Some things it commands, some things it forbids, with rewards and penalties, which move and impel men to do the one and avoid the other. Hence, in a secondary sense, an inward principle that moves and inclines constantly unto any actions is called a law. The principle that is in the nature of every thing, moving and carrying it towards its own end and rest, is called the law of nature. In this respect, every inward principle that inclineth and urgeth unto operations or actings suitable to itself is a law. " John Owen

So long as this "law of sin" is in the believer he can not ever expect to be free from the malady or be slack in his warfare against it. To refuse to see sin as it is, to acknowledge its nature, power and presence in us (that is, our flesh) we shall be made all the more victims of its destructive force in our lives, and our light shall wane and eventually all but go out. To war against an enemy one must first understand the nature and reasonings of the enemy. The same is true of spiritual battle, only of infinitely greater consequences. Understand the effectual, working power of sin in you and fight it with at least the same intensity as you would the murderous intruder in your home. Bar every door, lock every latch and window to keep him out. But if he gets in--if sin makes its plea for your obedience--KILL IT!

Natural Desires and Sin

Sin shall ever be with us as long as we are in this body. There is nothing we can do about it. I don’t mean there is nothing we can do about sin lived out or unchecked. We can do something about that, though we cannot free ourselves completely from it. I refer to the thing sin, sin itself--that principle of wickedness which is in us and demands our allegiance. For all our lifetime it shall move in us and upon us, forcing its desires upon our minds and wills. It creates in us desire that is not what we want as Christians. We cannot get away from it. No matter where we go or what we do, we will be severely pressed upon by sin and its longings to be fulfilled in us.

It will make us remember our past sins and desires--one of its best weapons. It will tell how pleasurable it was and that it is OK to do it again. It will make us forget the guilt we felt and the sorrow it caused. It will make one forget the fact of death and judgment and the abyss and heaven and the face of God and His judgment seat. It moves directly to our passions and lets us know how pleasurable it would be to fulfill its temptations. Not everything it wants us to do is wrong by itself. But how deceiving! Everything it wants us to do is wrong, for the least it wants is for us to wrongly fulfill legitimate desires. And it is the wrongly part that makes it sin in every case. Sin can never be legitimate, for wrongly fulfilled desires can never be legitimate.

The Scriptures tell us how we are to fulfill our natural desires. We are first to do all things to the glory of God, not simply for self fulfillment. When we do not directly concern ourselves with God in all things we are in sin by that very fact. We are also to fulfill our desires in accordance to how God made us and how He told us we are to do this or that. God’s word tells us what is sin and what is not. We must go with it in every case.

True Life Will Come

People today are filled with frivolity. I suppose they have been in every age. Even Christians determine their non-working paths by what sort of entertainment they may engage themselves. Everything seems to be more important than it is. Sports, recreation, vacations, or what have you wastes so much of our time and talents. When we could be in the Scriptures two or three hours we would rather do nothing of eternal worth. When we could pray we choose conversation with other frail, helpless human beings rather than with the One who has no weaknesses and can strengthen us and meet our needs. We don't seek Him and His strength as we should. We don't seem to have a real sense of the essential nature of our spiritual lives. We flit about as a bird on the wing. We fly high but never come to earth. We dream and desire but never acquire the subject of our searching--pleasure, or blessings. Why? We seek it where we can not find it. We seek it in our activities, even distinctly Christian activities. We seek it in our frivolous attitudes. We need to seek it in Christ and the Father through the inner working of the Holy Spirit. Were we more disciplined we would be more pleased, blessed and content. We would also do more for Christ and His kingdom.

This discipline is the discipline of seeking Him. Spend time with Him in His word and in prayer. Read sermons and other biblical works as well as serve Him by serving others. Meditate, write, debate doctrine, etc. This should take up a good portion of our lives. This will enable us to know God better and to have a heart for what He has a heart. Only when we spend time with God, in His presence and things (Lk. 2:49) will we find real fulfillment in life. Frivolity will depart and true life will come.