February 24, 2002 Lesson 25

Ø Refresh our thinking as to what is our state as Believers!

1. Have 2 separate entities residing in every believer.

- Sin nature, flesh; that resides in us, in the flesh

- Indwelling H/S; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19

2. These 2 entities are separate; as separate as they can be!

- Gal 5:17 never a truce; this opposition is continual!

3. There is no sharing of control! Its one or the other!

4. All of our actions are the result of which one is in dominion/rule at the moment!

#1. The Law cannot change you 7:14

For we know [oida] that the Law [M/L] is spiritual

but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

- Note: Need to be careful in reading; of the flesh is not the same as in the flesh; Paul means something totally different.

For the believer there is a pull in 2 directions:

propensity to sin X desire relationship w/God

Observations:

1. Must recognize that the sin nature is part and parcel of the believer's life! Always there!

- 2 serious errors taught today;

#1 That it will leave us if we work intently enough at it; if we beat up on it often enough;

#2 If we can't kill it we can improve it!

2. The believer is potentially separated from its power, not its presence!

3. Victory is made experientially a reality in our lives by applying Rom 6; that is knowing, considering, and presenting.

4. Freedom from Law is not freedom or license to sin!

5. Rem: the term instruments 6:13? military term for weapons/tools;

We can think of the believer's body as an armory of weapons available either to the indwelling H/S or the Sin nature.

Intro next section: 7:15f

What this section covers is what can be reality in our life as believers but should not be, and won't be if we utilize the grace provision we've learned from chapter 6.

Any conduct; any thought, whatever you say will be influenced by one of 2 sources:

#1 the flesh/Sin nature > result > sin or human good

#2 the indwelling H/S > result > D/G/P [divine good production]

In this context, Paul is dealing with the struggle that will always be present when the indwelling H/S is not empowering the life.

How would you know that there are 3 different words here for doing?

#1. doing katerga,zomai - working; producing

#2. practicing pra,ssw - practice

#3. doing poie,w - to make, create, manufacture; idea here is performing

#1. What I am producing, Paul says, I do not understand;

#2. I am not practicing what I would like to do! I'm baffled!

#3. I'm performing that which I hate!

What Paul is saying!

What I think in my mind (new man) is not what I am producing!

What I choose to practice is not what I would like to do!

What I hate that I am performing!

- Our ability to handle the onslaught of the old nature is not a matter of choice based on self-determination! Not at all!

Its based on fact; truth the reality of what Christ did on the cross!

And my attitude towards those facts!