so i find it to be a law that when i want to do right, evil lies close at hand. for i delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but i see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. wretched man that i am! who will deliver me from this body of death? thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! so then, i myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh i serve the law of sin. [romans 7:21-25-]
verse 25 is a chain-link transition. meaning, it appears at the place where subjects are about to change. the first subject being life with the Spirit, and the second being a life of sin. life in the Spirit lives according to God’s righteous will, but life in sin lives according to the ego.
“ego” is the latin word for “i”. meaning, ego is the self- thoughts, feelings, and actions. hence why paul mentions that God is in his inner being. paul understands that God is the only one who can turn him away from the desires of his flesh. not only does paul’s own sin separate him from God, but the sins of others affect paul as well. the people who surround paul influence his thoughts, and his actions.
this is what it boils down to: we can either be captivated by God or by ourselves. do you serve two masters?
romans 8:5-8- for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. for to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. those who are in the flesh cannot please God
galatians 5:17- for the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do
1 peter 2:11- beloved, i urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
~ angela younger