Helplessness of a Drowning Man

Yesterday, we saw Apostle Paul mentioning how his spirit became dead due to the awareness of the law and how it was later redeemed through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice in Romans 7:7-13.
Today, we’ll meditate on the following verses.

Romans 7:14 -20 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

The law is spiritual, the law is holy, the law is good, the Law is Mr. Perfect whereas there’s no good thing in the flesh. It is due to sin living in us that we often do not do the good we want to do and instead keep on doing the evil which we do not want to do. 

Romans 7:21-25 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! 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.

Though our inner being/ spirit delights in God’s Word and desires to please God, there’s a constant conflict/war between our mind that delights in God’s law and our body that serves the law of sin.

Here’s the question: Was Paul mentioning his pre-born again experience or post-born again experience in the above passage? Is he still a wretched man after asserting himself to be crucified with Christ, dead to sin and alive to God, etc.? This is very confusing and a controversial topic amongst theologians and Bible teachers.

But, to conclude, this is the experience of anyone who tries to please God by obeying the law, whether saved or unsaved.
Romans 6:6,7 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Even though our sin nature has been crucified with Christ and it’s been years that we’ve been in this walk of faith; if we are not led by the Holy Spirit but by the flesh, we’d find ourselves experiencing the same what Paul describes in Romans 7:14-25.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Only when we spiritually grow to the state where we abide in Christ and Christ, in turn, abide in us will we experience ‘inner rest’; and we’ll stop to please God by our own deeds.

If you know swimming, you’ll understand this better - A drowning person can be saved only after he/she gives up all efforts to save himself/ herself; if not, the person who tries to rescue and the one drowning will be immersed in water.  When we try to minister, obey the Word and do good depending on our flesh; we’re equivalent to the drowning person. But when we reach a state of brokenness realising that it's not possible to please God, minister the Word/ heal the sick with our flesh, that’s when the Holy Spirit takes over and allows us to float in His transforming power giving us a great spiritual freedom! Hallelujah! Allow the Holy Spirit to steer your life!

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