I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
—Romans 7:21–23
The problem of sin in the lives of believers is difficult to reconcile with the Bible’s teaching on the effects of regeneration. If we are dead to sin, why is sin still present? In the last verses of Romans 7, Paul struggles with this conflict. Brian Hedges, considering Romans 6–7, offers this summary explanation: “the bondage to sin is broken, but the conflict with sin continues.” Further, he offers this analogy:
Imagine that an undercover spy is lurking in the White House administration plotting an act of terrorism against the United States. There is a huge difference between the relative positions of the President of the United States and the seditious mole. Both are resident in the White House, but only the President has legitimate executive authority. The mole works by deception, manipulation, and subterfuge. But he has no right to be there, no rightful rank in the chain of command.
In much the same way, sin is resident, not president, in the believer’s heart. The dominion of sin has ended. Its authority to rule is removed, its stranglehold broken. It has influence, but no legitimate authority to rule over us. It is an insidious mole in the believer’s heart that works through manipulation, deception, and subterfuge.
—Brian G. Hedges, Licensed to Kill: A Field Manual for Mortifying Sin (Cruciform Press, 2011), 37–38.
Cruciform Press publishes one new book each month, and offers subscriptions in print or ebook formats for a very reasonable price. Books may also be purchased individually. For more information, visit www.cruciformpress.com.
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