Are we “good” or are we “evil?”
Jan 29, 2010
Case for Grace - part eighteen in a study of the book of Romans
Mike Gaudet
“Good”
“Evil”
What are we?
“So I find this law at work: When 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 the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 7:21-8:2 NIV
“I want to do good” is a reflection of what we desire.
“Evil is right there with me” is also a reflection of what we desire.
There are two “desire generators” within each one of us. One is “evil.” One is “good.” Two sets of internal desires pull us in opposite directions.
We would like to think that our “good” desires are stronger than our “evil” desires. This wasn’t Paul’s experience. “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” Romans 7:22-23 In a head to head battle, Paul’s “evil” desires defeated and imprisoned his “good” ones.
Our present experience is described as captivity. The “members” of our bodies hold our “inner being” captive. Our “flesh” imprisons our “spirit.” The word translated “sinful nature” is more accurately translated “flesh.” The struggle we have is not with a “sinful nature” but with the “flesh.” We have a mortal problem. Mortal desires dominate immortal desires. Like a master who holds a slave captive to his will, our “flesh” holds our “spirit” captive.
“What a wretched man I am” is the result of this captivity. We want to do good things but end up doing the opposite. Our inability to choose what is good results in hurtful actions and attitudes that harm others.
We would like to think that God removes our “evil” desires. This wasn’t Paul’s experience either. “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” On the far side of Christ’s intervention, Paul was still dealing with divided desires.
The solution that comes “through Christ our Lord” does not immediately terminate our captivity. The division still exists. The “mind” is still enslaved by the “flesh.” The conflict created by divided desires is part of the normal Christian life!
Christ doesn’t remove the captivity.
Christ removes the condemnation associated with the captivity.
“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!”
Imagine a slave who is forced to obey a master’s ungodly will. The slave is forced to comply with the master’s desires. Would God condemn the slave? No!
God doesn’t condemn captives.
He liberates them!
When we believe that God condemns us for choices we are forced to make, we fight against ourselves. We try to force our flesh to submit to our spirit. We go to war with ourselves and lose.
When we believe that God does not condemn us for choices we are forced to make, we don’t fight against ourselves. We wait patiently for the eternal experience of liberation that awaits those who believe that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We do not go to war with ourselves. We can love others who are struggling with their own captivity.
On this side of eternity, our experience of captivity does not cause God to rescind His promises to love and liberate us.
On the far side of eternity, the spirits of those who believe that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” will finally be housed in an immortal body that will fully comply with the desires of the spirit within.
Captivity will be over.
Paradise will begin.
“Free at last!”