Romans 7:14-25 “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. (15) For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. (16) If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. (17) But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. (19) For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (20) Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. (21) I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. (22) For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. (23) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (24) O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (25) I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
So the question is asked, if we are born into the earth spiritually alive to God what causes us to sin? There are two influences that cause all men to sin. The first influence is the flesh. We have already seen that the bodies that we dwell in have been inherited through the bloodline of Adam. When Adam sinned, not only did he die spiritually on that day, but his body also became contaminated with sin itself i.e. it became a carrier of the sin virus. That same sin virus is passed on from generation to generation to every physical body born into the earth. And so whereas the spirit of man comes from God having no sin in it, our bodies come from Adam and are contaminated by sin. The Holy Spirit revealed this truth to the apostle Paul in the above quoted passage of scripture, by showing him that his body was sinful. Mankind has no power on his own to overcome sin in the flesh, and so the flesh of man will always dominate him and cause him to sin. Paul recognised this problem and became despondent when he found himself subject to the law of sin in his body. But then God revealed to Paul that in Christ Jesus we are well able to overcome sin in the flesh. Nevertheless as far as the world is concerned, they are dominated by their flesh and so will always walk in sin. This is the reason that children are perceived to be naturally naughty, because their bodies are contaminated with the sin virus. If parents recognised however, that their children’s spirits come from God and their spirits can be made strong, they would encourage their children to grow strong in spirit and thus be able to dominate their flesh and not the other way around.
Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”
The second influence that causes men to sin is the world itself. This world is completely contrary to God and His laws, and everything that is taught in the world is against the things of God. And so as we grow up in this world we are influenced to think as this world thinks. The bible calls it natural or carnal thinking. In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit teaches us that this world’s way of thinking is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the laws of God. In other words this world’s thinking is completely sinful. And so as children grow up in this world the influences of this world impact their thinking, and they become more and more carnal in their behaviour as they become conformed to this world.
Michael E.B. Maher
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