To fast track accurate sight here is the simplicity, from scripture, again:
Paul had evil present with him. Romans 7:21
Paul defined the sin that indwelt him as NOT I, twice no less in Romans 7:17-20
We should also see that it was the sin that indwelt Paul that MADE Paul do evil by his own admissions.
Was Paul actively engaged in doing evil exterior actions? I do not believe this is the case.
Nevertheless Paul DID evil. Jesus tells us clearly that EVIL THOUGHTS defile us. Yes, Paul DID do that kind of EVIL. We all do. Those who say they don't are not honest or truthful. They do not have the Spirit of Truth. Jesus Is TRUTH and those who have His Spirit tell the TRUTH. They do not lie about having evil thoughts. They do not cover up evil thoughts. They do not seek to justify evil thoughts. They do not heap grace upon their evil thoughts. They condemn them as they rightfully should. They EXPOSE this reality about themselves.
So, let's examine that source of EVIL with Paul.
Paul defined himself as the chief of sinners in 1 Tim. 1:15. One might think that Paul would be one of the LEAST sinners on the planet at the time, but Paul did NOT define himself that way after salvation. He clearly stated I AM the chief of sinners, present tense.
Why is that?
It is somewhat easy to see that a warrior of and for the Gospel WILL come under internal attack by the TEMPTER internally. This is just a fact as anyone who tries and does good should know.
How then could Paul be the CHIEF of SINNERS? Because he understood the actions of the TEMPTER transpire within, that is IN THOUGHT, where EVIL THOUGHTS come from.
Who then was the chief of sinners? It was not just a matter of Paul, but also a matter of INTERNAL temptation of the TEMPTER. We could have all looked at Paul as a flesh man, a human being and we would have all seen JUST PAUL.
Paul did not see himself that way. Paul saw himself accurately as himself with evil present with him, with sin indwelling him that was NOT HIM. With EVIL thoughts, which was the EVIL he did assuredly do. It was Paul and it was the TEMPTER within Paul.
In that same light we ALL should be quick to understand that these matters are not just and only about PAUL.
Paul explains this in even more detail in 2 Cor. 12:7
2 Corinthians 12:7
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn
in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
If you see just Paul in that statement what can I say? It wasn't. There was Paul. There was a special messenger of Satan, that is A DEVIL, in Paul's own flesh. That messenger is shown here in the form of TEMPTATION:
Galatians 4:14
And my
temptation which
was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
Yes, Paul, just like ALL of us was VEXED with internal temptation, put upon him, within his flesh, by that messenger of SATAN.
We should not see just and only Paul. We should not blame Paul. We should not count sins against Paul. We should not say Paul could not have been saved.
There is no amount of any kind of scriptural justification that can make the messenger of Satan, the EVIL PRESENT with Paul justified or saved. It was not possible for Paul to do that either. We can NOT justify the evil present with us. We can not make it behave. We can not exercise certain rituals and do certain practices to EVER justify the evil present within us.
That EVIL PRESENT is of the DEVIL.
No, non-OSAS can not justify the evil present within any person. Neither can OSAS.
Both positions are simply ROTTEN at the core because the holders are not honest with themselves.
Is the evil present going to be under Grace?
Never!
Is the evil present going to be LEGAL? Again I say
Never!
And therein lies the dilemma of FAITH.
Is the evil present ever in faith or faithful? Again, NEVER.
We all struggle with what Paul terms that evil present, that wicked one. It is the children of the flesh. It's the identical problem that Israel had.
There is simply no way to justify the evil present within any of us because it is of the Tempter (or his assigns to each of us.)
Paul again shows this in Galatians 4:
29 But as then
he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
This is NOT talking about 'some other person.' It is our own struggle with the children of the flesh. The Tempter and his messengers. Our OWN EVIL thoughts and ACTIONS.
These can NEVER be justified under Law or under Grace. Even while Paul was under Grace, the messenger of Satan WAS NOT!
Abraham had two external flesh sons. Isaac and Ishmael. This is an allegory as well. Abraham also had TWO SONS within himself in the spiritual sense. That would be the Temptation of the TEMPTER, his internal ISHMAEL. That is what that account is meant to convey.
Ishmael could never be justified into the household of Israel. It was not possible.
Neither can the Tempter or his messengers be justified in the Israel of GOD.
Now, let's get busy and DENY.