What exactly is the sin nature?
Can the sin nature reign in the life of a Believer?
Can Satan override the will of a Believer?
Romans 7:18 New King James Version (NKJV)
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.
The flesh of everyone has sin dwelling therein and evil present with us. These are the conditions of the flesh, believer or unbeliever. It is a flesh world that is set in direct and opposing contrast to the Spirit. The world of flesh is the world of domination and survival of the fittest.
The Spirit works the exact opposite direction and is in opposition to the flesh and against the flesh.
This "internal reality" is what caused Paul to see his own "wretched man" factual condition.
Romans 7:24
O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from
the body of this death?
The answer is in the statement itself. The Hope of the Gospel is to be delivered from the body of death, into the Spiritual Body of Christ, which is the promise that we bear in the flesh currently. Some think it's a reality currently, but it's not. It's a partial reality and a promise of change, when that change actually transpires.
Paul, seeing the opposition to the Spirit in his own body, took himself to the lowest rung on the sin totem pole, understanding this principle, claiming the opposite of what the majority of christians claim, that being "sinners, of whom I am chief." And he made this statement in direct recognition of his situation of being in a wretched body of death.
So, yeah, there is a state of warring in our own body. Romans 7:23. It's quite pointless to say otherwise when anyone who is in truth knows it. IF there is a war, and there is, then there is also an enemy or enemies internal. And that's where the sights of all fleshly/carnal minded believers gets dicey, because few will see our adversary in the flesh is the tempter.
But if they do, at that point the war really begins, and we question every thought, bringing them CAPTIVE and into submission in our own BODY/MIND, as we are supposed to. This battle can turn against us and get ugly quickly however, into a myriad of traps of our adversary. Very few believers are truthful in this arena. And if they are they are generally led to "hide" the enemy in their own flesh, rather than expose same. They will instead seek to justify the contrary and against the Spirit flesh and the workings therein. They will pretend their flesh isn't contrary and they will never see that the flesh bears our adversary.
It can't be done, legitimately. And rather than lining up for eventual judgment of our adversary, we defer that judgment to everyone else but ourselves. That is not how the Promise will transpire. We as believers will be judged FIRST, just as Isaiah stated in:
Isaiah 3:14
The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of
his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor
is in your houses.
Peter spoke identically, here:
1 Peter 4:17
For the time is come that
judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Obedience to the Gospel is obedience to what it says about our condition. I doubt that there will be any liars and hypocrites lining up for adverse judgments. But I suspect it will fall upon all flesh, regardless, to greater and greater degrees, in the intensity of the war. It is a progressive war. Sin does become "utterly sinful" by the Laws of God. Sin is strengthened by the law, Gods Words, to RESIST God in Christ.
That is the strangle hold that is meant to fall upon all flesh, believers first. And from my seat this strangle hold on the flesh is already upon us, easily observed by everyone pointing fingers at everyone else in potential condemnations. This activity has already scourged the churches and cut them all up into little pieces, each one justifying themselves as totally right when the opposite is true.
That house is not the church buildings. It is our own wretched dead body.
IF we seek our Promise, we may want to examine what/who we are delivered from. Where the enemy(s) really do reside, and seek that ADVERSE Judgment of Him, rather than laying it off and blaming other spiritually blinded people.
I have great HOPE however, that it is in Gods Sights to deliver, one by one, in Truth and the reception of HIS MERCY, which is the greatest gift of God, sorely needed. When we enter into HIS MERCY there is no turning back.
2 Chronicles 7
1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying,
the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.
2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.
3 And
when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying,
For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
That external picture in 2 Chron. above was written for US. Every last one of us should seek the consumption of our own wretched body by the FIRE of Gods Mercy.
Isaiah 27:
12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and
ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
Perhaps a little heavy for the lounge. But one by one, believers will see it.
