Romans – A Treatise
Chapter Seven
THE EVIL NATURE
Scripture Reading: verses 14-21
FOR WE KNOW THAT THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL: BUT I AM CARNAL, SOLD UNDER SIN. FOR THAT WHICH I DO I ALLOW NOT: FOR WHAT I WOULD, THAT DO I NOT; BUT WHAT I HATE, THAT DO I. IF THEN I DO THAT WHICH I WOULD NOT, I CONSENT UNTO THE LAW THAT IT IS GOOD. NOW THEN IT IS NO MORE I THAT DO IT, BUT SIN THAT DWELLETH IN ME. FOR I KNOW THAT IN ME (THAT IS, IN MY FLESH) DWELLETH NO GOOD THING: FOR TO WILL IS PRESENT WITH ME; BUT HOW TO PERFORM THAT WHICH IS GOOD I FIND NOT. FOR THE GOOD THAT I WOULD I DO NOT: BUT THE EVIL WHICH I WOULD NOT, THAT I DO. NOW IF I DO THAT I WOULD NOT, IT IS NO MORE I THAT DO IT BUT SIN THAT DWELLETH IN ME. I FIND THEN A LAW, THAT, WHEN I WOULD DO GOOD, EVIL IS PRESENT WITH ME.
In these verses, the Lord presents truths that are of the most searching character to every Christian. Perhaps by thinking back to the day of our conversion we can better realize the weight of meaning presented here. When the Lord first took a hand in our lives and we came with contrite hearts, as repentant sinners, we had the glad assurance of our Lord’s words: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” As unworthy sinners we were forgiven our trespasses and the peace of forgiveness flooded our souls. At that moment we were under the unsullied light of the love of God, and no doubt every Christian recalls how at that time it seemed as if nothing else mattered, except that by His grace the Lord had given forgiveness and salvation.
Then, as the days rolled on and perhaps to our consternation, we found the evil nature derived from Adam began to again assert itself. Did we expect to be through with sin the moment the Lord Jesus was accepted as Savior? Did we expected the old impulses toward impatience, bad temper, evil thoughts, envy, selfishness, or a thousand other attributes of the old man, were over forever? If so, what a shock it must be to suddenly realize the old nature is still very active; that we are cast into the dilemma Paul so lucidly describes in this passage. “That which I do, I allow not, for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” Every honest Christian confesses that from time to time sin does come back. True, there are some who profess they are entirely holy and in this treatise we will not quarrel with them. However, be assured that we are not among them, for too frequently we find the old nature asserting itself, and the evil propensities of the heart that God has said is incorrigible comes back to the front with greater frequency than we care to describe. This is precisely what Paul is here asserting: “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.”
The mistake so often made when first converted is imagining the flesh has been changed; but God never changes the flesh. According to the Scripture “we are not in the flesh, but in the spirit.” However, it is equally true of the Christian that the flesh is very much in us, often asserting itself.
The Scripture says: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” God has introduced something new into our lives. It is described in the New Testament as “the new man.” For practical purposes we are enjoined to put on the new man and put off the old man with his deeds. “In my flesh,” says Paul, “dwelleth no good thing.” Let us keep in mind the Christian is a complex being. In him is the flesh; in him is also the spirit; and one wars against the other. He who imagines he has arrived at the point of complete holiness in thought, word, and deed is imagining the flesh is brought to an end. That takes place only when we are in a new body, conformed to the image of Christ.
Thus, in this complex being we have the flesh and the spirit; we have the tendency toward sin; we have the tendency toward righteousness. We have love for the things of the world; we have the love for things of heaven. By His spirit, God has introduced new desires into our heart, but unless we keep the old desires in the place of death, they will often assert themselves. Consider this illustration: A young man had been converted to Christ. In his unconverted days, he had been a godless person; often brushing with the law for stealing. After conversion, he followed ag straight line for awhile, then the devil began to tempt him and mysteriously he found his old desires reasserting themselves. His old nature was unchanged. Of course, there was a conflict in his spirit because of his new nature. But one day the old nature triumphed, and the police caught him in an act of theft. In due course he was brought before the judge in a repentant state. He explained to the judge he was a Christian, and had fought against the temptation to steal. He tried to explain that it was not really he who stole, it was his old nature. He cast himself on the mercy of the court. The judge evidently had some understanding of his dilemma. The offence had been committed, sentence must be imposed. “So it was your old nature that committed this crime, it wasn’t you! Well,” said the judge, “we’ll send the old nature to jail for thirty days, and I am afraid you will have to go along to keep it company.”
That is a simple illustration of what Paul says: “For the good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do.” The old man after the flesh, often spoken of as evil nature, is subject to the temptation of Satan, and unless we keep him constantly in the place of death by refusing to give in to him, he asserts himself and we get into trouble. So Paul says in verse 21, “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” The word law in this verse means “regulating principle” and surely everyone of us finds this law asserting itself all too frequently.
It’s a struggle to be doing good and then suddenly find the presence of evil. Thus, to keep the flesh in the place of death we cannot afford to depend on self, but must always be cast on the Lord for His preservation, and for the power of His Spirit.
