Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 12/11/2009

Question
Hello and thank you for taking my question. My question regards the latter part of Romans 7, where Paul talks about struggling against his flesh: In the commentary Im reading "Romans verse by verse,' the author William R Newell states that Paul's struggle with his flesh is something that Paul, or any mature christian doesnt struggle with and that what Paul is describing is something he strugled with ONLY in the past before he understood the concept of grace. The reason, the author states, is that this is a struggle with the LAW which we are no longer under and he states there is no mention of Christ until, in Paul's writing,the legal struggle is over and has ended in self despair. He states there is also no mention of the Holy Spirit.

    MY question is simple - is this true, is what Paul is describing something that took place in his past and shouldnt be taking place in the mature believer who knows he is under faith and not law?

Answer
Hi Pete,

Thanks for this great question.  I am aware that some Bible scholars believe that this passage in Romans is parenthetical... in other words it is a description of Paul before he was saved or mature.  I do not see anyting in the Book of Romans that would give me any reason to believe that he was making that distinction.  I think that one has to read that into the passage in order to come to that conclusion.  One verse in Galatians also summarizes the thoughts of Romans 7.

Galatians 5:17
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

Everyone has the flesh.  Only saved people have the Spirit, therefore only saved people have a struggle between the Spirit and the flesh.  Yes it is true that one can grow stronger in the Lord, but that does not mean that we will ever be without fleshly urges and struggles.

At least not while in this body.

I hope that this helps you.

In Christ
Pastor Don