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June 23, 2023

The Law of Sin

Romans 7:21 I find then the law with me who wills to do the good, that is, the evil is present with me. (22) For I delight in the law of God according to the inner man, (23) But I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members. (24) Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?

After verse 21, Paul's eyes were opened. He saw that the enemy he was dealing with--sin--was nothing less than a law. When he saw that sin was a law, he could only sigh and say, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" He realized that it was impossible for him to prevail over sin by his will. The will is man's own volition. It is what man wants, determines, and decides to do. Once a man's will resolves to do something, he begins to carry it out. Man's will can produce some power. But herein lies the problem. When the will comes in conflict with the law of sin, which one prevails? The will usually prevails at the beginning, but ultimately sin prevails. Suppose you hold up a book with your hand. Gravity is pulling it down while you are trying your best to hold it up. But the unceasing operation of the law of gravity will eventually prevail, and the book will fall to the floor. You may try to hold it up with your hand. You may prevail for an hour, but after two hours you will feel tired, and after another hour your hand will no longer obey you. Eventually, you will let go of it. Gravity never tires out, but your hand does. The same principle applies when you try to overcome sin with your will. The will can stand against sin for a while. But the power of sin far exceeds the power of the will. Sin is a law; it is not destroyed by the resistance of man's will. Whenever the power of the will slackens, the law of sin surfaces. The human will cannot persist forever, but the law of sin is always active. The will may prevail for a little while, but in the end it will always be overcome by the law of sin.

Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, pp. 384-385. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].

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Messages for Building Up New Believers