Many people erroneously claim that Paul's everyday experience was one of defeat where he could not do the good he wanted and always did the bad he didn't want to do. It is tragic how their flawed understanding is not supported by the Scriptures. Let me make my case...
If we study Philippians historically, we learn that Paul was in house arrest during the writing of this letter, chained to elite Roman soldiers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every six hours they rotated. If we pay attention to Paul's letters, he consistently and constantly tells believers what they should and should not be doing. Now, if Paul was unable to do what he wanted to do and always did what he did not, these Roman soldiers would have looked at him as a hypocrite—nothing more than a Pharisee, as he had been before. They would have talked about it and spread word that he tells others what to do but doesn't do it himself. But this was not the case.
In Acts 20:18 Paul reminds his readers, "You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day I set foot in Asia..." In Acts 24:16 he says, "I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man." After spending one and a half years with them, he tells the Corinthians, "You have seen my life; follow me." In 1 Corinthians 4:4 he says, "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me." In 9:27 he says, "I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." In Philippians 4:9 he instructs, "What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - do." The Greek word here for "do" is prasso (πρασσω), which means "to perform repeatedly or habitually." At the end of his life, in 2 Timothy 4:7 he asserts, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Are these the testimonies of a man who never does what he wants and always does what he doesn't want?
There are many other proof texts of the kind of life Paul lived. Simply read Paul's letters and make note of the principles and the applications found in his writings. He gives his readers the principles, telling them what to do, teaching them right doctrine, and then you see it lived out in his life where he gives examples or reminds them and tells them to follow him. If Paul lived a defeated life, how could he tell others to watch and follow him? If Paul lived a defeated life, the demons would not have admitted, "Jesus I know and Paul I know; but who are you?" The demons feared Paul because he lived in the power of Christ, totally submitted to His will in everything. Read your Bible some time and you will see this. Paul counted everything about his life as dung. Christ was where his eyes were perpetually focused.
In 2 Peter 1:10, Peter states, "If you practice these qualities you will never fall." The Greek word here for "practice" is poieo (ποιεω), which means "to purpose and to practice." This statement follows on the heels of what he has just told the Christian believers in verses 5 through 8: "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours (belong to you) and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Galatians 5:22-23 says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Every believer owns these things in different portions, and each of them will be increasing. If you do not own them and they are not increasing, you need to examine the genuineness of your salvation and whether you truly belong to the Lord.
When you study the language of Romans 7, it quickly becomes evident that, while Paul is writing as a Christian, what he is writing is not of him as a Christian but of him under the conviction and condemnation of the Law. First, in verse 13 he is not asking whether Christians will sin or not. Verse 14 begins with the conjunction "for," which tells us it is connected to verse 13. Second, in verse 14, the word "sold" (piprasko, π͕ιπρασκω) literally means "entirely under the control of the love of sinning" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon). What did he just finish saying in all of chapter 6? Third, in verses 15 and 19, there are the same two Greek words used in each. In verse 15, the first "do" is prasso while the second "do" is poieo. In verse 19, the first is poieo while the second is prasso. Poieo is used entirely through 1 John 3:4-10. So, in verse 15, Paul says, "I do not perform repeatedly or habitually what I want, but I purpose and practice the very thing I hate." In verse 19, Paul says, "I do not purpose or practice the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I perform repeatedly and habitually." What does 1 John 3:4-10 tell us about those who purpose and practice sinning habitually?
Fourth, in verse 22 he says, "I delight in the law of God," while in verse 25 he says, "I serve the law of God." But wait a minute. Back in 7:6 Paul said, "We serve not under the old written code." What is the old written code? It's the law of God. Read chapter 2 of Romans. Last, in verse 23 he says he is, "captive to the law of sin," and in verse 25 says, "I serve the law of sin." What did Paul just finish telling us through the entirety of chapter 6? What does he continue telling us through chapter 8? A Christian does not serve the law of sin because he is free from the law of sin. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free…from the law of sin…” (8:2). The word for "serve" here means "bondservant." A slave is similar to an employee. They come in from 8 to 5 and then they are free to go home when they are done. A bondservant has no freedom. When a Jew was set free, if he chose to serve his master, his ear was pierced through by an awl and he became that man's bondservant. We were the bondservants of sin but now we are the bondservants of Christ. He purchased us with His blood. Our entire lives belong to Him to be commanded by Him as He sees fit.
Many people erroneously interpret Romans 7 according to their experience as a Christian. However, if they're careful to examine the language closely, they'll find that their experience is nothing like what is written here. A Christian sometimes fails and falls short, but Paul here says he never does what he knows he should do. Is that the Paul we read about in all his epistles? I think not! People assume he is speaking in present tense because he says "I." However, if you study grammar, there is something called the historical present tense. That is what Paul is using here. He is talking about the law and in order to demonstrate how the law affects us, he uses an illustration from his own life. The entire context from verse 7 through 25 proves this. The Law said "Do not covet." So the good he wanted to do by obeying the law, he found he was not doing. Instead, what he did not want to do by breaking the law, he found he did continually. It all flows smoothly and makes complete sense if people would stop coming to this passage with presuppositions. The Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament says this:
Paul had a perfect balance of both principles and application. If you have application without principles, you are merely living in legalism. If you have principles without application, you merely have vain knowledge that tends to puff up. When Scripture commands something, you need to obey it joyfully and with love for Jesus Christ who purchased you with His shed blood. You need to learn the principles and then apply them. Too many people know stuff about the Bible but do not ever apply it to their lives. Have a knowledge of Jesus Christ, apply that knowledge to your life, and live life by faith. We all have the potential to be a Paul if we would but yield ourselves to God and believe correctly regarding what Scripture has to say about us. What we believe determines how we act. Let's correct our way of thinking, believe rightly, and act according to that belief, living lives pleasing unto the Lord.
If we study Philippians historically, we learn that Paul was in house arrest during the writing of this letter, chained to elite Roman soldiers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every six hours they rotated. If we pay attention to Paul's letters, he consistently and constantly tells believers what they should and should not be doing. Now, if Paul was unable to do what he wanted to do and always did what he did not, these Roman soldiers would have looked at him as a hypocrite—nothing more than a Pharisee, as he had been before. They would have talked about it and spread word that he tells others what to do but doesn't do it himself. But this was not the case.
In Acts 20:18 Paul reminds his readers, "You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day I set foot in Asia..." In Acts 24:16 he says, "I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man." After spending one and a half years with them, he tells the Corinthians, "You have seen my life; follow me." In 1 Corinthians 4:4 he says, "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me." In 9:27 he says, "I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." In Philippians 4:9 he instructs, "What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - do." The Greek word here for "do" is prasso (πρασσω), which means "to perform repeatedly or habitually." At the end of his life, in 2 Timothy 4:7 he asserts, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Are these the testimonies of a man who never does what he wants and always does what he doesn't want?
There are many other proof texts of the kind of life Paul lived. Simply read Paul's letters and make note of the principles and the applications found in his writings. He gives his readers the principles, telling them what to do, teaching them right doctrine, and then you see it lived out in his life where he gives examples or reminds them and tells them to follow him. If Paul lived a defeated life, how could he tell others to watch and follow him? If Paul lived a defeated life, the demons would not have admitted, "Jesus I know and Paul I know; but who are you?" The demons feared Paul because he lived in the power of Christ, totally submitted to His will in everything. Read your Bible some time and you will see this. Paul counted everything about his life as dung. Christ was where his eyes were perpetually focused.
In 2 Peter 1:10, Peter states, "If you practice these qualities you will never fall." The Greek word here for "practice" is poieo (ποιεω), which means "to purpose and to practice." This statement follows on the heels of what he has just told the Christian believers in verses 5 through 8: "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours (belong to you) and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Galatians 5:22-23 says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Every believer owns these things in different portions, and each of them will be increasing. If you do not own them and they are not increasing, you need to examine the genuineness of your salvation and whether you truly belong to the Lord.
When you study the language of Romans 7, it quickly becomes evident that, while Paul is writing as a Christian, what he is writing is not of him as a Christian but of him under the conviction and condemnation of the Law. First, in verse 13 he is not asking whether Christians will sin or not. Verse 14 begins with the conjunction "for," which tells us it is connected to verse 13. Second, in verse 14, the word "sold" (piprasko, π͕ιπρασκω) literally means "entirely under the control of the love of sinning" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon). What did he just finish saying in all of chapter 6? Third, in verses 15 and 19, there are the same two Greek words used in each. In verse 15, the first "do" is prasso while the second "do" is poieo. In verse 19, the first is poieo while the second is prasso. Poieo is used entirely through 1 John 3:4-10. So, in verse 15, Paul says, "I do not perform repeatedly or habitually what I want, but I purpose and practice the very thing I hate." In verse 19, Paul says, "I do not purpose or practice the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I perform repeatedly and habitually." What does 1 John 3:4-10 tell us about those who purpose and practice sinning habitually?
Fourth, in verse 22 he says, "I delight in the law of God," while in verse 25 he says, "I serve the law of God." But wait a minute. Back in 7:6 Paul said, "We serve not under the old written code." What is the old written code? It's the law of God. Read chapter 2 of Romans. Last, in verse 23 he says he is, "captive to the law of sin," and in verse 25 says, "I serve the law of sin." What did Paul just finish telling us through the entirety of chapter 6? What does he continue telling us through chapter 8? A Christian does not serve the law of sin because he is free from the law of sin. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free…from the law of sin…” (8:2). The word for "serve" here means "bondservant." A slave is similar to an employee. They come in from 8 to 5 and then they are free to go home when they are done. A bondservant has no freedom. When a Jew was set free, if he chose to serve his master, his ear was pierced through by an awl and he became that man's bondservant. We were the bondservants of sin but now we are the bondservants of Christ. He purchased us with His blood. Our entire lives belong to Him to be commanded by Him as He sees fit.
Many people erroneously interpret Romans 7 according to their experience as a Christian. However, if they're careful to examine the language closely, they'll find that their experience is nothing like what is written here. A Christian sometimes fails and falls short, but Paul here says he never does what he knows he should do. Is that the Paul we read about in all his epistles? I think not! People assume he is speaking in present tense because he says "I." However, if you study grammar, there is something called the historical present tense. That is what Paul is using here. He is talking about the law and in order to demonstrate how the law affects us, he uses an illustration from his own life. The entire context from verse 7 through 25 proves this. The Law said "Do not covet." So the good he wanted to do by obeying the law, he found he was not doing. Instead, what he did not want to do by breaking the law, he found he did continually. It all flows smoothly and makes complete sense if people would stop coming to this passage with presuppositions. The Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament says this:
Paul's second elaboration of the goodness of the law is therefore nothing other than a fresh narration of his encounter with "the commandment." His affirmation of the opposition between the law and sin has not yet defined the "location" and character of sin. In exploring afresh his encounter with the commandment Paul marks that "location." Sin "dwells" in the human being (oikein; Rom. 7:17, 18; cf. Rom. 8:9, 11) and does so in such a way that it is inseparable from our person. While in the first narrative he describes the relationship between the law and sin (7:7-12), in this second narrative he describes the relation between sin and self (7:13-25).John tells us that "no one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9). Peter tells us that "if you practice these qualities you will never fall" (2 Peter 1:10). Paul tells us that if we "walk by the Spirit, you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Jesus tells us that "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). Jesus continually turned up the heat on the law and put forth holiness as the righteous standard. Paul even says that Jesus condemned sin in the flesh so that "the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us" (Romans 8:4). The Christian life is one of victory and overcoming. Will the Christian fail from time to time? Yes! But we confess it, repent of it, and press forward toward the mark. John the Baptist warned the Pharisees to "bear fruit (evidence) in keeping with repentance."
Paul had a perfect balance of both principles and application. If you have application without principles, you are merely living in legalism. If you have principles without application, you merely have vain knowledge that tends to puff up. When Scripture commands something, you need to obey it joyfully and with love for Jesus Christ who purchased you with His shed blood. You need to learn the principles and then apply them. Too many people know stuff about the Bible but do not ever apply it to their lives. Have a knowledge of Jesus Christ, apply that knowledge to your life, and live life by faith. We all have the potential to be a Paul if we would but yield ourselves to God and believe correctly regarding what Scripture has to say about us. What we believe determines how we act. Let's correct our way of thinking, believe rightly, and act according to that belief, living lives pleasing unto the Lord.