“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).
Paul’s cry resonates deeply with me. Even though I have repented and turned my mind to do the will of God, I still face this daily struggle. My mind desires to serve God, but my body—the same body I had before—still has its old appetites and desires. Before I came to Christ, my mind and body were in agreement, and there was no internal conflict with the way I lived. But now that I’m in Christ, I feel the tension between the two.
Paul captures this well in Romans 7, where he speaks of two opposing laws—the law of God that my renewed mind delights in, and the law of sin that still operates in my flesh. I’m sure many of us who belong to Christ can relate to Paul’s frustration: wanting to serve God with our minds, yet feeling the pull of sin from our flesh.
But then Paul gives us hope. He writes in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” God knows our struggles, just as Jesus did when He said to the disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Those of us who are in Christ are not condemned because we now walk according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. Romans 8:2 adds that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” There is a new law at work in us—a law that can overcome the law of sin.
To help understand this, an illustration that’s not original to me but has been helpful is the comparison between the law of gravity and the law of aerodynamics. The law of gravity, like the law of sin, affects everyone. It pulls us down, and no matter what we do, we can’t escape it on our own. Imagine trying to climb a mountain—gravity fights you the whole way. It’s exhausting, and even when you reach the top, your feet are still grounded by gravity.
Yet, we know that birds are able to overcome gravity, not by defying it completely but by operating under a higher law—the law of aerodynamics. Humans eventually figured this out, and now we can fly too, not because we’ve somehow made gravity disappear, but because we apply a higher law. However, gravity still exists. If someone were to step out of an airplane, they’d quickly realize that gravity is still very much at work.
This is what Paul is getting at with the two laws. The law of sin is still present in my body, pulling me toward selfishness, pride, and rebellion. But the law of the Spirit—the law of life in Christ—can lift me above it. It doesn’t mean the pull of sin is gone, but as long as I’m walking in the Spirit, I can live in victory. Romans 8:4 explains that those who walk according to the Spirit fulfill the righteous requirement of the law, while those who live according to the flesh are still bound by it.
Like the person in the airplane, I’m free from the pull of sin when I’m operating in the power of the Spirit. But if I stop relying on that power, if I step out of the “plane,” so to speak, I’ll quickly feel the pull of sin dragging me down again. It’s a daily choice to walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” The Spirit empowers me to live above the desires of my flesh, but I have to stay in step with Him.
What does this look like practically? It means continually setting our minds on the things of the Spirit. In Romans 8:5, Paul uses the present tense when he says that those who live according to the Spirit “set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” This shows that it's not a one-time action but an ongoing, daily practice. We do this by regularly spending time in prayer, reading the Word, and being mindful of where our hearts and thoughts are focused. When I notice myself drifting toward anger, pride, or selfishness, I remind myself that the Spirit continually gives me the power to overcome those desires. But it requires a constant, intentional shift in focus—continuously setting my mind on the Spirit, not on my flesh.
Paul also reminds us in Romans 8:23 that, like him, we groan inwardly, longing for the day when we will be completely free from these sinful bodies and receive our resurrected ones. Until that day, though, the battle continues. But we don’t fight this battle alone. We have the Spirit, and while the law of sin is still present in our members, the law of the Spirit is more powerful and able to overcome it.
Yes, we may stumble. Yes, the pull of sin is real. But in Christ, we are no longer condemned. We are free to live the life He’s called us to, empowered by His Spirit. And like Paul, while we confess our wretchedness, we can also rejoice, knowing that we are not bound by the law of sin but are free to walk in newness of life.
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