For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law in my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Romans 7:22,23
I see the weight slowly creeping up as I step on the bathroom scales each day, and I make a little mental note to myself to do something about it. My plan involves four steps: cutting back on portion sizes at mealtimes, eliminating as many carbohydrates as possible from my diet, reducing the amount of snacks in the evenings, and adding more exercise to my daily schedule. It’s actually a very good plan, but so far, it has not helped me to shed any of the extra weight. The problem is, whenever I try to implement one of the four steps, along comes a delicious meal that cries out for seconds, a dessert that appeals to my sweet tooth, a tasty snack that keeps popping into my mouth, or a fascinating web page that is far more fascinating than a hike around the subdivision. You get the picture: my good intentions get overwhelmed by the things that appeal to my taste buds or my curiosity. The law of a healthy lifestyle – which leads to a better life – is overcome by the law of overeating and inactivity – which leads to poor health and sickness. In the spiritual realm, that’s what the apostle Paul is referring to when he speaks of the clash between the law of God – which leads to life – and the law of sin – which leads to death – in his experience.
People who are addicted to smoking and drink often make promises to themselves and others to quit. For most of them, the promises are kept only until the first temptation comes along. Those vices are like the law of sin, which takes precedence over the law of God in the lives of sinners. Because Christians have the power and support of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the law of sin and live according to the law of God. I say, we can, but too many times, we don’t. Because we spend too much time occupied with the things of the world and too little time in the Word, we lack the wisdom and strength to resist the temptations that come. Because we spend too much time in the company of unbelievers and too little time in the company of saints, we lose the benefits of fellowship with the Lord’s people. Because we spend too much energy pursuing money, popularity, and entertainment and too little energy promoting the furtherance of the Gospel, we waste our lives on the temporary and lose out on the eternal.
We are victorious Christians only in as much as we delight in the law of God and avoid the captivity of the law of sin. -Jim MacIntosh