Searching for the promised fullness of God
Ken Walker - March 2001
(Revision of
Synopsis
Present day believers, whether they be
Evangelical, Charismatic, Pentecostal or Catholic, might rightly ask - Where is
the true and scriptural promised fullness of God that is promised in The Word
of God? Some may believe that have it in full, but the ineptness of the church
at large suggests that the fullness of the Holy Spirit is not as widely seen as
one would hope.. This study probes into Romans 6,7, and 8, which the author
believes holds a key to opening the full treasures of the fullness of God trough
Jesus Christ and His Spirit. The author shows how a wrong interpretation of
Romans 7 leads to a confusing conflict that leads away from the promise
fullness and how a correct understanding of the passage opens the doorway ( by
true Biblical faith ) into the fullness of life promised by St. Paul and other
New Testament writers.
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What should you do during and after reading this study?
When reading, watch for any differences in beliefs or understandings of
scripture that you may have. Mark them for later detailed study. Sometimes we
don't realize what we believe or how we got to that belief until someone says
something different. Such beliefs may need to be suspended until re-examined.
After reading, don't necessarily expect to understand it all - especially after just one read. It took me well over a year to get to appreciate some of the differences that proper examination of scriptures that the Lord seemed to require.
The other thing is that intellectual understanding is insufficient to really understand things which require the teaching of the Spirit of God - and that takes longer. Perseverance, searching and praying - all three - will lead the Lord to reward those who diligently seek Him and His truth..
I too am seeking his fullness and all this is just a beginning.
Ken Walker
Introduction
What is wrong with me? That was Paul's cry in Romans 7. At times it has also
been mine and perhaps many others in the present day church, which does not
always base its beliefs and actions on a full knowledge of the fullness of the
Spirit that the Bible says is within the believer. However, despite the open
expression of his conflict in Romans , Paul went on to say he had been set
free, having already received life through the Spirit of God. He said:
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He
who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will alsogive life to your mortal
bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. (Rom
and John confirmed the fact of the fullness:
"For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon
grace." (John 1:16)
Notice the past tense - it is important. And
this, to let us know we have been set free from the law of sin and death
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you
free from the law of sin and of death." (Rom 8:2)
He obviously had been able to get past his desperation of Romans 7. (He clearly
does this in Romans 8) The apparent difficulty of Romans 7 can be explained by
reference to the whole counsel of scripture. So for those still in the conflict
of that chapter, there is hope for them too. This is the beginning of an
extensive study of the subject.
1 The fullness of the indwelling
Spirit of Christ is certainly available
The fullness that Paul talks about is certainly available. Let's start with
what Jesus Himself said.
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
(John 10:10)
James clearly nominates the Source of that life - the Spirit who dwells in us.
"Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? (James 4:5
And Paul again, in Ephesians, emphasizes the
effect of Christ as In-dweller.
"and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that
you may be filled up to all the fulness of God." (Eph 3:19)
The obvious conclusion to these few introductory verses is that we have
been set free, have beengiven life,
have His Spirit indwelling us, and His fulness wehave
all received and are filled up to all the fulness of God.
Scripture also has many more assertions about the fullness of the Spirit of God
indwelling us. Consider the following five scriptures.
"And I know that when I come to you, I
will come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ." (Rom
By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has
given us of His Spirit. (1 John
"...until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which
belongs to the fulness of Christ." (Eph 4:13)
Notice the completeness and that we have here
- all things - divine nature etc.
"For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you
have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;"
(Col 2:9-10)
"as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and
godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by
which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that
through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Pet 1:3-4)
The power, import and truth of these verses cannot be denied. Very clearly, the New Testament standard is living in the absolute fullness that the Spirit of Christ provides to believers. How is it then that we do not see many living in this fullness so aptly described by Paul and others? That will be examined later in this article. First we need to look at the reason why we can have this fullness in Christ.
2 The reason for the fullness - Christ in you!
Paul reveals the central and ultimate statement on the issue of living in the
fullness of Christ when he says in Colossians " this mystery among
the Gentiles, which is Christ in you."
There it is - Christ in you - Christ
in ME!!! Christ dwelling in any true believer.
This statement comes out of the full verses of Col 1:25-27
"Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from
God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching
of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the
past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints,
to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory."
and then, to personalize the matter:
"it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me"
There it is again - Christ is actually living in me and I ( i.e. my old self )
am not living any more! No wonder Paul was excited in Romans 8 and in Galations.
The full verse comes from Galations 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who
live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and
delivered Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20)
How is it that he says that I am not living?
Where am I? I'm dead, that's what! Paul tells us in Romans 6.
"...our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of
sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; (Rom
6:6)
And if I am not sure on the basis of this one incredible statement, he has
further instruction.
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to
God in Christ Jesus. (Rom
So I can just consider myself ( my old self ) dead - making it possible to
accept his assertion in Galations
So Paul is actually saying that all the old
selves of believers have been dead from the time of the Cross. In a personal
sense I have the benefit of the Cross from when I repented of my sin and
believed in Christ as my Saviour and Lord. So there should be little chance of
my old self getting in the way - because it is dead - and is replaced by the
life and Spirit of Jesus Christ who now lives in me.
If this is true - and it is - then why do we have trouble living out this
fullness in our lives? One reason that has become of interest to the author is
that we may be stuck in the conflict that Paul expressed in Romans 7. Paul also
was stuck in that conflict at one stage and his description of that experience
is set out in Romans 7:14-24. So let us take a look at possible reasons why
inadequate explanations of Romans 7 might cause us difficulty and prevent us
from having that fullness of life.
3 Can we be stuck in the conflict of
Romans 7?
The short answer is YES! Many believers are! By not understanding and
correctly assessing what he is describing. We need to understand his
experience, when it occurred, why he wrote it and when he wrote it.
There are a number of issues to consider.
3.1 Not saved?
One possibility is that I may not be saved. The behaviour of unregenerate people is shown in this verse and is therefore one possible reason why some people (who believe they are Christians, but who) may not really be saved, cannot live in the fullness of Christ.
"...you formerly walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the
spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." (Eph
2:2)
So those sons in the above verse are still sons in Satan's realm and not yet
true sons of God. And, in Ephesians 2 we find the desires of the flesh operating
in those not fully in Christ.
"Among them we too all formerly lived in
the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and
were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." (Eph
2:3)
The old selves (of these children above) still reign, as they have not been
born again.
However, that issue (saved or not) cannot be investigated here. However, is can
be assessed by knowing the requirements of scripture for salvation, especially
from John's first epistle - 1 John.
3.2. Is it the Law?
In Romans 7 Paul also describes the affect of the Law of God on the way we live
our lives. He says that if we are trying to live by the Law of God, or are
unable to live and walk in the Spirit as he commands in many places, the reason
may be that we are then trapped by the demands of the Law and therefore not be
able to live in the fullness of what the New Testament describes as the
standard. That was Paul's problem too - initially.
"And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to
bring death." (Rom 7:10)
Paul found the way through in this way.
"But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were
held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit
and not in the oldness of the letter." (Rom 7:6)
3.3 Caught up in sin?
In the Romans 7 state, Paul said that sin lived in him as per verses 17 and 20.
"So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells
me. (Rom 7:17)
But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing
it, but sin which dwells in me. (Rom 7:20)
If we believe that this sin that Paul talks about still remains as he says it
does, then it could be a factor that inhibits us in living the fullness of
Christ in our daily lives. So we could be stuck in Romans 7 for that reason.
Even though we are saved, there are some verses that show that (somehow) I am
still caught up in sin. An apparent conflict it would seem, for in verse 14Paul
says that:
".... I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. (Rom 7:14)
A Christian, yet still controlled by sin! How could this be? A proper
understanding of Romans 7 helps to resolve this.
By simple observation of people in the church and in the struggles that have
been in my own life from time to time, people seem to live as though they have
some sort of mixture of besetting sin on one hand and of the fullness of the
spirit on the other - as though we live both in Canaan and Egypt at the same
time. Paul's words in these verses indeed imply a conflict of opposing forces
operating in the believer, all at the same time.
"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in
my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil
that I do not wish. (Rom 7:18-19)
These words could probably describe many lives from time to time and on the
face of it, inhibits the fullness of life that should always operate. Instead
of fullness, there can be this state of perpetual conflict. I can recall the
conflict spoken of and have noticed it in many believers. Hardly the fullness
of life that Paul, John and others describe elsewhere. So what is really going
on here? Why is there this apparent conflict?
4. Apparent conflict between Romans
7 and rest of N.T.
These verses in Romans 7, relating to sin and
law seem to leave us in an untenable situation, as though we cannot expect the
fullness of the Spirit of God to operate in us continually. How could Paul
possibly make such wonderful freedom statements in Romans 8 that agree with the
rest of scripture, written by himself and others, which clearly states we have
the fullness of His Spirit dwelling in us. Fortunately, we know that wherever
there is an apparent conflict in what scripture seems to say, we know that
because scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, it can never be out
of harmony and that therefore we are misinterpreting something.
The weight of the New Testament absolutely asserts that fullness of life is
obtained through Christ by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Therefore, Paul
would not and could not write Romans 7 and have it conflict with the rest of
Scripture. Consequently, these apparent conflicts mentioned in Romans 7 that
seem to differ with the rest of his positive assertions, must have another
explanation. There simply cannot be a contradiction such as this in the Word of
God. So let us try and see what Paul is really saying in Romans 7, firstly by
examining a range of commentaries.
4.1 Escaping the contradiction -
some Bible Commentary review
Whatever answer we come up with here, it cannot be an answer that leaves us in
an apparent conflict and contradiction which Romans 7: 14-24 seems to describe.
Our answer must be in accord with Paul and John's other descriptions of the
indwelling Christ that fills us for his purposes. Somehow, Romans 7 must be in
unity with the fullness of the indwelling Spirit described elsewhere. This is
where we must depart from some opinions found in Bible Commentaries. Many
commentaries allow the conflict and contradiction to remain, leaving many
believers in a constant war. On this point, Professor Daniel Steel - Professor
of Greek at Boston University in Chapter 8 of Half-Hours with St. Paul says
that:
"Romans 7 cannot be seen to make the gospel as great a failure as the law
in its reconstruction of the human character. He said that no understanding of
Romans 7 that leaves a contradiction between it and the rest of scripture can
be a true interpretation. Also, that nowhere else in scripture does he intimate
that sin dwells in him." (Steel pp 71-72)
4.1.1 The Bible Knowledge Commentary
by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck.
My otherwise reliable commentary The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F.
Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, makes the following statement about Romans 7.
"even as believers we have an indwelling principle of sin that once owned
me as a slave and that still expressed itself to have me do things I do not
want to do, concluding that this is a problem common to all believers."
and:
"The indwelling principle of sin is
constantly mounting a military campaign against the new nature, trying to gain
victory and control of a believer and his actions." ( Zuck P468)
They apparently do not see the conflict with the rest of the New Testament
which says believers should have the fullness of God operating in them.
4.1.2 "Zondervan NIV Bible
Commentary by Kenneth L Barker and John R. Kohlenberger 111
Another commentary, "Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary by Kenneth L Barker
and John R. Kohlenberger 111, after skirting around all the theoretical
possibilities, then say:
Perhaps the most satisfying approach to those verses in Romans VII is that the
experience pictured here is not wholly autobiographical but is deliberately
presented in such a way as to demonstrate what the situation would indeed be if
someone who is faced with the demands of the law and apparent sin in his life
were to try to solve his problem independently of the power of Christ and the
enablement of the Holy Spirit. That is, Paul is hypothetically describing what
life under the law would be like if it was seen according to the logic of its
nature. A parallel use of this methodology may be seen in Ecclesiastes. The
writer knows God personally, but purposely and deliberately views life from the
standpoint of his natural self in order to expose it as meaningless, empty and
of lasting value. ( pp 559 of Barker)
Well, that is an improvement, as it allows Paul the truth and honesty of his
words and does not negate them, and allows the liberty of jumping fully into
Romans 8 and all its fullness without any mention of the problems mentioned in
Romans 7. But it does not fully answer the issue because in Romans 7 Paul is
talking as a believer with at least some measure of the Spirit. (although
Barker does allow for this description to be of a person not having much of the
power of the Spirit)
Further possible understandings of Romans 7:14-23 are as follows.
4.1.3 Reverend Albert Barnes. The Popular
Family Commentary on the New Testament-Volume 4.
He regarded these verses "as describing the state of Paul under the gospel
and describing the operations of the mind of Paul subsequent to his conversion.
He says it could not be written by an impenitent sinner because of the expressions
that are used and it accords with the experience of Christians. Barnes
considers that the descriptions in these verses exhibits Paul's own experiences
after he became a Christian. It is Paul looking back on the time of his
struggles with coming into the fullness of life. It was not Paul writing of his
current experience." (Barnes pp 168-169)
That sounds more reasonable!! Another enlightened view follows.
4.1.4 William R. Newell - Romans Verse by
Verse.
He says that "we must remember that this struggle that Paul writes about
is not a description of an experience he was having, but the experience he had
as a regenerate man before he knows either about indwelling sin, or that he
died to sin and to the Law, which gives sin its power; and who also does not
yet know the Holy Spirit, as an indwelling presence and power against sin. God
let Paul have that experience, so that we may read and not only know the facts
of our salvation, the guilt of sin, but also the moral hideousness of our old
selves and our powerlessness, though regenerate, to deliver ourselves from the
law of sin in our members." (Newell pp 273)
In addition, Newell added:
"Furthermore, Paul spent three years alone in Arabia soon after his
conversion, probably struggling in vain to compel the flesh to obey the Law, to
have revealed to his weary soul that he had died with Christ - to sin
and to Law which sin had used as its power." (Newell pp 260)
So from that time on, Paul would have been free from conflict relating to sin
and law, for the last 17 years before he wrote Romans 7.
4.2 An assessment of these views
compared with scripture
Steel, Barnes and Newell, make a lot of sense to me. Whilst in Arabia, Paul
apparently went through a period during which he did not know the full truth of
the gospel as he should, but would eventually apply to his life. Paul had to
learn too! So there is hope for us! Thank God he was led to stay there until
the fullness of the truth of the gospel was revealed to his brilliant and
dedicated mind.
On the basis of these views, I have formed an understanding of Romans 7:14-24 ,
using the following chronology of Paul's life.
He was converted in AD 37
He went to Arabia in AD 38 staying there 3 years
He wrote Romans in AD 57, some 17 years later.
These dates are important as it can be seen
that Paul - in A.D. 57 when he wrote Romans - was not describing current
experience, but was looking back on the experience of when he was a new
Christian and the difficulties he had in growing out of the milk into the meat.
Paul had said too much about fullness of life in Christ in other letters to be
still in a negative conflict, so we can be assured he had learned to live out
that fullness.
As he experienced these early times, Paul knew intellectually that he was
"dead to sin" and tried to live that way without the full realization
that he had to do it without reference to the Law - and so he failed as many of
us have done ( by wrong interpretation of Romans 7 and consequences following),
not realizing the full truth, until guided by the Holy Spirit into that full
truth. His words describe the awful dilemma.
"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this
body of death? (Rom 7:24)
So it seems that these words indicate the latter part of the experience in Arabia,
just before he was brought into full knowledge by the Spirit of God. Then he
had 17 more years of living that way before he wrote Romans.
But for us with the benefit of the full scriptures, we can see in Romans
7:14-23 that Paul uses the word " I" (meaning my-self ) no less than
23 times and either "me" or "my" 8 times. So there are 31
references to the personal self of Paul. This reveals Paul's own limited
knowledge and experience at the time ( not at the time of writing Romans, which
was 17 years later - but early after his conversion) he was still focused on
his own self, his old man, the same one that had been crucified with Christ.
His old self was actually dead ( and been replaced with the life of Christ) and
could not have been doing all those Romans 7 strivings, except by allowing the
Law to dominate him, not fully realizing the fullness of the indwelling Spirit
that was actually available.
That's why Newell was able to say that Paul's sinful self was (now) NOT
HIS REAL SELF. He had temporally forgotten or ignored that his real
(old man) self had died with Christ. He in effect was under a delusion that he
had personal power to operate in an independent fashion.
Newell speaks of this delusion. He mentions Paul saying that we strength-less naturally and therefore we are either servants of God or servants of sin. He then goes on to say that, "Man hates this fact. He boasts his independence, whether it be in the realm of intellect - "free thought!" in the matter of private wealth - "independent!" or in the manner of government - "free!" But all this is really a delusion." (Newell pages 241 ) Man does not have the power to operate in an independent fashion. Modern Christian man needs to realize this - he is either one or the other - a servant of God or a servant of sin!
4.3. More on Paul's learning experience of
A.D 37-40
To be spiritually effective, Paul found out that he had to let the Spirit of
God rule his life. Paul had to stop striving to live by his flesh and the
strength of his will, as this had the effect of bringing the power of the law
against him. In that situation it was impossible for him to succeed. In effect
he created a pseudo separate self that was trying to rule and live out of the
old self, whilst at the same time having the life of Christ in him. He, at that
time, did not fully realize that his old self was in fact dead and that he
should have been able to live through the life of Christ. Nor did he realize at
that stage that the more he tried to live by his own efforts, the more the law
made it impossible to do so. Hence his conflict of having the Spirit of God,
but no power from the presence of the Spirit. (Does that sound familiar?) The
state in which he found himself was not clearly on either side, but in a sort
of pseudo independent position which was neither real nor had any future.
Fortunately for him and for us, he was guided out of this false position.
So during the stage of his actual experience of Romans 7 Paul was quite
confused (verses 7-24 indicate that) and to help us know the confusion of
entering into the fullness of life, he has shared his learning experience with
us. It is us, in eras since Paul, that have misinterpreted what Paul has been
saying to us in Romans 7.
If it is looked at quite simply it is not so difficult to see. If in Romans 6
Paul's self is dead and in Romans 8 he has a new self which is Christ in him,
then what is all the fuss about in Romans 7? It is simply his transitional
experience as he moved from a knowledge of the former old self to a full and
working knowledge of the power of his new self - the indwelling Spirit of God
in a believer.
The following paragraphs reveal Newell's view of Paul's experience.
Paul had to find out that sin did dwell in him though he delighted in God's
law. He had to discover that his own will was powerless against this sin and
that the sinful self was not his (new) real self. Also, that
there was deliverance only through our Lord Jesus Christ and (an awareness) the
presence (and fullness ) of His Spirit within us.
4.4. Two sides of the spiritual
world.
Based on Paul's apparent difficulty described above, this next section is to
explain that there are actually only two sides to the spiritual world. There is
no neutral position somewhere in-between where a person can sit, not fully
committed to either. Either we are on one side or the other. Jesus said this
when He said:
"He who is not with Me is
against Me, ...." (Mat 12:30) and:
"For he who is not against us is on our side. (Mark 9:40)
There is no sitting on the fence. Consider the following comparisons. The Bible
mentions no middle ground between these extremes. Every persons life is
either......
....with God or against Him.
.....In the Kingdom of God or of Satan
.....in light or darkness
.....by the Spirit of truth or spirit of error.
.....as slaves of righteousness or slaves of lawlessness.
.....with sin dwelling in us or free from sin and death
......the new man or the old man
......by the Spirit or under the Law
......everlasting life or a life corrupted
......from the power of God or from Satan.
......as children of God or children of wrath
......life and peace or dead in trespasses.
......justified or condemned.
......from God's wisdom or man's wisdom.
So how does all this relate to Romans 7 and what Paul says there?
We must remember that Paul was a well trained Pharisee and had tried to live up
to the Law of Moses all his life. When Paul was converted, he knew that he had
salvation, but at that early stage he did not fully realize what fullness was
available to him, nor how to achieve it. Consequently, he tried by his own
efforts to live out the law, his efforts to do this only leaving him in a
frustrated state, when the Law snared him into sin.
"Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of
death." ( Rom 7:24)
Remember, evidence has been given earlier that Paul is telling here of his
experience 17 years earlier when he went through this learning process. It
cannot be his current state. After all, he had written many other letters (at
least 5) before Romans, where he actually recorded these conflicting experience
of Romans 7 he had during A.D. 37-40. So even Paul initially fell into the trap
of trying to live out the law, and in so doing, fell into the trap of thinking
that he was in some other independent position (of dubious and pseudo reality).
In relation to this, Barker has said that, " that Paul was trying to solve
his problem independently of the power of Christ and the enablement of the
Spirit. ( Barker pp 559 ) He knew he did not have the fullness of the Spirit
because he was not living to the relative perfection that the Spirit had told
him was possible.
So from what we have looked at here, all people are in a position of either
being not of God - or of God. There is no other position or anything in-between
the two. Paul, while he was having his Romans 7 experience had been confused
about what was happening, but he was really operating back in Satan's realm
through the deception of Satan by trying to live by the Law he knew so well.
Present day Christians who do not realize the full implications of a wrong interpretation
of Romans 7 can never truly get into the fullness of life offered that is
inherent in a full understanding of the passage.
The question might then be asked - "so if this is all true and we are
really operating in the fullness of the indwelling Spirit, does that mean that
we do not sin?" Of course not! It means we do not sin habitually. Consider
that we have moved our home from Egypt to Canaan - from being dead in sin to
being alive in Christ Jesus. Whilst we live in our new home and are able to
stay there and live there, we may occasionally sin (going back into Egypt) but
we do not live there. Our new home is in Canaan. So when we find ourselves in
Egypt by virtue of our sin, we confess our sin according to 1 John 1:9 and go
back to our home in Canaan. We do not - as previous understandings of Romans 7
would have us believe - divide our time between the two places, some in defeat
(Egypt) and some in victory ( Canaan). Living without sin being habitual,
should be the true and normal state of a believer.
Trying to live in the fullness of God on the basis of a wrong interpretation of
Romans 7 actually leaves a Christian living with many quite serious effects on
his life. After first looking at and comparing the different sorts of views, we
will outline some of the effects of living with a wrong understanding of this
passage.
5. The effect of wrong understanding
of Romans 7
5.1 Comparison of three views
It is clear that when a Christian lives with the correct interpretation of
Romans 7 the believer gets to know of the degree of the fullness of God that is
available. Other previous interpretations of Romans 7 have led to many problems
which had the effect of inhibiting the growth and development of the believer.
There are three main interpretations of Romans 7:14-24.
5.1.1. Entire Sanctification -
Holiness view
One view which began back in the days of Wesley said that we could be perfect
in Christ by going through two stages, firstly justification, and then into the
fullness of the spirit by the elimination of the "old man", he being
replaced by the "new man" of righteousness and holiness - sometime
after regeneration. However, justification, the death of the old man and the
coming of the Spirit of God all occur at salvation. Also, scripture seems to
assert that the fullness is potentially available from the time of
regeneration. Thirdly, absolute perfection is not considered possible this side
of heaven. The evidence of the Christian world, suggests that such perfection
is rare, although the Lord in His mercy may have graced certain saints with
higher degrees of holiness.
5.1.2 "The Struggle Continues"
view
The second view is far more widespread. This is the view shared by most
Christians known to me and from what I have read, or learned from older
experienced pastors is the view common to most present day believers. This view
which I might refer to as "The Struggle Continues" suggests that when
we are saved we have two natures, and as a matter of course live with the old
nature battling against the new nature. This view then relies on the freedom of
Romans 8 to (somewhat mysteriously) overcome the old nature, without there
being any clarity as to the actual process. That was the view that I was taught
for 20 years in the faith. Having heard this view from a wide range of churches
and friends, I accepted it, but struggled with the effects of all this in
trying to have a fullness of life that sometimes seemed like an impossibility.
5.1.3. An Enlightened view
To reiterate the alternate view of Romans 7 being developed in this study, we would say this. That the description of Paul's experience in Romans 7:14-24 was his experience of his struggles in trying to come into the fullness of the Spirit after his salvation. It was not his experience as a Christian experiencing the fullness of God, as per Romans 8. Paul's later experience was as sin being defeated and not having any dominant part of his life, knowing that he did not have to try to live by the Law to achieve fullness. Moreover, if he did try to do that, he would only experience defeat at the hands of the Law. There is no doubt that Paul's experience of his fully developed Christian life was that life was given to him through the Spirit that dwelt in him - as per Romans 8:11.
"But if the Spirit of
Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who
dwells in you." (Rom 8:11)
This fullness is a far cry from the struggles and difficulties inherent in the
present day church, as, in its acceptance that "The Struggle
Continues". It is a falsity ( perhaps through the deception of Satan) for
the believer to think that some life exists in the old nature, which scripture
tells us is dead. The old self cannot be modified or changed as many teachers
and churches suggest. For a Christian the old self is dead. So how can
something dead be so much trouble? It is only trouble if we don't treat it as
dead and try to do something with it.
5.2 Effects of living with a wrong
understanding of Romans 7.
There are some very significant effects of living with an incorrect
understanding of Romans 7. Some of these are:
An honest assessment of these brief points in relation to the present day church would show the types and levels of confusion mentioned. The correct interpretation of Romans 7 - enlightened view - clearly shows that the inhibitions mentioned here, when discarded, leave one open to the true filling of the Spirit of God in all its fullness.
5.3. Trouble in the church?
Newell is far more able than I to sum up the
issues relating to Romans 7 that may well effect both believers and the church
in which they serve. Here are three useful points.
5.3.1 Wrong teaching?
This next footnote from Newell clearly says
that in his opinion, the reformed tradition of the church does not teach Romans
7 correctly.
"To anyone who has examined their writings, there is the inescapable
conclusion that the Reformed theologians - truly godly men - have kept
the vision of believers confined generally to the propitiatory work of Christ,
not seeing - at least, not setting forth clearly, the ending of our history in
identification with Christ - thus freeing us from sin, law, and the old
creation, and setting us wholly on resurrection ground, in Christ Jesus.
God's identifying us with Christ in His
death was just as sovereign an act as was God's transferring our sins to
Christ. It did not proceed from
His incarnation for He was "holy," and "separated from
sinners." There was absolutely no union with sinful humanity except at the
cross! There was no "union with humanity" with Christ in His earthly
life! We would be horrified at the teaching that Christ was bearing our sins
from His incarnation! But, if these were "laid on Him at the Cross, so
also was "our old man" then, at the cross, and not before, so
identified with Him as to be crucified with Him. It was God's
sovereign, inscrutable act, in both matters: done at the cross, not
before!" (Newell pp 255)
That comment seems to also be true today. Moreover, my own experience (although
limited - no one can know what all people are thinking or teaching) suggests
that neither do many Evangelical, Charismatic or Pentecostal traditions teach
in this way. However, I do know of 2 Baptist Pastors who do teach the more
enlightened view in this study. Just as rare in my experience is any teaching
on Romans 6,7 or 8.
5.3.2 Do all believers really have
the Spirit of God?
" (Do) earnest "church members" today have all the Holy
Spirit? Here and there is one who has the witness, "Abba, Father
" ; who testifies boldly that Jesus Christ is his Lord; who has a burden
of prayer for the lost; who has a yearning for the fellowship of the lost, and
a hunger for God's Word. What about the rest? They are occupied with various
"Christian" activities. Or, having in most cases (I speak of earnest
souls) a Seventh of Romans experience, not knowing themselves fully
accepted of God on the ground of Christ's work, and not knowing the
deliverance that is through Christ Jesus by the indwelling Holy Spirit from the
power of sin and selfishness and worldliness, and sometimes - awful to say! not
willing to come out and be separate from that world which crucified their Lord
(and is not sorry!) they become part of the present ecclesiastical system, - as
Jews were of that system.
You ask, are such people Christians? If they have finally broken with sin, and
are -praying to God alway," they belong, indeed, in the company of
Cornelius (Acts 10), who was a devout man, but was not yet in the Christian
position. Two steps led him to the Christian position: first,
faith in Christ that his sins were remitted. (Acts 10.43); second, the gift of
the Holy Ghost, which followed (Acts 11.15-18.) " (Newell footnote on pp
300)
5.3.3 Clarifying the issue
"Therefore this conflict of Paul's, instead of being an
example to you, is a warning to you to keep out of it by means
of God's plain words that you are not under law but under grace.
But now you will adopt one of two courses:
either you will read of and avoid the great struggle Paul had, under
law, to make the flesh obedient by law, - with its consequent discovery of no
good in him, and no strength; with his despairing cry, Who shall deliver
me?" and the blessed discovery of deliverance through our Lord Jesus
Christ and by the indwelling Spirit: and this is, of course, the true way, -
for you are not under law. It is the God-honouring path, for it is the way of
faith. It is the wisest, because in it you profit by the struggle and
testimony of another, written out for your benefit.
The second course, (and alas, the one followed by most in their distress and
longing after a holy life), is to go through practically the same struggle as
Paul had, - until you discover for yourself experientially what he found. In
this latter course you will be like Bunyan's pilgrim who fell into the Slough
of Despond.
If we (as Gentiles who were not put under the
Law by God), were able to believe, simply to believe, I say, that we
died federally with Christ, we should enter into the blessed state of
deliverance belonging to a risen one, who knows both that he died and
that he is in Christ - not under law: and the "struggle" would be
avoided. Rather, there would be a walk of faith, both in Christ's work, and the
Holy Spirit's indwelling power.
And, if we can learn from Paul's struggle in this Seventh Chapter, the lessons
Paul seeks to teach us - of the fact that we cannot be what we would, because
of the inveterate, incurable evil of our flesh - of "the sin that dwelleth
in us," and that deliverance is "through Christ Jesus our Lord,"
- through faith in Him, as having become identified with us as we were, and
having thus effected our death, with Him, to sin, and all the 'I must"
claims of our old standing: so that we count ourselves dead to sin, and
alive unto God in Christ Jesus, - it will be well! We shall be
blessed!" (Newell pp 262-3)
6 What part does faith play in all
this?
Under the view that "The Struggle Continues" the Christian has great
difficulty in applying faith according to what scripture says on the subject.
Imagine for example, how a believer pleases God when he is constantly battling
with the effects of an incorrectly viewed Romans 7 - a fight between a supposed
sin nature and a saved self.
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Heb 11:6)
Under this scripture, when faith does not
seem to work, it seems impossible to please God, or get the rewards that are
promised. Ever had that experience?
Another scripture is perhaps the most important.
"Then He touched their eyes, saying,
"Be it done to you according to your faith." (Matt
9:29)
Some versions of scripture say, "According to your faith be it unto
you."
From that example, one could assume that if the man did not have faith, he
would not have been healed.
"Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are
possible to him who believes." (Mark 9:23)
So if your faith lacks or is difficult to maintain, you get very little,
perhaps even nothing - for everything is by faith - Everything!!!
That's what the verse says and means. So how important is faith in our
participation in this Christian life? Without faith, nothing works - and we get
nothing ! Therefore, if a wrong view of Romans 7 gets in the way, true Biblical
faith cannot work. Another example follows of the workings of faith and its
necessity.
But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your
faith has made you well." And at once the woman was made well.
(Mat 9:22)
Without faith she would not have been made well. Moreover, we are told by
Habakkuk and reminded by Paul that the righteous shall live by faith.
"Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith. (Hab 2:4)
"For in it the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS
man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (Rom 1:17)
Paul even reminds his fellow Jews that if they did not exhibit faith and
continued to operate in unbelief, they would be cut off. Perhaps this verse is
also a warning to gentile believers.
Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by
your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; " (Rom 11:20)
Even though this verse was also directed at Jews, it is still a warning against
unbelief.
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Heb 3:19)
Faith should not be that difficult. After all, we utilized faith when we were
saved. Why should it be any more difficult to have faith for fullness in this
life.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; " (Eph 2:8)
Paul reminds us we gained the Spirit by hearing with faith.
"This is the only thing I want to find
out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the
Law, or by hearing with faith?" (Gal 3:2)
Finally, some of the practicalities of living by faith are expressed in these
scriptures.
"And since we have gifts
that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them
accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;"
(Rom 12:6)
"for we walk by faith, not by sight-- " (2 Cor 5:7)
"But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me
your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
(James 2:18)
We can conclude from this brief examination of faith and its requirements, that
without faith it is impossible to live the Christian life fully. In fact, it is
really impossible to live it at all - for everything is by faith. So even when
we have the right interpretation of Romans 7 we still require faith to make it
all work, so that the Lord can use us in His work of redemption and bringing
comfort to those who do not know of their sin or the Lord or His purposes.
If you the
reader have been stuck in Romans 7 because of a wrong interpretation of it,
then these are the doorways into true faith through which you can walk.
Doorway 1 Christ in
you - by faith
Know that Christ is in you by clarifying your understanding of Romans 7 so that
it is not a hindrance to moving into the fullness of Romans 8. Know that there
has been a full exchange of your old self for the new self of Jesus Christ.
Doorway 2 Experiential knowledge of the fullness - by faith
Knowing and having the Spirit of God reveal the potential fullness of Galations
2:20 to your being.
Doorway 3 Abiding in Christ - by faith
Abiding in Christ as per John 15 and other scriptures.
This leads to Fullness of life in Christ
7 Where does sanctification fit into all
this?
This verse connects sanctification and faith.
"To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from
the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith
in Me." (Acts 26:18)
It shows that we are sanctified by the operation of our faith in God. Many
books on sanctification deal with the removal of fleshly aspects of the self
and try to improve it, thus compounding the problem, because it deals with
things on a wrong premise. The old self is dead and therefore cannot be
improved or sanctified.
Moreover, Luke and John say that our hearts are purified by faith and truth.
"and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their
hearts by faith." (Acts 15:9)
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."
(John 17:17)
Sanctification is the Lord's work and, we have promises concerning it that He
will not break.
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Th 5:23)
"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." (1 Th 5:24)
However, we have a part to play also - that we behave in controlled moderate ways.
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification:
that you should abstain from sexual immorality; " (1 Th 4:3)
"For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness." (1 Th 4:7)
Sanctification then is,
a something provided in full at our regeneration. From there on, with the help
and cooperation of the Spirit of God we live in and apply faith to every
situation of our daily lives. The Lord does the work in us. Our task is to
maintain our faith in Jesus Christ in all circumstances as He does the work in
us.
Summary
We have concluded that:
4.1 Jesus finished work on the cross, was not just salvation and eternal life, but by design, included the operating of the fullness of the indwelling Spirit of Christ in the believer.
4.2. There is absolutely no doubt that
Galations 2:20 and Colossians 1:25-27 mean far more than seems to be commonly
taught in the Christian world and, that if experienced correctly will
revolutionize one's life. Clarification of Romans 7 opens up one of the
doorways into fullness of life.
4.3 Paul's description of his experience in Romans 7 has been a most confusing
part of scripture and has been interpreted in many ways, some of these being
harmful to the gaining of that fullness.
4.5 Paul's experience of learning how to obtain the fullness of the Spirit was learned in his early days after his conversion, but he did not write about it until 17 years later.
4.6 There are only two sides to the spiritual
kingdom and Paul's description of his experience in Romans 7:14-24 has made it
seem that there was an independent self that had a choice of life options. We
believe that is an incorrect assumption.
4.7. Like Paul, we can also be delivered from that wretched state and into the
fullness of life intended.
4.8. All things are possible with faith. Without true faith, we get nothing.
Email: kgww-@tpg.com.au Ken Walker. PLEASE NOTE. When using this email address, please remove the dash (-) before the @ otherwise the email will not work. This dash is there to stop search engines picking up my true email address and bombarding me with useless emails.