Romans 7: 21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
This is such a great encouraging piece of scripture. Paul is writing here and saying that he finds there is a law at work. You don’t have to like the law, or agree with it, or you can pretend it does not exist. However a law is something that works whether you ignore or it or like it or not.
So Paul is saying he feels like he is trapped between body and spirit. In his spirit (his inner being) he delight’s in God’s law, but in his body there is sin that constantly works death in him. Sin leads to death and it is the law of sin that is permanently with us. We cannot escape it or outrun it. It is at war with our spirit. So Paul does not give a solution, he is just painting a picture. He says “What a wretched man I am!”
I know how he feels. My inner man delights in his laws, but it is a constant struggle to come to terms with the sin that constantly pulls us away from that light.
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!R