Paul’s epistles have much to say about the conflict between the old and new natures. This conflict continually goes on in the believer. God has a gracious purpose in permitting this conflict and it has its real ultimate advantages to the believer. Christ’s abundant provision has been afforded us for spiritual victory, but before considering all this, let’s deal first with the fact of the conflict itself.

Concerning this conflict, the Apostle Paul writes this by Holy Spirit inspiration.

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Gal. 5:17).

All of us would have to admit that on many levels of our daily life we as Christians know to do right, but we don’t do right, and we also know not to do wrong, but sometimes we do wrong. Regarding this conflict in his own personal experience, Paul writes of the same problem.

“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

“For I delight in the law of God after the inward (soul) man:

“But I see another law in my (body) members, warring against the law (principal) of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my (flesh body) members” (Rom. 7:19, 22-23).

It has been taught by some that we need not experience this continual strife between the old nature and the new. They say, ‘Just get out of the Romans 7 (where Paul articulates the conflict within believers and into his answer for it found) and into Romans 8.’ But they should note that the Apostle Paul wrote Romans 7 and 8 at the very same sitting. In the original the letter, there is no punctuation; Paul’s letter goes right on from 7 to 8 without interruption, without even a chapter division.

Thus, the same apostle who exclaims: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1), refers in the same letter, only a few sentences before, writes in the present tense, “the law (spontaneous operation) of sin which IS in my members.” Paul is freely acknowledging the present operation of that “law of sin” operating within his own flesh body members, as we saw earlier.

So then how shall we get out of Romans 7 and into Romans 8? Paul experienced both at the same time, and so do we.

The fact is that while we are free from the condemnation of sin (cf. Rom 8:1a), the sinful flesh nature nevertheless launches sinful impulses exerted in body and mind, continuing to work within us to tempt us with the Devil’s “firey darts.” Many times Christians are unwarily deceived by the Devils lying impulses, thinking it’s just them failing again. But that is the lie of the Evil one that they fell for.

“Sin in the flesh” would often tempt us with an awful thought, whether jealousy, anxiety, fear, hatefulness, grossly sinful sexual thoughts, or other sinful thoughts… and then the Devil accuses us of having that awful thought that he shot into our mind. This is his way of dividing us from our union with the Lord (in our mind), to make us feel unworthy of the Lord. We should know that we are unworthy in and of our self, but our worthiness is found “in Christ”; He alone makes us acceptable to God the Father.

“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he (God) hath made us accepted in the beloved (in Christ).” (Ephesians 1:6)

It is true that no amount of striving can improve the old Adamic nature, but it is not true that there should be no strife between the old and new natures, otherwise Paul’s exhortations not to “yield” to the dictates of the old nature, but to “put off” the deeds of the old man and “mortify,” or put to death our earthward inclinations, would all be meaningless.

It’s an undeniable fact that the conflict described in Romans 7 is experienced in the life of every believer. Accordingly, can those who say that we should get out of or deny Romans 7 as our present reality and say they have come to the place where they can consistently do the righteous things that they intend, that “the law of sin” no longer operates in their members. Can they say, in their experience, they have been wholly delivered from Sin? If so, then their experience would then disagree with Paul’s:

“The good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do”; they need not cry with Paul: “O wretched man that I am!”

Apparently they need not “wait” with Paul “for the hope of [perfect, personal] righteousness by faith.” They can take their stand with those who teach sinless perfection and eradication of the old nature. If they’re not prepared to make these claims, then they should acknowledge the truth seen here as their present reality.

“the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Gal 5:17, KJV)

If it were asked; how we are to be blamed if we “cannot do the things that we would,” I would reply that Galatians 5:17 was not written to teach us our helplessness, but rather our utter depravity. The “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is ever-present within us and willing to give us needed help and empowerment. The fact is that we as unrenewed souls are so inherently bad due to the remnants of the old nature still expressed in our unrenewed minds, that we do not consistently succeed in the righteous things; the flesh wages relentless war to prevent us from doing them consistently.

It’s true that the believer has been made “free from sin (Sin’s power)” by grace (Rom. 6:14, 18); that is, he need not and should not, yield to sin in any given case (Rom. 6:12-13). It is also true that the believer is “free from the law (the regulating nature) of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). The truth is that Christ destroyed the power of sin over us at the cross, when He also bore the death penalty for our sins.

Even now, no believer is free from the presence of what Paul calls “the law of sin which is in my members;” that is, from the old Sin nature, with its inherent consistent bent to do wrong. Nor are we free from its conflict with the new nature.

So, if we would be truly spiritual and deal in a Scriptural way with the sin that indwells us, we must clearly recognize its presence; we must face the fact that while we are no longer “in sin,” sin is still in us, and that though the “old man” is counted as having died with Christ, he is still alive and very active as far as our experience is concerned in the form of his lies and temptations.

The Blessings of the Conflicting Natures:

This ongoing conflict between the two indwelling natures in a believer should not discourage us because this conflict is one of the sure signs of our true salvation. The conflict does not exist in the unbeliever because it is only the additional presence of the new nature, along with the old, that causes this conflict; “these are contrary the one to the other.” If we did not experience this conflict at all it could only mean that we were not regenerated by and with “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”

These two natures dwelling within believers are so utterly incompatible, inner strife and conflict is inevitable. If we as believers know little of this conflict it can only mean that the old nature, in any of its subtle, deceitful forms, has attained the upper hand. When the new nature asserts itself via the conscience, as it should, the old Sin nature is sure to “war” against it.

But not only is the conflict within us a sure sign of salvation; it also creates within us a deep and necessary sense and recognition of the inward corruption of our soul-self. Then we recognize and appreciate the infinite grace and mercy of a holy God in saving us and ministering to us daily as we trust Christ in us to help us to overcome Sin. This recognition again gives us a more understanding approach as we proclaim “the gospel of the grace of God” to the lost.