An Ongoing Struggle...

"Without the aid of trained emotions the intellect is powerless against the animal organism." --C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

Spring-boarding from my previous post, we continue to look at the ever-present struggle that goes on within the heart and life of the Christian. As we saw last time in Romans 7:14-25, oftentimes we give in to our carnal, human self when, in fact, what we desire is just the opposite. From where does this inner-struggle come? What causes it? Why do we continually have to battle something (sin, unrighteousness) that Christ has overcome for us? From where does this "desire to do the opposite of what we're doing" come? Again looking at the Romans 7:14 passage, we notice that in verse 21 Paul states, "I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good." Here, Paul continues to describe the struggle....we know from whence the carnal, sinful side of the struggle comes....we are born with it....so what is it that "counter-balances" these battles? As we read on into Romans Chapter 8, Paul gives tells us plainly in verse 2, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to overcome temptations and enables us to defeat the sin and unrighteousness in our lives. C.S. Lewis states, "Without the aid of trained emotions the intellect is powerless against the animal organism." A Pastor I served under used to say, "The same Spirit that indwells us when we are born-again also continues to teach us." Just as we are "born" with our carnality, unrighteousness and sinful nature, we are "born-again" as the Spirit of God indwells us forever changing us and, along life's way, teaching us, forming us, and making us more like Christ. It is this Spirit of God that counter-balances our struggle. While, as Paul says, the struggle is ever-present, it is this Spirit of God alone that can "train our emotions" so we are "empowered against the animal organism." Who is winning your battle??? Thanks be to God, for His unspeakable gift!