Are we CURRENTLY "of the flesh" and "sold under sin" OR are we "set free" and "in the Spirit"?

One of the greatest theological questions that has ever faced the church (or should I say "the church since the 5th century"?) is, "What did the Apostle Paul mean when he penned Romans 7?" Was Paul talking about his present struggle with sin in the passage or was he referring to either his life before Christ or the life of someone else outside of Christ?

For many years of my Christian life, I sided with St. Augustine (who actually changed his position) and the Protestant Reformers that Paul was talking about his current life struggle with sin. 

And due to that "tradition", many Christian leaders today continue to teach that the Apostle Paul was simply being honest in his ongoing battle with sin. It seems so humble of him and teachers will argue provides a great example for us. 

HOWEVER, was that the way Paul intended his chapter to be interpreted? The ENTIRE EARLY CHURCH for over 300 years with a single, uniform voice (whenever they addressed this passage) did NOT BELIEVE PAUL WAS WRITING ABOUT HIS CURRENT STRUGGLE WITH SIN.

What we find is once again St. Augustine's "tradition" (and that is EXACTLY WHAT it is!) moved the church away from the earlier, apostolic understanding of the passage. Sadly, it was due to his own pride in his disputes with Pelagius that caused him to abandon his earlier conviction that Paul was not writing about his current struggles at that time in his life and ministry! He was bullied in the debate to change his view!

If only Christians would read Romans 6, 7, and 8 together, in light of the fact that they are following an extremely late "tradition" (early 5th century), they would SEE that there is simply no possible way that the Apostle Paul is addressing born again believers in Romans 7.

Romans 7:18 ALONE should cause any and every Christian to reject the notion that Paul is writing about his current condition when he ends the verse lamenting that he doesn't "have the ability" to do what God calls us to do!  Inability is the condition of an unsaved, unregenerate person who does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, empowering them and ENABLING them to overcome any and every sin that would tempt them.

There is simply NO POSSIBLE WAY that Paul would exhort others to "imitate" his life (1 Cor. 11:1) and to "practice" what they have "seen" in his life (Phil. 4:9) if he was living in the reality of Romans 7!! It is simply a contradiction. And thankfully EVERY THEOLOGIAN, APOLOGIST, AND CHURCH LEADER for the first 300+ years of Church History taught what Paul really meant!

TO SUMMARIZE THE APOSTOLIC UNDERSTANDING 

•Romans 7 is about Paul's past, about someone before Christ living under the law

•We are NOW saints rather than sinners 

(saints who can and does sin, but no longer sinners)

•Romans 6 teaches that our “sin nature” was killed

•Our old selves were crucified with Christ (Romans 6 / Gal 2:20)

•We were slaves to sin, but we are no longer – We used to “have to sin”

•We are now slaves to righteousness

•We have been set free from sin & consider ourselves dead to sin

•We are NOT in the flesh - We are in the Spirit, living by the Spirit

•We are new creatures – new creations in Christ

•We are not sinless, 

but have been transformed and enabled to now choose NOT to sin

These are the TRUTHS we find in Romans 6 and 8 and elsewhere in the New Testaments. These realities show us that there is simply no way that Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and many modern Bible teachers were right about their interpretation of Romans 7.

The type of Christian life you will live depends upon getting this right. 

As one Bible teacher has so powerfully said, if you interpret Romans 7 the way Augustine did, you will wake up every day and you will sin by faith. 

However, if you wake up each day believing that you are dead to sin and empowered to live the life God intends for us to live as followers of Christ, you will live very differently. You will live as an overcomer who "can do all things through Christ who strengthens you" (Phil 4:13)

And if you don't believe me, I urge you to set your "tradition" aside, meditate on Romans 6 and 8, and see what God will do in your life!!  Your relationship with sin, to sin will change drastically. You will discover a mindset and power that you never knew possible.