Inner Conflict
Even though we sincerely desire
to walk in God's will, we should expect
inner struggles when choosing
between doing right and doing wrong.
Here's Dr. Gene Getz:
Is there anyone listening to my voice
who hasn't experienced inner struggle
or inner conflict in terms of what is
right and what is wrong?
I think we've all experienced that.
We've experienced that as unbelievers.
We've experienced it as believers.
It is certainly a very important reality
in our Christian lives, particularly.
And I think this is what Paul
is talking about here.
He's talking to believers.
I think, although it's possible,
he's also thinking in terms of unbelievers.
So let's take a look at what he says:
Romans chapter 7, verse 18 and 19:
For I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my flesh.
For the desire to do what is good
is with me, but there is no ability to do it.
For I do not do the good that I want to do,
but I practice the evil that
I do not want to do.
What's Paul talking about?
Well there are at least three
interpretations of what that means.
For example:
Some of the early church fathers
thought that Paul was referring to
an unbelieving self-righteous Pharisee
living under the law, as he was
before he was saved.
And I think that's a possibility.
I think Paul could be referring to himself
as a man who was really, really
committed to doing the law.
And he struggled internally over
that particular situation.
Because he didn't have the
understanding of God's grace
and the power of God to enable him
to be free from the law
and the condemnation that it brought.
And so I think it could apply to unbelievers.
For example:
When I read the life of Martin Luther.
And when I see him struggling as a monk.
A man who didn't understand God's grace.
And trying to do what was right--
but always failing.
And that's why he came the point
where he hated God.
He hated the word righteousness of God
because he just simply could not respond.
And he didn't understand God's grace.
And of course, once he understood that,
then he was free.
He said: I was born again.
So I think it's possible that this refers to
a person who understands God's truth.
And there are a lot of people like that.
But they don't understand God's grace.
And that they can't serve God in the flesh
or through their own decisions.
So I think that's a possibility.
However there's another group of people.
Interestingly there are some
that believe like:
Augustine, Luther himself, and Calvin
believed Paul was describing a
sincere Christian who faces
ordinary temptations in
living the Christian life.
I think that's a possibility.
In fact I think I would favor that possibility.
And I know that it's true that
as Christians, we face inner conflict.
But the fact is, this is a huge inner conflict.
And I think there are some reasons for that.
And we'll pursue that.
And then there's the third view:
Some believe that Paul was describing
a carnal Christian---a believer who
is living out of the will of God.
The only problem with that
interpretation is, a carnal Christian
really isn't struggling to do the will of God.
They're just committed to
walking out of the will of God.
So the struggle may be there
but it's minimal.
So what indeed is Paul teaching?
Well I must admit that
I'm not quite sure, totally.
But I think there's truth that comes out of
all three of these points of view.
Let me just restate that principle:
Even though we sincerely desire to
walk in God's will, we should expect
inner struggles when choosing
between doing right and wrong.
And Paul certainly describes that experience.
Now whether he was unsaved
or saved is the question.
If he was unsaved, it was the
Word of God that set him free---
the truth of God.
If he's writing about his struggle as a believer,
you're going to see that he answers that question.
That he found that freedom in
Jesus Christ from that inner conflict.
But one thing that I think grows out of
these viewpoints and from whatever
Paul is teaching here is that we
can have freedom in Christ.
We'll be tempted.
But we can have freedom.
For example, Paul wrote--1st Corinthians 10:13:
No temptation has come upon you
except what is common to humanity. ...
He's writing to Christians.
...But God is faithful;
he will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able,
but with the temptation he will also
provide a way out so that
you may be able to bear it.
Now let me make one point that's
very important in terms of the viewpoints.
If indeed he is referring to his life
as an unbeliever---an unbelieving Jew.
Or even if he's referring to his life
as a believer, he doesn't leave us there.
Because he says, as a result of that,
in Romans 7, verse 24:
What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through
Jesus Christ our Lord!
In other words, what he is saying is that
in Christ I was set free.
And I could resolve that conflict.
And you're going to see that as he goes
into Romans chapter 8, he gives us the
real solution to overcoming sin in our life.
And that is a relationship with the
Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
But here's the Reflection and Response question:
Though Paul may be referring to the
struggle all sincere Christians face,
how does the inner conflict
Paul described also apply
to unbelievers or carnal Christians
who understand the message of the
Word of God but who are resisting
the convicting power of the Holy Spirit?
I've already illustrated that I think it can
apply in all of those situations--
particularly the first two.
An unbeliever who's trying
hard to do God's will
but doesn't understand that
the answer is in Jesus Christ.
Or if we are a believer, and we're simply
being tempted and we're struggling.
It certainly applies.
But the answer to that is that we have
freedom in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In my own personal experience,
I had a lot of background before
I became a believer.
Some of it was distorted truth.
But I knew that I was a sinner.
And I knew that I needed a Savior.
But I struggled in making a decision
to follow Christ.
I really struggled.
Because in my mind, I felt that if I
became a believer, it would take me
down a path I didn't want to go---
in terms of the way I wanted to live my life.
But when two of my best friends
became believers---two of my best friends.
We were like the three musketeers,
as it were, as teenagers.
God really used that to get my attention.
Because once I lost my two friends
who decided to follow Christ,
God really used that to speak to my life
to bring me to a place that I would
decide for Christ.
In that sense, the first view would
apply to my own experience.
But since then, obviously,
I've had conflicts between right and wrong,
as we all do.
And regardless of what Paul was saying here,
one thing is sure, regardless:
Unsaved or saved in terms of struggle,
the victory and the release from that
conflict is in Jesus Christ.