‘Sin which dwells in me’
[Romans 7:17-20]
Romans 7:17-20 says: “So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.” This passage shows that Paul emphasizes twice that it is "sin which dwells within me" (vv. 17, 20). Therefore, I would like to meditate on today's Scripture from Romans 7:17-20 under the title ‘Sin which dwells in me.’ During this meditation, I hope we each reflect on these words and examine ourselves. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says: " Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?"
Some scholars claim that today’s passage from Romans 7:17-20 refers to Apostle Paul speaking before he believed in Jesus (before being born again and justified). However, as we have already meditated, he said this after he believed in Jesus, was born again, and was justified. When he wrote Romans in Corinth (Acts 18:1), he had already experienced the miraculous salvation of God. This was not only when he and Silas were saved from the prison in Philippi after praying and singing hymns to God at midnight, but also when the jailer, who was guarding them, was saved from committing suicide and he and his entire household believed in the Lord Jesus and were saved (16:23-33). At that time, Paul was not living like worldly people nor was he a spiritual infant in Christ who still needed milk. Rather, he was a spiritual person (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) and had already put away childish things as a mature person (13:11). Therefore, when he wrote to the believers in Corinth, he said to them: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (11:1). Even when Paul said this, he still experienced, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). And he stated, “It is no longer I who do it, but sin which dwells in me” (v. 17).
The phrase "sin which dwells in me" (vv. 17, 20) means "sin lives in me." In other words, Apostle Paul says that because sin lives in him, it causes him to do the very thing he hates (v. 15). So, since when has sin been living in Paul? Psalms 51:5 says: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” According to this Scripture, Paul, who wrote Romans 7:17-20, had sin dwelling in him from the time he was conceived and was a sinner from birth. He grew up in sin. Therefore, unless he could overcome the sin living in him, he could not help but commit sin. Although Paul desired to do good, the sin dwelling in him prevented him from practicing good and instead made him live according to his old self, which had no good in it, causing him to do the evil he did not want to do (vv. 18-19). When Apostle Paul said, “sin which dwells in me” (vv. 17, 20), it may seem like he is making an excuse that the evil he does is because of the sin that dwells in him.
After committing the first sin, Adam and Eve made excuses. Genesis 3:12-13 says: “The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’” Adam blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent. However, when Apostle Paul said that it is the sin dwelling in him that causes him to do the evil he does not want to do instead of the good he wants to do, he was not making excuses. Instead, he acknowledged that he committed sins he did not want to because of his own weakness. Therefore, he spoke these words with a repentant heart, as the Holy Spirit made him aware that it was the sin dwelling within him that led him to commit those sins.
Romans 8:2 says: “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Therefore, Apostle Paul fought against the sin dwelling within him with the power of the Holy Spirit throughout his life, and he ultimately achieved final victory. 2 Timothy 4:7 says: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” We, too, must fight against the sin dwelling within us like Apostle Paul did. We must engage in this good fight of faith until we die. With the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we must fight the sin within us, complete the tasks the Lord has entrusted to each of us, and keep our faith to the end. Moreover, until we achieve final victory, we must hold on to the rugged cross, loving the cross of the Lord, until we receive the shining crown.