https://youtu.be/2O7jVKaA--s
In our verse by verse study of Romans we are in Rom 7:14; Last time we completed the first phrase "For we know that the Law is spiritual..."
The Mosaic Law is spiritual because it comes from God and fulfils God's purpose in human history related to the angelic conflict. The Law is the counselor in the first marriage to the old sin nature.
The Law is perfect because it perfectly exposes the old sin nature. The Law also functions perfectly in revealing the solution to the problem because it reveals Jesus Christ who is perfect and fulfils this objective within the framework of Israel and those who understand Israel's role in history.
At this point there is a shift of emphasis. Up to this point the emphasis has been on the old sin nature as the culprit. But because of the transition from the first marriage to the sin nature to the second marriage to Jesus Christ a new emphasis is placed on the believer who corresponds to the wife whose body is the home of the culprit in the first marriage, and potentially the source of a culprit in the second marriage.
"but I am fleshly" the postpositive conjunctive particle "de" (but) used as an adversative conjunction that sets up a contrast between the previous clause and this one.
Then the nominative singular subject from the personal pronoun "ego" (I) that precedes the conjunction that emphasizes a transition from the old sin nature husband as the culprit to the wife of the second marriage who corresponds to the believer in Jesus Christ as the culprit
"But I" "de ego" plus the present active indicative from "eimi" (am) the verb to be. This is a tendential present tense that is used for an action that is purposed or attempted but is not actually occurring at the moment but it represents the idea of what is likely or inclined to occur.
So when Paul says, "I am carnal" he is not speaking for himself at that moment, he is speaking about the problem every believer has. The tendential present says in effect, he is not carnal at the moment because a carnal believer cannot write Scripture.
This is in the present tense so he is dealing with a principle bur at the moment he is not saying he is fleshly. The active voice tells us that Paul as the human author is describing the common experience of every believer after salvation including himself at times.
The indicative mood is a potential indicative of impulse and condition. The predicate nominative that follows is an adjective, "sarkinos" (fleshly) that means belonging to the realm of the flesh where the old sin nature resides. It is a reference to the believer's return to the first husband, the old sin nature after being married to Jesus Christ.
This is a transition away from the marriage counselor and away from the culprit the old sin nature into a new stage of our study about the inner conflict that exists in every believer in Jesus Christ. This conflict is between the old sin nature, the first husband, and the wife who now after salvation is a believer who is married to Jesus Christ.
The believer or the wife of the second marriage (to Christ) returns to the first husband by being influenced by the old sin nature to commit personal sin and then continues in that status by not confessing their personal sin.
This occurs when the believer rejects the ministry of God the Holy Spirit and continues under influence of the sin nature by rejecting rebound.
The issue is not the fact that the believer sins, the issue is the fact that the believer does not take advantage of God's grace system for getting back into fellowship immediately after committing personal sin.
Being fleshly or carnal results from the failure to immediately use rebound and it leads to reversionism from the believer's inability to properly perceive, metabolize and apply Bible Doctrine under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
So the subject is now being changed from the function of the Mosaic Law, the perfect marriage counselor, and the culprit, the old sin nature, to the failure of the wife in the second marriage where Jesus Christ, the husband is perfect and cannot sin, where the marriage counselor is perfect and cannot sin, and where the only weakness in the second marriage is the believer who corresponds to the wife in the analogy.
The old sin nature is still there and still enticing the believer to come back. This occurs when the believer sins without rebound that results in being fleshly or carnal that left unchecked by rebound becomes reversionism from the production of human good and evil.
The words "I am flesh" explain that the new culprit is the born again believer. "Sold under sin" the perfect passive participle from "piprasko" (to sell or to lead astray).
Here it means to be led astray. We can never be sold to the old sin nature because we are in a second marriage to the Lord Jesus Christ in current positional truth and that status is irrevocable but we can be led astray because we are vulnerable.
This word was used from the time of Homer for selling, but also used to describe being sold out, or to be ruined, to be led astray, and sometimes even to be betrayed.
We get our connotation from the Hebrew where "piprasko" (to sell) was used in translating The Hebrew verb "makar" (to be led astray) in the Septuagint. 1Kings 21:25;
Rom 7:14; The perfect tense is a dramatic perfect, emphasizing the completed action of functioning in "the flesh" or sinfulness with emphasis on the results of the action of submitting to the former and now deposed authority of the old sin nature after being married to Jesus Christ.
This is the acceptance of the authority of the old sin nature, in this case through carnality or being fleshly. It can also be through reversionism. The passive voice believers receive the action of the verb when they exercises their option to commit personal sin.
The principle also applies to exercising one's option for human good and evil. The participle is a temporal participle so it is correctly translated "when I have been led astray." Paul isn't carnal when he writes this, but anytime that he is led astray he is. The same thing is true for all of us.
Then the prepositional phrase, "hypo (under authority) plus the accusative singular of "hamartia" with the definite article "ho" (the old sin nature). So we have "under the authority of the sin nature."
After you commit personal sin the only thing that breaks the authority of the sin nature is confession of known sin to God alone. 1John 1:9;
Expanded Translation Rom 7:14;"For we know that the law is spiritual. But I am fleshly, led astray under the authority of the sin nature."
The temporal participle "piprasko" (sold or led astray) emphasizes the fact that the believer is only fleshly when he is led astray by the sin nature with its trends toward sin, human good and evil. This verse emphasizes the fact that there is an inner conflict for every human being as long as we live in this biological body.
Rom 7:15; "For what I am doing I do not understand." The explanatory use of the conjunctive particle "gar" (for) begins an explanation as to why the believer is the culprit after salvation similar to the way the old sin nature was the culprit before salvation.
With it is the nominative neuter singular from the relative pronoun "hos" (what), plus the present middle indicative of the verb "katergazomai" (achieve, to accomplish, to bring about, or to produce). It generally refers to working on something until it is finally accomplished, and is therefore achieved so we have" for what I accomplish."
This is the present tense of duration that describes something that happens in the past with results that continue up to the present time. It describes a fleshly or carnal believer who has compromised the second marriage to the Lord Jesus Christ by going back under the control of the old sin nature, the ex-husband.
It is a middle voice of a deponent verb that functions as an active voice. Paul describes himself as producing the action of the verb that represents the situation of the fleshly or carnal believer that is under OSN control.
The indicative mood is declarative so it presents the verbal idea from the viewpoint of reality. It is a reference to the achievement of the second marriage, the Christian way of life that is real accomplishment that is frustrated and compromised because the OSN has successfully taken over the decision-making processes of the believer's soul.
In carnality that metastasizes into reversionism so the believer is not advancing to spiritual maturity through the daily function of GASP. Remember that carnality is not necessarily active sinning. Sinning is out of fellowship but it does not become carnality unless you stay out of fellowship.
In other words, rebound in a reasonable amount of time resolves the problem of carnality before it gets entrenched. Carnality is following the trend of the old sin nature, unchecked by rebound.
The trend of the old sin nature is only stopped by the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit it cannot be checked by self-determination so only rebound stops the trends of the OSN.
So carnality or being fleshly is the believer who refuses God's grace solution and remains out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit. Reversionism is the next stage where the believer gets into human good and evil, the other two trends of the old sin nature because of their carnality.
Then we have the phrase "I do not understand" the negative adverb "ou" (not) plus the present active indicative of "ginosko" (to know) so we have "I do not know or understand."
The present tense is an aoristic present for momentary action in present time. Since the indicative mood does not have a distinctive tense for expressing the idea of a present reality without reference to progress in time the present tense is used.
Paul describes himself as producing the action of representing the situation of the carnal fleshly and the reversionistic believer. The aoristic present describes the event as presently occurring; Paul is describing himself as carnal or reversionistic in order to make this very personal. "For what I am doing I do not understand."
Paul is using himself to describe a carnal and reversionistic believer who does not understand his lack of spiritual growth, from his disorientation God's plan. He is representing himself as a carnal believer.
In this situation Paul cannot comprehend why he is not advancing to spiritual maturity that is the objective for the believer in time after salvation. He cannot comprehend his confusion. He must assimilate carnality and reversionism to the maximum, and carnality and reversionism is a state of confusion and disorientation from God's plan.
He cannot understand why he is not receiving the blessings from God's justice that God's word promises to the mature believer. Paul is not fulfilling the purpose for God's imputation of God's own righteousness to him in time.
God's imputed righteousness is the predicate for God's justice to convey super grace blessings from God in spiritual maturity and since they have not been conveyed in effect and he is saying, Why not?
Paul is not fulfilling the purpose of the believer's second marriage to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"for I do not do what I want" the postpositive conjunctive particle "gar" (for) is used to express a cause or a reason. It is translated " for or because."
Then the nominative neuter singular from the relative pronoun "hos" (what), plus the present active indicative of the verb "thelo" (desire or want) referring to a legitimate desire, in contrast to lust. It is describing a legitimate desire based upon motivation of doctrine and the filling of the Spirit.
The historical present tense is employed when a past event is viewed with the clarity of a present occurrence. So he is going back to those moments after salvation when he wanted to glorify God. The indicative mood is declarative representing the verbal idea from the viewpoint of reality. Remember that Paul is acting as a representative of carnality and reversionism to produce the action.
Then the nominative plural subject from the immediate demonstrative pronoun "houtos" (this or these) is a reference to the daily function of GASP under the ministry of the Holy Spirit through which spiritual maturity is attained.
Plus the present active indicative of "prasso" (to practice or to accomplish), with the negative "ou" (not) so we have "these things I am not accomplishing." This is a tendential present tense that is used to describe an action that is attempted and wanted but is not happening.
The active voice plus the negative represents the fact that the carnal or reversionistic believer, as represented here by Paul, is not accomplishing the objective of advancing to spiritual maturity.
This is a potential indicative of obligation and it points to what is expected in reality, but contingency is introduced because of negative volition toward doctrine and failure to rebound when necessary.
Paul represents himself as resolving to advance spiritually, desiring to please Christ and wishing to take in doctrine in order to achieve the objective. But all these good intentions are neutralized by the machinations of the old sin nature, with its trends toward sin, human good and evil.
The old sin nature can do nothing apart from the volition of the believer. The trend toward sin is quickly solved through the function rebound. When practiced rebound insulates against carnality. The trend toward human good and evil can only be solved by consistent positive volition toward God's Word of truth under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit