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In our verse by verse study of Romans last time we finished our Expanded Translation Rom 7:22; "For along with other believers I delight in the law from God in the inner man."
We see from this that without Bible doctrine resident in the soul there is no inner conflict because there is no divine good viewpoint to challenge the evil propaganda of the old sin nature.
Bible doctrine resident in the soul is not only the means of attaining the status of spiritual maturity that glorifies Jesus Christ, but it is also the means for combating the attacks from the old sin nature in the inner battle in the soul that is where the spiritual war is being waged.
The filling of God the Holy Spirit enables the perception, the understanding, the application, and the innovation of doctrine that is required to combat and defeat the propaganda and lies of the OSN with God's Word of Truth.
Bible doctrine not only defines sin but it also reveals the true nature of good and evil. Many believers are ambushed by good and evil because they don't recognize and understand it.
In this battle you not only have to know the terrain (soul) but you also have to know the objectives within that terrain. You also have to understand the old sin nature that is the opposition that seeks to distract believers from the reception, retention inculcation and recall of God's Word of Truth.
Rom 7:23; describes the opposition. "But I see a different law in the members of my body." The postpositive conjunctive particle "de" (but) is used to connect one clause with another contrasting clause.
In this case the contrast comes from the opposition to Bible doctrine. Then we have the present active indicative of the verb "blepo" (see). "Blepo "is used when you have some doctrine that you have learned and finally have a chance to deploy it. The present tense is the aoristic present for momentary action in present time.
In a moment of time all of these doctrines that the believer has collected in the stream of consciousness of the soul are suddenly concentrated on a particular problem and launched.
The active voice explains that Paul the human writer uses himself as the illustration for the discovery of the inner conflict. The indicative mood is declarative representing the action from the viewpoint of reality.
With it is the accusative singular adjective "heteros" (a different or another). This is a reference to the OSN as the evil enemy. Plus the accusative singular direct object from "nomos" (law or principle)." "But I see a different or another kind of principle."
Located in the battlefield area, "en" (in) "de" (the) "melos" (members of the body), " ego" (my or I) in the possessive genitive-"in my members." "Melos" always refers to the biological body where the OSN resides. The different principle is the principle of opposition that comes from the trends of the old sin nature.
"waging war against the law of my mind" - the present middle participle from the compound verb "antistrateuoman" (making war against). It means to engage in a campaign as a part of a war.
Paul is describing a specific time when the attack from the old sin nature occurs. The war goes on until we exit this planet from the termination of our biological body at physical death so while we are still on the earth in this biological body we will be engaged in many campaigns in the spiritual war.
The opposing principle is campaigning against God's Word of Truth. Bible doctrine in this particular verse is fighting a defensive action to wear out the enemy and then to counterattack. The present tense is a progressive present for a state of persistence so it describes something that occurs continuously during the time that we live in this biological body.
The circumstantial participle is for the fact that as long as we have this biological body there is a conflict. The antagonistic principle is the operation of the old sin nature that constantly attacks and makes war against the principle of Bible doctrine that is resident in the believer's soul.
The phrase "of my mind" is the descriptive genitive singular from "nous" (mind). "Nous" is used because it refers to the left lobe of the soul. In the Greek the right lobe of the soul where decisions are made is called the " kardia" (heart).
The left lobe is where information is waiting, either to be processed over to the right lobe where it is usable, or to stay there so it can be hooked up with arrogance and pride to be misused, distorted and abused.
The attack is always made on the left lobe because doctrine in the left lobe is not in a position to resist and reject the attacks of the OSN.
Only doctrine in the" kardia" (the right lobe) causes spiritual growth. Only doctrine in the right lobe can actually advance the believer, and only doctrine in the right lobe is usable. Doctrine only fights in the right lobe it does not fight in the left lobe.
Another principle that comes from this is that if you have enough momentum from doctrinal truth the attacks of the OSN won't be very effective.
"and making me a prisoner of the law of the sin" - the conjunction "kai" (and) is used to introduce the result of what comes from the previous phrase plus the present active participle of "aichmalotizo" (capture or take as a prisoner) so we have "and making me a prisoner."
This is a retroactive progressive present that describes being taken as a prisoner in the past because the doctrine was only in the left lobe of the soul that results in continuing to be a prisoner up to the present time.
The active voice: the believer with unprocessed doctrine in the left lobe of the soul becomes a reversionist under the attack. The campaign results in becoming a prisoner to the propaganda that results in reversionism from choosing to submit the OSN instead of Jesus Christ.
Plus the accusative singular direct object from the personal pronoun "ego" (me) with "nomos" (principle) with the definite article "ho" (the) with another "definite article "ho" (the) with "hamartia" (the sin nature) making me a prisoner to the principle of the sin nature." This tells us that the sin nature takes us captive very often.
"which is" the article" ho" (which) with the present active participle from the verb "eimi (is). The definite article is used as an attributive intensive pronoun, emphasizing the fact that the old sin nature continues to reside in the biological human body after salvation.
The present tense is a perfective present denoting the continuation of existing results. It refers to something that occurred in the past but is emphasized as an existing reality.
The circumstantial participle tells us that from physical birth we have had the old sin nature, and as long as we live on this earth the old sin nature will be there, and the old sin nature always attacks the believer's soul and never relents.
The weak believer who succumbs to the attack is the born again believer who has doctrine in the left lobe of the soul but has never transferred it to his right lobe of the soul under the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
The weak believer has not followed through on the mechanics of the function of God's GASP system. The active voice: the old sin nature as the subject produces the action. The circumstantial participle says in effect that this is the situation that mankind is in from physical birth.
Next we have "en" (in) plus the locative of "melos" (members) with "ego" (my) "members of my body."
Expanded Translation Rom 7:23; "But I see a different principle in the members of my body, campaigning against the principle of my mind, and making me a prisoner to the principle of the sin nature located in the members of my body."
Here we have the principle that power corrupts. The volition of the soul is a basic power is corrupted by the old sin nature with its trends toward sin, human good and evil.
The old sin nature that is headquartered in the biological human body places constant pressure on human volition and only God's Word of Truth that resides exclusively in the right lobe of the soul is a deterrent.
When there is no Bible doctrine in the right lobe of the soul the old sin nature inevitably wins resulting in the OSN taking the believer as s a prisoner. Being a prisoner to the OSN results in a life of great misery and divine discipline, and eventually possibly even the sin unto death. It also means no possibility of fulfilling God's plan for your life after salvation while you are on the earth in a biological human body.
The two conflicting principles within the believer co-exist as long as we live on this earth. The only way to have peace in human history is to be prepared for war. An unprepared nation becomes vulnerable and is subject to attack.
It is the same in the battleground of the believer's soul. To be prepared we must have Bible doctrine in the right lobe of the soul. We are unprepared if it is only in the left lobe of the soul. Doctrine in the left lobe cannot resist so we become the captives of the old sin nature.
The only solution is the filling of the Holy Spirit plus the daily function of GASP that results in maturity adjustment to God's justice.
Apart from Bible doctrine resident in the left lobe of the soul the OSN controls the battlefield with tactical victory, especially by getting the believer involved with human good and evil that corrupts the power of the soul's decision making authority by distorting it from one of the conflicting principles of human good and evil.
The conflicting principles of human good and evil are mutually exclusive with God's Word of Truth in the right lobe of the soul and there can never be any compromise because God's Truth and satan's lie are mutually exclusive.
Both principles reside in the believer so the believer's life on this earth is a constant battleground. The OSN indwells the body; the Holy Spirit indwells the body. The OSN attacks the soul, but is deterred if there is Bible doctrine resident in the right lobe of the soul.
Since the OSN is located in the body, as its headquarters, it makes its attacks toward the soul; it does not reside in the soul. It makes its attack through the OSN trends of sin, human good, and evil.
The verse we are studying emphasizes the aggressiveness and relentlessness of the OSN and it also explains to us that unless OSN's attack is countered with Bible doctrine resident in the right lobe of the soul under the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit we will be made prisoners of the OSN during our life and become a casualty in the spiritual war that continuously rages around us
Rom 7:24; describes the despair that comes to the believer who is in reversionism from being taken captive by the OSN.