Lesson 4 – Indwelling Sin as a Law
By John Fast
In our previous study of indwelling sin we briefly introduced four observations drawn from the Apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 7:21, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.” In this our fourth study we will look more closely at the first of these four observations – Paul’s labeling of indwelling sin as a law.Indwelling sin is designated a law for two reasons, because of its power, and of its effectiveness. It is for these same two reasons that regeneration, or the new birth, is also called a law, because it too has power and efficacy, but greater power and efficacy than the law of indwelling sin, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Rm 8:2). This new inward principle is “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Eph 1:19). Where there is a law there is also power, and where there is power there is also effectiveness. An impotent, ineffective law is no better than no law at all.
Every law in general has two attributes which make it properly a law. The first is jurisdiction, “Or do you not know brethren…that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives” (Rm 7:1)? The Greek word translated “jurisdiction”, kurieuei, means “to rule, to have power, authority, dominion, lordship over”. It is the power of an authority to bring compliance and obedience to the law. Without jurisdiction there is no power or authority to enforce compliance to law. When a police officer leaves his jurisdiction, he loses his authority and power to enforce obedience to the law. Diplomats are often given immunity from the jurisdiction of a foreign government; therefore the laws of a foreign nation have no power or authority over him. “When a wicked man rules, people groan” (Pv 29:2), because they are under the jurisdiction of wicked rulers who enforce compliance to their oppressive laws.
Just as there are two types of law – a moral, written authoritative rule over people and a real, effective principle in a person – so there are two types of jurisdiction. The first is the written law of God, and the second is the inward law of sin. In the unbeliever, this inward principle of the law of sin holds jurisdiction and authority. It “reigns as a king” (Rm 6:12), and is a “master over” (Rm 6:14), terms which all signify dominance and authority.
In the believer, however, the law of sin has lost its jurisdiction, rule, and dominion, “For He delivered us from the domain (i.e. the authority) of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13). The kingdom of Christ is ruled by a different law, the law of God, than is the kingdom of darkness which is ruled by the law of sin. Those who are of the devil want to do the desires of the devil, and those who are of God want to fulfill the desires of God (Jn 8:44; 1Jn 3:6-10). But even though the law of sin has lost its rule and jurisdiction over a believer, it still remains a law within the believer. It still has power though it is weakened. It still retains its nature as a law even though it has lost its rule and authority, and because it is still a law it is constantly trying by various means to retain and reclaim the dominion it once had. It is constantly seeking to extradite the believer back under its jurisdiction.
The second attribute of every law is its effectiveness, that is, the ability to bring about compliance. It does this by the rewards or punishments which are affixed to the law. Even if someone does not like a law, or disagrees with a law, they are compelled to comply because of the reward or punishment involved. People do not pay taxes because they like to, but because the fear of punishment for not paying or for cheating compels most people to comply with the tax laws.
When there is no hope of reward or no fear of punishment, or if the reward is minimal and the punishment inconsequential, then the law loses its effectiveness, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil” (Eccl 8:11). It is a sign of God’s judgment on a nation when God withholds His wrath and permits sin to go unchecked and unpunished. People then lose any sense of the sinfulness of sin, their fear of God and fear of His punishment evaporates, and His law ceases to be an effective restraint to evil, “Of whom were you worried and fearful, when you lied, and did not remember Me, nor give Me a thought? Was I not silent even for a long time so you do not fear Me” (Is 57:11). When there is no fear of punishment the wicked “says to himself, ‘God has forgetten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it’” (Ps 10:11). “The wicked strut about on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men” (Ps 12:8)
The law of sin also has its rewards and punishments. The rewards of sin are the promised or perceived pleasures, profits, and benefits of sin. Satan seduced Eve by negating the fear of God’s threatened punishment, “you surely shall not die” (Gn 3:4), and by promising the reward of becoming like God (Gn 3:5). This is why false teachers “entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality” (2 Pt 2:18). They promise health, wealth, prosperity; your best life now; self-improvement; personal empowerment; self-esteem; fulfillment of all your worldly goals and ambitions; salvation without repentance – in short, their message makes complying to the law of sin easy by emphasizing the pleasures, profits, and benefits of sin, and by minimizing the guilt and punishment for sin.
It was the law of sin and its promised rewards, “the passing pleasures of sin”, that Moses rejected in favor of “the reproach of Christ” (Hb 11:25, 26). Even though “the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless momentary” (Job 20:5), it is these momentary promised rewards and pleasures of sin that the majority of people forfeit their souls to gain. It is the promised rewards of sin which gives the law of sin its effectiveness and keeps most of the world under its dominance.
The law of sin also has it punishments with which it threatens everyone who would dare to strive to be free from its dominion. All the hardships, sacrifices, troubles, and dangers which obedience to God’s word might entail – all the sensual pleasures which we must forfeit and forgo, the relationships which might be ruined, the damage incurred to our reputations, the financial loss which we might suffer – all are made use of by the law of sin as if they were its punishments for casting off its rule and authority. The rich young ruler thought it a great punishment to have to lose his earthly riches to gain eternal life (Lk 12:13-21). Demas loved this present world (2 Tim 4:10).
By promises of reward and threats of punishment the law of sin maintains its jurisdiction over the bulk of mankind, keeping them slaves to sin, “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin (i.e its dominion) and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life” (Rm 6:20-22). It is hard to say which has the greatest influence on the heart and mind, the bogus rewards of sin or its invented punishments.
By its promised rewards the law of sin seduces people into sins of commission, even some of the most filthy, vile, and self-destructive sins, all to satisfy personal lusts. By its threat of punishments it frightens people into sins of omission, to reject the good and take the path of least resistance. They may not engage in outright evil, but neither are they enslaved to God. They maintain enough religion to be respectable, but not enough to jeopardize their comfortable lives. One thing is certain, and that is the two are seldom, if ever, separated, but act equally in the same persons and are effective in turning the hearts and minds of people to comply with the law of sin, sometimes even in believers.
Unless a person has prepared their heart and mind to recognize and reject the lure of its promised rewards and the arguments of its threatened punishment, then there is no resisting the power of the law of sin. The vast majority of people comply with its demands every day. The majority of professing Christendom, to say nothing of the world, is completely at its disposal. Nothing restrains them from pursuing the passing pleasures of sin; no hindrance is allowed to stand in the way of gratifying their lusts; no threat of God’s judgment will deter their lascivious lifestyle; no argument can convince them to give up their sin; no fear of shame will dissuade them from fulfilling their carnal desires; no amount of pain and havoc which they wreak in their own life or the lives of others can alter their behavior. But on the other hand, is there any hardship, any sacrifice, any inconveniences entailed in the demands of the gospel and obedience to God’s commands? Then they want nothing to do with them, thereby displaying their total domination and rule by the law of sin. By virtue of indwelling sin being a law, and having the attributes of a law, we can better see and understand its power and effectiveness, and better arm ourselves to reject its promised rewards and not fear its threatened punishments.
What type of law is the law of sin? Is it an outward, written, commanding law like the law of God, or is it an inward, inbred, compelling principle of the heart and mind? Obviously the law of sin is not an outward, written law, but an inbred principle and a product of our sin nature. Adam had no inbred sin nature, but he did have God’s command which as a law had both power and effectiveness. Adam was under the jurisdiction of God’s command, and therefore under its power and authority. God’s command was attended with the promise of reward and the threat of punishment, thereby making it effective. The command of God was in Adam an inbred law and principle, making obedience to God’s law natural, easy, and satisfying. This is the power of an indwelling law; obedience to it comes naturally, willingly, and lovingly.
This indwelling law of God was not totally destroyed by mankind’s fall into sin. Being an inbred law it is very powerful and effective as Paul declares in Romans 2:14, 15, “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law (i.e. the written Law) do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them”. God’s law remains an inbred principle in the heart, but its power and effectiveness has been supplanted by a new law and principle which corresponds to man’s fallen sinful nature – the law of sin.
Since His law was no longer the dominant indwelling principle, God gave His law in a written, outward form complete with promises of reward for obedience and threats of punishment for disobedience (Dt 28; Lv 26). But did God’s law, now that it is in an outward, written form, enable those to whom it was given to comply with what it requires? Of course not! The long, sad history of Israel’s rebellion to God’s written law, even in the face of all His kindness, patience, love, and mercy, is proof enough of this. To Israel God said, “You have not heard, you have not known. Even from long ago your ear has not been open, because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; and you have been called a rebel from your birth” (Is 48:8). God knew they would not yield to His written law unless that law again became an indwelling principle. This is the promise of the New Covenant, “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Jer 31:33; cf. Ezk 36:26, 27).
Everything must act according to its predominant principle. If God has placed His law within and written it on the heart, should not such a principle manifest itself in the life and actions? Should not your lives, behavior, and language be according to the tendency of your heart? If a professing Christian’s life shows more evidence of being ruled by the law of sin rather than the law of God, is it not reasonable to suspect the reality of their profession? Has not Jesus told us that a tree is to be known by its fruit (Mt 7:17)? Every branch that is truly in Jesus Christ, the Father prunes with His word (Jn 17:17), and by means of a new inward law and principle implanted in the heart, empowered by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Jn 15:1-5).
By making His law a real internal principle, God gives it the power to produce a natural, easy, pleasant obedience to Him from the heart, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 Jn 5:3). Rather than being a burden and obstacle which must be silenced by searing the conscience if we are to comfortably comply with the law of sin, God’s law becomes a delight for all who have had His law placed within them and written on their heart as a new, indwelling principle. Threats of punishment and promises of reward will not and cannot provide the power to produce obedience to God’s law, “In vain I have struck your sons; they accepted no chastening” ( Jer 2:30). God’s law must become an indwelling principle in the heart, and it becomes this by means of the new birth, without which no one can be saved (Jn 3:3), and the sincerity of which is manifested in a life of holiness and obedience to God’s word from the heart, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart ( i.e. a real, effective indwelling principle) to that form of teaching to which you were committed” (Rm 6:17).
This is the kind of law sin is – indwelling – and only a more powerful and effective indwelling law can set us free from its power and effectiveness. Because the law of sin is indwelling, this gives it certain advantages which increase its power and efficacy even in believers. This law of sin “is in my members” (Rm 7:23), therefore it is always present with us. It does not come and go. It goes wherever we go and is in whatever we do. Some people think they have overcome indwelling sin in one or more areas of their life, but it is only lying dormant like a smoldering ember waiting to blaze up into a raging fire once their guard is down. They think they can dally with temptation and fellowship with sinners without becoming corrupted, that they can clutch smoldering coals without getting burned, not realizing they have gunpowder in their heart. When people lose a sense of the sinfulness of sin, then indwelling sin has plenty of fuel on which to feed. The fact of its constant presence should convict us of the necessity of watchfulness, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching….Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward”….”Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (1 Tm 4:16; 2 Jn 8; Pv 4:23).
Not only is indwelling sin always present, but it is always ready to assert itself into everything we do. It doesn’t just dwell in me, says Paul, but this “evil is present” when he wishes to do good (Rm 7:21). It is one thing to have someone live in your house, and another to have that person always meddling and intruding into everything you do. When we are the most desirous and committed to doing good, that is when this indwelling law of sin will assert itself the most. Would you read and meditate on God’s word? Would you spend time in prayer? Would you give sacrificially? Would you forgive someone who has wronged you? Would you forsake some sin, forego some carnal and sin-filled amusement, set your mind on things above instead of things below, and walk by faith and not by sight? Would you resist the temptations and allurements of the flesh, the world, and the devil? Would you forsake some erroneous, unbiblical belief or practice? This troublesome meddler of indwelling sin will interject itself and be present so that “I am not practicing what I would like to do, but am doing the very thing I hate” (Rm 7:15). You cannot completely and flawlessly accomplish the good you desire to do. Indwelling sin adheres as a corrupting principle to all we do. It clouds our minds, corrupts our affections with carnality and worldliness, and infects our wills with an aversion to that which is good. It will offer a thousand excuses and distractions to keep us from the good we wish to do, and in general is constantly inclining or suggesting us to evil when we are most desirous of being shed of it.
Not only is indwelling sin always present and always ready, but it is always effortless. It “easily entangles us” (Hb 12:1). It needs no special opportunities or special conditions. It requires no help or additional effort. Would you apply your mind to anything truly spiritual and holy? There it is with vain, carnal, and worldly thoughts and concerns. Would you incline your will to the will of God? There it is with excuses, good intentions, laziness, and distractions. Would you have your affections raised to a greater love for God and greater obedience to His word and will? There it is, with coldness, affection for things of the world, and sin-filled entertainment and allurements to draw our heart away from God..
Because the law of sin is an indwelling law it is always present, always ready, and always effortless. It easily interjects itself into everything we do to hinder the good and to promote evil and sin. If there is such a law as the law of sin, then it is the responsibility of every believer to understand it and find it to be so in themselves. The more we find and feel this law in us, the less we succumb to its power. The more we find and feel it in us, the more we will hate it, and we will hate it no more than we find it. Our dependence on Jesus Christ, our fleeing to Him for grace will be proportional to our discovery of this law within ourselves. The more we feel our own impotence to overcome the law of sin the more we feel our need for a Savior and for a new inward principle. A person’s love for Jesus is proportional to their discovery of how much they have been forgiven, “he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Lk 7:47). When people have lost the sense of the sinfulness of sin, they feel little need for forgiveness. The more we see and feel this law within ourselves, the more it will produce a watchfulness proportionate to our danger.
The entire course of our lives depends on discovering and experiencing the power and effectiveness of the law of sin. Ignorance of this law produces pride, false security, spiritual laziness and carelessness, destroys the fear of God and the sense of sin’s sinfulness, and erupts into open, conscience-searing, and unabashed exaltation of sin. Sadly, the professing church today is full of people who do not feel this principle in themselves. They have no spiritual sense and experiential knowledge of the power of indwelling sin, and that is because they are under its total domination. They cannot see this darkness in themselves because they have no light. They are comfortable and content in their sins because they are enslaved to them. They see no evil in their sin because they love their sin. Most of the church today panders to this law of indwelling sin in order to fill its buildings. Commercial, social, political, and cultural Christianity depends upon the law of sin for its very survival, “They feed on the sin of My people, and direct their desire toward their iniquity” (Hos 4:8).
Why is it that in a nation which is saturated with churches and in the age of the mega-church, and when there is free access to gospel truth, that so many live enslaved to sin? Why do those who attend church understand so little of what the Bible says and teaches, and practice even less of what little they understand? Why is there so much confusion as to what Christianity is and how one becomes a Christian? It is all from this law of indwelling sin – the power and efficacy of it – that rules and dominates in the heart and mind of most people today, even within the professing church.
Ask yourself, do you find and feel this law in yourself? Do you have any experience of its power and effectiveness? Have you discovered it to be always present, always ready, and always effortless in you whenever you are desirous of doing good? Do you exercise a diligent watchfulness that is proportional to your danger? Only those who have the inward law of the Spirit of Christ Jesus indwelling their heart ever feel, experience, guard against, and oppose the power and efficacy of the law of sin, the rest are under its dominion.
In our next study we will consider the seat of this law of sin – the heart.