The Battle Line

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh)

nothing good dwells; for to will is present

with me, but how to perform what is good

I do not find. For the good that I will to do,

I do not do; but the evil I will not to do,

that I practice. Now if I do what I will

not to do, it is no longer I who do it,

but sin that dwells in me.

Romans 7:19–20

            The battle line having been drawn eons ago dividing the opposing forces existing even in our present age requires understanding; what side of the line do you, or I, stand?  On one side of the line was God (This is not to be sacriligious, rather to make a point), with those angels that remained faithful to Him, and on the other side was Lucifer (Satan) with the hordes of angels that sided with Lucifer and stood opposite of God. God did not make robots that only do His bidding and to be just another vessel, no, He gave to His angels and to us the ability to choose. There was not antecedent to Satan an evil, an evil that forced him to take a stand against God, therefore Satan’s stand was simply of his choosing. This was true also of Adam and Eve for in the physical realm sin did not exist. Sin existed in the spiritual realm and this sin by Satan was unique for the sin of Satan was not to deny the power of God, rather it was to deny God’s authority and to be an authority for himself. If Satan opposed the power of God and attempted to be a power greater than God, God will have the right to destroy Satan, but this was not the approach by Satan. Therefore the battle was not over power, rather who had the right of authority over God’s creation. In the beginning, in the realm of spiritual beings this attempt for authority was over angels. After God had created the physical world Satan then attempted to thrust upon man, God’s highest creation, the creation that was made in the image of God his authority, his supposed right to rule. Eve was deceived, Adam just outright sinned for there was nothing of sin in him, but he did have free will to choose to be faithful to God or to have some authority over his choices. It is a antinomian attitude that Satan used making some attempt to be the authority and ruler of God’s creation, especially man. This sin of Adam being of the highest of evil as he did not have sin in him, no antecedent of sin residing in him making cause for him to take his stand on the opposite side of the battle line making all his posterity, his progeny, to have within them this fallen nature. All that fallen nature could produce is what it is, fallen, and this fallen nature now passed from one person to another. Paul then is correct to point out that within man, fleshly man nothing good resides and this evil in man causes man to perform evil even when man wills to do otherwise. This sin acts as a law in man driving man to do evil: “I find a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good” (Romans 7:21). All men who are sentient, those who are truthful to themselves will admit that there is this law abiding in them causing all sorts of evil, i.e., bad thoughts, desires that God condemns and this is true of those whose desire is to do the will of God: “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is my members” (Romans 7:22–23). This is most depressing, is it not? There is in all men a battle line that is drawn, one of desire to do God’s will, the other to do the will of sin, a law that affects choices: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death” (Romans 7:24)? We cry out against this fact, a fact that sin dwells in me, sin acquired due to the original sin of Adam, a sin that seems to have no way to be removed from me, and this is my desire, to live for God, but this battle is great. How can I take a stand on the other side of this battle line, and stand for God? You can’t on your own: “I thank God––through Jesus Christ our Lord! So the, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:25). Does this verse state that I am not responsible for my sin? Am I able to use this as a reason, or an excuse for my sin? No! This division between God and evil is the battle and we need someone to fight for us because we cannot win this battle. We are contaminated with this law of sin, but we can choose to stand with God through Jesus Christ and the faith given to us by God to do so: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). There it is; we must walk not according to the flesh, rather to walk according to the Spirit and this we can do because God dwells in His children, the Holy Spirit, and we have now the ability to choose which side of the battle line we stand, that is if we choose to hear the voice of God speaking to us, through His word, through those God has enabled to preach His word, the word of His Scripture and not some man–made doctrine, making us free: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin; He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:2–3). The flesh is weak, the power of God, His authority over His creation is greater, and He condemned sin through Jesus Christ. We have a choice now, we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us now, therefore; what is your choice? To stand on the side of the battle line with Satan, or to stand on the side of the battle line with God?

Or do you think that the Scripture says

            In vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells

In us yearns jealously’? But He gives

            More grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud, but give grace

            to the humble.”

                                    James 4:5–6; cf. Proverbs 3:34

Stand With God: Resist the Devil

Richard L. Crumb