The Struggles of Sin

The darkest of all times comes when men stand against men, abandoning all other notions, and for the plumb reason of orders strikes down members of mankind. No, I say with great fortune that I have not witness war or its graphic result in the flesh. And I am not some liberal giving yet another disillusioned claim that this or any war’s intention is wrong nor do I like to write about politics in which everyone who has always seems to have “the right” opinion. This war I speak of reaches further into history then September 11th, the 60s or 1941, and the history of this Republic or its discoverers. I speak of the war that rages between two forces unseen but played out in our daily lives. No I am not also speaking of God and his angel Lucifer per say, that score is settled all that remains is to sweep up the aftermath. The one I speak of we all are soldiers in.

C.S. Lewis, my senior patron, (as Dr. Bridges would say) in many books uses war to describe the battle between good and evil. It has a way of making expressions come to life and gain deeper meaning. C.S. Lewis is not the only one to use this metaphor. The Apostle Paul used it in his letter to the Romans.

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law’ but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:14-25. NIV)”

Many scholars argue about from what perspective Paul writes this piece, whether it depicts the struggle of all new Christians, the Jews struggling with their transformation to Christianity at the time, the history of Israel, or Paul himself. Frankly I do not care what writing stylistic idea you may hold, what does it matter? The message applies to all perspectives. I have been a student of Christ since 1995, I can tell you that no matter what level of maturity I have obtained this inner self conflict has always been present and prevalent. A war that rages on between what we know to be righteous and the desires of the flesh. It is easy for me to get lost in these simple but flabbergasting words from Romans. The idea may be this; no line is drawn separating good people and bad people. The citizens of mankind, even the Christians, have bad and good in them. The good inherited by the creator and the bad welcomed in by our lustful appetites. Whichever one we chose determines the law we follow. More simply, it decides our master. Martin Luther would dash around his room at night in rage about his evil thoughts and cursing himself and Lucifer. Like a mad man he argued with himself yet maybe his understanding of his condition has surpassed what I or we seem to comprehend. He hated evil so consequently hated the part of himself that desired evil. Not recognizing the war exists at all, ignorance of its presence or necessity bears down on many including myself many times. In this case ignorance does not equal bliss. Concentrating on what we hate about one ourselves does not seem to overcome it. The problem of our pain surpasses that of creation because of our intuitive minds, we focus on our suffering. Instead, in order to win, to defeat our own mind games, to no longer observe evil we must learn to focus on what separates us from wickedness, for we know Love. Evil will always exist in my members capturing me when I lax my guard, fortunately a greater force, preceding evil, also fights for me. If I look for the evil in myself I will surely find it, accomplish nothing to suppress it, and finally become imprisoned by it. Instead dwell on the Good, his name is Yahweh.