Thoughts on Romans 7 and Galatians 5: What's The Difference?

This morning during my quiet time, I began to meditate on these two particular passages of scripture from Romans 7 and Galatians 5 (again) and in the process I began to write what I felt that the Lord would have me share in this post. I know that the last three blog posts have dealt with what I like to call the Apostasy and the great End time Revival, both of which I believe will be concurrent. Anyway, I felt a sense of urgency to share this now, so I will. Therefore this is not a part of the "Apostasy" series. What follows is what I wrote.




The spiritually dead man's soul is in agreement with and follows after his flesh, the place where sin dwells. He cannot help himself, because that's who he is-a sinner. Once he comes to the realization that he is a sinner, then comes the choice. To continue in sin, or embrace the righteousness that has already been prepared for him? The man who has been resurrected from spiritual death has Life in his spirit. His soul now has to be renewed so that he will know first of all who he is, and secondly, what has been prepared for him. 


Old man: unrenewed mind and body of sin in total agreement with each other. The man of flesh. 
New man: mind being renewed by the Word of God and trained by the Holy Spirit to follow after his true self-the spirit that has been created in the Image of God, just like Adam was in the Garden. The man of spirit.


The man in Romans 7 tried all he could to serve the law with his unrenewed MIND (Romans 7:25b). He could not walk in the spirit because he was spiritually dead. If we continue to tell believers that they cannot help but sin and that we are all SINNERS saved by Grace, we continue to enforce that position of spiritual death that the work of the Cross has delivered us from! That is a religious mindset...get rid of it! This type of teaching is designed to keep us in a state of spiritual retardation and it hinders our growth.
Galatians 5 tells us to walk in the spirit (our new nature-NOT the Holy Spirit) so that we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Because of the Life in our spirit (Christ in us), we have a CHOICE between Galatians 5:19-21 and verses 22-23:


Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19-21)


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-23)





The man in Romans 7 did not have a choice because of his spiritually dead nature. A double-MINDED man is unstable in all his ways ("I'm a sinner"/"I'm saved by Grace"; "Sin has no dominion over me"/"I can't help but sin"). We don't have two minds, but one--the Mind of Christ. The old man IS DEAD. Now that mind has to be renewed to the new nature that he has received, through the WRITTEN and SPOKEN Word of God. This involves reading, studying and confessing the Word of God--meditation and assimilation.


Under the Old Covenant, man kept the law and served God with his mind. His spirit had not yet been resurrected from the dead. As Spirit-born sons (resurrected from spiritual death) under the New Covenant we serve, as Paul the Apostle did, with our SPIRIT (Romans 1:9b). God is the Father of our SPIRIT-not our minds or our bodies. He communicates with our spirit. That is where instruction is received via the Holy Spirit and the place where sound doctrine is birthed. The only avenue the devil has to reach you with is through your natural mind. He cannot penetrate your spirit. The natural mind is where all religious, false doctrine is received. That lower frequency or channel is where the enemy transmits. Our spirit has a higher frequency and that is where the voice of the Spirit speaks. PRAYING CONSISTENTLY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT OPENS UP THAT CHANNEL. Be renewed in the SPIRIT of your mind, the Mind of Christ.


Hopefully my next post will pick up where we left off in regards to the End time Revival and Apostasy. Until next time...be encouraged!