Section 8
the law of sin in his members. He said, "For the good which I will, I do not; but the evil I do not will, this I practice" (7:19). Then Paul continued by saying, "But if what I do not will, this I do, it is no longer I that do it but sin that dwells in me" (7:20). Who is this sin? It is Satan. The law of sin is actu ally the spontaneous power of Satan himself. Satan is more powerful than any human being. No one, not even Paul, can defeat him. The strength of your will means nothing to the powerful Satan. Thus, if you attempt to keep God's law, the result will be, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" Paul used the phrase "this death." What is death? Death is the result of Satan's evil power. In Romans 7 we find two terms used synonymously to describe Satan: "the evil" and "the sin that dwells in me." Satan is sin and evil, and his automatic power is the law of sin. He is so powerful that no human being can defeat him. Even all the human beings added together cannot overpower him. Hallelujah, there is One who is more powerful than this evil giant!
Following Romans 7 we have Romans 8, which mentions the law of the Spirit of life. This law is not the law of God nor the law of good in our minds; it is the law of the Spirit of life.
Romans 8:2 reveals that God has become the Spirit of life. We may say that the Spirit of life in this verse denotes the processed God. God in Christ has passed through a long process—the process of incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection,