The Carnal Mind Is Mindful of the Body

Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

Carnal mind being led by the body is against or hostility towards GOD. Because if GOD is allowed into the mind\soul, then the body will be placed in subjection to the spirit.

How can you tell the difference?? The carnal mind is mindful of the body. It delights in anything that satisfies the flesh. Foods... Recognition - job, successes, money. Personal pleasures - hobby's, toys ... sex, pornography ... ... These are the things that are most important to the carnal mind.

The spirit minded person delights in the things of GOD. Relationship with JESUS, the bible, church, serving HIM, helping others... ... still eats food, fulfills personal pleasures, has a job, if married has sex but is not controlled by them. Places these things in subjection to GOD'S leading.CARNAL MIND DOESN'T DO THIS.

JESUS said in Matthew 6:31-33

31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ALL DESIRES OF THE FLESH
32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Simply place GOD first before bodily appetites.

The carnal mind being at enmity with GOD comes up with all kinds of harebrain ideas. Believing there is no GOD they look at themselves and see they are similar to an animal therefore they conclude we came from the animal rather then GOD.They look at space assuming there must be more life out there, so they conclude there is another life after this one in space somewhere.

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Live According to HIS Leading

Romans 7:25 I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

I can be delivered from this body of death through JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

If I allow GOD to deliver me through Jesus Christ our Lord. Then I don’t have to satisfy my carnal fleshly nature but I can live according to HIS leading.

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War Between Two Natures

Romans 7:23 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 in my members.

There is within every one of us, a war, between the 2 natures. It goes on in my mind who will win the battle of the wills. My flesh or HIS spirit. Will I die to self so GOD can reign in me or will I become a slave to sin.


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Married to Jesus Not the Law

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

I loved the law so much so that I married it, but it was a horrible relationship. I should be married to JESUS not Law.

But my inward part desired it to work out.

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Evil Dwells With Me

Romans 7:21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.

Law = we might say fact. This is a fact, evil dwells with me even though I want to do good.

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We Must Die to the Flesh

Romans 7:18 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.

Oh how wise is the person who comes to this correct conclusion. I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;When a person will recognize they must die to the flesh it can be very hard, but when they understand nothing good will come from the flesh it makes dieing to the flesh easier. We should have no confidence in or flesh; at it's best we'll fail.

I may have a want to do well, but I don't stay with it, my performance has proven this.
Paul is speaking personally here many don’t even have the want.

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The Battle Within

Romans 7:17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

I don't want to disobey, but I find within myself a will to do wrong.

There is in all people a duel nature; a carnal fleshly nature and a spiritual nature.
One leads us to sin the other leads us to righteousness.
One condemns the other corrects.
One promotes guilt the other convicts… …
One is selfish the other is selfless.
One is demanding the other is yielding.

Earlier in Romas Paul said, we are a slave to the one we obey. (6:16).


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The Law Points to What is Good & Right

Romans 7:16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.

Since I haven't obeyed the law, I don't blame the law for my wrong but I blame myself, I was wrong, BUT THE LAW WAS GOOD & RIGHT.

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We Do What We Don't Want

Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

Paul talks about his relationship with the Law, which is simular to our relationship.
Paul says, "I wanted to obey the law but I found within myself an inability to obey, I actually did what I didn't want to do. I practiced what I hated."

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The Law Is Spititual, We Are Carnal

Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.

The law is spiritual meaning from GOD. The law has no faults.

But I am carnal (fleshly or non-spiritual).

Sold = given into sin. Meaning I have faults.

If I wasn't carnal, the law and I would of got along great. But because of my carnality I couldn’t meet the laws requirements.

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The Problem Is Not With The Law

Romans 7:13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

That which is good would be the law. Has Paul died to the law, certainly not!

Sin is the problem and since the wages of sin is death (6:23), then sin was killing me (producing death).

But the problem was not with the law, actually I was the problem vs.14


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Law Is Good When Used Properly

Romans 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Law is good when used properly, to point out my sin and need to get right. But being married to law is bad because I'll never meet the requirements.

No one will find righteousness through obedience to the law, that is not the purpose of the law.

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Futility of Righteousness Obtain By Law

Romans 7:11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.

Law was the target and my missing the target birthed sin and sin brought death. It was a horrible relationship.

Anyone who really understands the futility of righteousness obtain by Law would never want to go back to it. IT'S A HORRIBLE RELATIONSHIP THAT KILL'S because of sin.

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Law Brought Death

Romans 7:10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.

The law, that I thought, if I obeyed, I could obtain righteousness didn't show me righteousness but instead showed me death.

I thought having Law would be good, and we could have a wonderful relationship, but instead all Law could do was show my failure and inability to find righteousness. Law brought death.

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Sin Revived And I Died

Romans 7:9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.

Once upon a time, before I ever met Law, I was alive, even thought things where OK, but once Law put up the target I saw I was missing the mark (sinning) and Law said, sinners had to die.

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The Law Reveals Sin

Romans 7:8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.

Until the law was revealed, sin was unknown or unrevealed.

The law became the target; sin showed that I missed the target. The law did not show me how to hit the target; it only showed me I was missing the target.

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The Law Is Not the Standard for Righteousness

Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."

Law in itself is not sin, Law simply showed what was sin and what the requirement was. Without law I would of never known I was wrong. The problem was it pointed out my wrong rather then encouraging me towards righteousness.

The law was good in showing us our need for a savior, but law was not and should not be the standard of righteousness. When law is used as a standard of righteousness we'll all be miserable.

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Serve in the Newness of the Spirit

Romans 7:6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

now we have been delivered from the law, my spouse named Law died when I introduced him to JESUS, so I married JESUS.

And now I'm no longer married to Law, who no matter how hard I tried, I could not satisfy, I was always falling short, never really feeling loved or desired, just hammered and corrected.

In all honesty Law's death was not a disappointment and I married JESUS on the same day.

It's interesting because my new marriage actually has a greater demand on me then Law every did. But now I serve for loves sake and I enjoy it so much more, I want to please JESUS and I never felt that way about Law.

Now I serve with a newness of Spirit. I don't serve the letter of Law but JESUS through His Spirit placed in my heart. It's such a better relationship.


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Sinful Nature

Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.

sinful passions That desire within us to do what we want to do. It is to Satisfy ourselves even though the Bible says don't do it. Our SINFUL NATURE is Allowing our life to go in that direction will lead us to death.

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How the Law Works

Romans 7:2-4 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another; to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.

Verses 2-4 are an example of how the law works.

7:2 If a woman becomes a wife, she is no longer free as a single woman she is bound by the law to be a wife to that man and only that man.

7:3 As a wife if she married another man she a law-breaker deserving of death. But if her husband died she is no longer a wife and she is free to remarry. Something that would be a horrible sin became OK.

7:4 Just like a woman could remarry according to the law so also a JEW under the law could die to that law and come alive to another, JESUS.

That way they could bear fruit for GOD, because according to the law they are always missing the mark bearing no fruit.They would recognize their marriage or commitment to the law as ended, dead to the law and remarried to JESUS

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