The Redeemed Man's Inner Conflict

Paul describes the profound inner conflict experienced by every true believer: though justified by faith in Christ, having died to sin and been made alive to God, the Christian remains "of the flesh, sold under sin," delighting in God's spiritual law in the inner man while unable to consistently perform the good he desires and instead doing the evil he hates due to indwelling sin. This ongoing tension—the "already but not yet" of sanctification, where the believer is simultaneously righteous in Christ and still a sinner in the flesh—serves as evidence of genuine regeneration rather than cause for despair, as the unregenerate experience no such war against sin. The message offers comfort that this struggle calls believers to sorrow over sin, dependence on Christ for victory, and joyful hope in His ultimate deliverance from the "body of death," culminating in no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus and the promise of full glorification.