The Flesh vs. Sin That Dwells in My Members: A Biblical Distinction
Many believers struggle with Romans 7 and the concept of ongoing sin in the Christian life. Paul’s words—"I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (Romans 7:15)—resonate deeply with those who long for victory over sin but find themselves caught in patterns of failure.
A key to understanding this battle is distinguishing between the flesh and sin that dwells in my members. These are often conflated, but Scripture treats them as distinct realities. Recognizing this distinction helps us grasp the nature of our struggles and how to walk in victory through Christ.
1. The Old Man: Crucified with Christ
Before distinguishing the flesh from sin in my members, we must first address the old man.
The old man (or old self) refers to our unregenerate identity in Adam.
Romans 6:6 states, "Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin."
This means that our former identity in Adam is dead and gone. We are now new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), spiritually alive and united with Him (Colossians 3:3).
While our old man was crucified, we still deal with two remaining realities: the flesh and sin dwelling in our members.
2. The Flesh: Residual Living Patterns from Our Former Life
Definition: The flesh refers to the ingrained ways of thinking, reacting, and coping that were formed in our former life apart from Christ.
The flesh is not a separate entity, nor is it the old man resurrected—it is simply the residue of life lived in self-dependence before salvation.
Paul describes it as opposed to the Spirit: "The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another" (Galatians 5:17).
The flesh cannot be improved or trained into holiness: "The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God; for it does not submit to God's law, indeed, it cannot" (Romans 8:7).
The flesh was not crucified with Christ.
Instead, we are called to deny it moment by moment (Luke 9:23), reckon ourselves dead to sin (Romans 6:11), and walk by the Spirit so that we do not fulfill its desires (Galatians 5:16).
3. Sin That Dwells in My Members: The Law of Sin at Work in the Body
Paul uses a distinct phrase in Romans 7: "It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me" (Romans 7:17). He expands on this in verse 23:
"I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members."
This law of sin operates in the physical body and is distinct from the flesh:
The flesh is a way of thinking, a habitual mindset of self-dependence.
The law of sin is an active principle in the body that pulls us toward sin.
This explains why believers still experience temptations and sinful impulses—even though their spirit is alive to God. The physical body has not yet been redeemed (Romans 8:23), and the law of sin still resides in it.
Sin in the members does not define the believer.
Paul clarifies, "It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me" (Romans 7:20). His true identity is in Christ, but sin remains present in his mortal body.
This aligns with Romans 8:10: "The body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
4. The Key to Victory: Yielding to Christ’s Life Within
Understanding these distinctions clarifies how we experience freedom:
The old man is dead—we no longer have an identity in Adam (Romans 6:6).
The flesh remains—but it must be denied and not trusted (Luke 9:23).
Sin still dwells in our members—but it does not define us, and it does not have dominion over us (Romans 6:14).
The solution?
We do not fight the flesh by improving it—we walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
We do not overcome sin in our members by striving—we reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11).
We yield to Christ’s life moment by moment, trusting Him to live through us (Galatians 2:20).
Final Thought
Our struggle is not to fix the flesh or remove sin from our members—those efforts lead only to Romans 7 failure. Instead, we fix our minds on Christ (Colossians 3:1-3), walk by the Spirit, and trust in the One who is our sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30).
By yielding moment by moment to Christ within, we experience the reality of victory—not by self-effort, but by the life of the indwelling Christ.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, we rejoice that our old man was crucified with Christ, and we are now alive in Him. We acknowledge that the flesh remains, but we refuse to place any confidence in it. We recognize the law of sin in our members, yet we stand firm in the truth that sin does not define us. Thank You that Christ is our life, our righteousness, and our sanctification. We rest in Him, trusting that as we walk by the Spirit, He expresses His holiness through us. Amen.