1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, Chapter 6.5 The Nature of Mankind

Table of Contents

• The Text
• The Chapter
• The Confession
  • The corruption of nature, during this life, does remain in those that are regenerated
  • and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and the first motions thereof, are truly and properly sin

The Text

Romans 7:18-20 (CSB) For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me.

The Chapter

The corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and the first motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.

The Confession

The corruption of nature, during this life, does remain in those that are regenerated

Romans 7:18 (CSB) For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.

Romans 7:23 (CSB) but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 (CSB) There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins.

1 John 1:8 (CSB) If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The Reformer Martin Luther called this state of the saved believer: Simul Justus et Peccator. In other words, the people of God are both justified and sinner at the same time.

I cannot account for all of Christian history, but seemingly, especially in Evangelistic circles, the debate surrounding Romans 7:7-25. And the debate is attempting to answer this: In this passage, is Paul describing the Christian life, or is he describing the life of the unbeliever?

The answer lies in verse 22:

Romans 7:22 (CSB) For in my inner self I delight in God’s law,

Does the unbeliever delight in the law of God?

If you know the answer to that question, then this Romans passage should be a balm to your soul. Christian, there will be in sin your life. But you are righteous not because of what you have or have not done but because of your Christ has done for you.

and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and the first motions thereof, are truly and properly sin

Romans 7:23–25 (CSB) but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

Galatians 5:17 (CSB) For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

You will struggle. You are going to fail. You will sin. You might even doubt. Your salvation was never dependent on you. Your salvation was always dependent on the ALmighty God.

Rest in that. If just for today. If just for this moment. Rest in him. He has you for all of eternity.