Then why do the accounts of his memory if he was in the same state ie an unsaved Pharissee contradict? In one (Philippians), he says that he kept the law perfectly, in the other (
Romans 7) he says that he knew he was not keeping the law, tried and failed?
Good question.
These are the two seemingly contradicting verses...
"Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." (Phil 3:6)
And...
"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Rom 7:18)
If you prefer a different verse from Rom 7, let me know.
Please note that in the Phil. verse he qualifies his "righteousness" with the caveat of..."which is in the Law...".
Isn't the "Law's righteousness" inferior to the righteousness imputed to us by God in this new covenant?
Men were capable of achieving the "Law's kind of righteousness" by their yearly days of atonement. Blood sacrifices and such.
But that kind of righteousness pales in comparison to the righteousness of those reborn of God's incorruptible seed.
The Romans 7 "righteousness" was cited with the realization of the new kind of righteousness. A righteousness without caveats.
A new covenant's imputed and actual righteousness via the death of the flesh/old man and resurrected new man's true alignment with the mind of Christ.
A righteousness innate to those who have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. A righteousness of those reborn with a divine nature.
The Philippians verse is an acknowledgement of Paul's righteous in regard to the kind of righteousness available to him when he was still a Jewish Law keeper.
OT righteousness, the best then available.
They were both from times past, but one was when he was a Pharisee and the other was when he was a follower of Christ but found that he was unable to keep the new found law of Christ which includes the inward parts but failed. Then went on in
Romans 8 to succeed when he discovered the secret (by faith not working to obey).
As I think I have already mentioned, Rom 7 is a transition point between the Rom. 6's death of the old man and his walk in the flesh, and the Romans 8 walk in the Spirit.
In the Spirit we have been enabled to keep Law of Christ, because the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed us from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2)
The accounts have nothing to do with each other. They contradict.
I hope I have helped you see that the "contradiction" is that the perspective of the writer is different in the two separate verses above.
The Romans verses, a narration of failure under the Law from a perspective with the knowledge of the true righteousness afforded by faith, and the Phil's perspective of alignment with the kind of righteousness Paul had available to him while under the Law.
He was saying that there was something within him that would not submit though he knew that he should and this something was the reason why he found that internally he was not the Christian he knew he should be. Common experience of those who come to entire sanctification. read from the Holiness Movement.
Fact is, rebirth makes it possible to walk in the Spirit all the time.
No more serving the flesh or sin.
Sanctified indeed.
Holy indeed.
The "something within him" was the law of sin and death, which worked in him while he was still an OT Pharisee/Jew.
Romans 8:2 provides the cure, and the end of the transition between fleshly walks and Spiritual walks.
The cure?..."For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."
Yes but it was in theory only. It was not working out in reality before he was able to put that faith into action..
I'm not sure what you are referencing here.
No we are miles apart. You do not have a crisis of faith when you are outside of the kingdom. You do not have faith and you do not struggle to keep the law. You do what you want and think that you are as good as others.
Why would those "in" the kingdom have a crisis of faith?
And what I want is the same as what Jesus wants.
He is "at the wheel". (Gal 2:20)