I said:
"Oh, stop it! You've not proven your claim.
And there is nothing in the context that he was reminiscing."
Nothing but verses Romans 7:5 and 18.
"When we WERE in the flesh", and "(that is, in my flesh)".
Since when is every mention of the past proof that the WHOLE chapter is in the historical present? No dice.
v.5 is not a "reminiscing", but a REMINDER.
What have you done with v.6?
6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Have you redacted it from your Bible?
The words "but now" obviously bring us back to the PRESENT. So you can give up your "historical present" fantasy.
You cited v.18. Well, let's look at all of what Paul wrote:
18 For
I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.For
I have the desire to do what is good, but
I cannot carry it out.
19 For
I do not do the good
I want to do, but
the evil I do not want to do—this
I keep on doing.
20 Now
if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but
it is sin living in me that does it.
Now, are you seriously going to argue that all these red words are a historical present?
You can fantasize all you want, but it's very clear that Paul was speaking in the PRESENT TENSE, revealing his own on-going struggle with sin.
Both references to the past.
Not.even.close.
The flesh was killed in Rom 6 so must be a reference to the past from the present perspective.
No. Paul explained the on-going CHOICE that believers face of whom to obey.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
v.11,12,13 are commands of what NOT to do. All commands offer a choice; whether to obey them or not.
v.14 is a policy statement with an explanation of WHY believers should not obey sin.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!
Here, Paul asks the obvious question. Showing that sin is a choice.
16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Again, Paul shows the options (choices) every believer faces daily.
Those still walking in the flesh have made their choice of whom to follow.
It isn't Jesus.
Right. But what you continue to fail to understand is that this choice is not a one time deal. It's something every believer faces every day. Temptations change all the time. A believer may choose to obey righteousness one time, but fail another time and choose to obey sin.
I am wondering why this seems so unreasonable to you?
It is a one time deal because water baptism is a one time deal.
Where in the world do you get this notion from? Certainly not the Bible. There is no magic in water. Period.
In fact, Peter drowns your theory in 1 Pet 3:20,21
20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all,
were saved through water,
21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
It seems you are reading v.20 quite WRONG. As if Peter wrote "saved BY water". In fact, the 8 in the ark were saved (delivered, rescued) FROM the literal water that destroyed the entire human race at that time.
Haven't you realized that the entire human race were immersed (baptized) BY water? Did that save anyone? Of course not. It KILLED all of them.
So, v.20 shows the NEED for being saved FROM the literal water that killed everyone else, Peter moves on to say that literal "water SYMBOLIZES baptism that now saves".
Did you get that? The water that killed the entire human race in Noah's day SYMBOLIZES baptism that saves.
So, it is CLEARLY NOT WATER BAPTISM that saves. So, what other kind of baptism is there? Glad you asked.
This is what John the Baptist said in Mark 1:8 - I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
There it is, in black and white. The baptism of the Holy Spirit corresponds to the sealing ministry of the Spirit in Eph 1:13,14.
The MOMENT a person believes in Christ for salvation, they ARE SEALED with the Spirit, and it is this sealing that John was referring to as a baptism.
Remember that the original meaning of the Greek word was associated with IDENTIFICATION, not just dunking in water. In fact, the word was used in reference to dying cloth. When dipped into dye (not just water) the cloth came out with a different color. iow, the cloth has a NEW IDENTITY.
So, Holy Spirit baptism (sealing with the Spirit) IDENTIFIES the believer as God's POSSESSION.
Eph 1-
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of
those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
2 Cor 1:22 -
set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
If this isn't enough to convince you of this, consider what Peter said about Cornelius and family when they believed the gospel he preached to them:
Acts 11-
15 “As I began to speak,
the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.
16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘
John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 So if
God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
The red words refer to the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
The blue words clarify the DIFFERENCE between literal water baptism and baptism with the Spirit.
The green words show that the sealing ministry of the Spirit (baptism) is a gift.
That is where/when the flesh/old man is killed with Christ. (Rom 6:6)
In order to understand Paul's argument here and in 7:13-25 and 8:10-11, we must distinguish between "person" and "nature". Something you aren't willing to do.
At regeneration one is judicially acquitted and receives a new supernaturally endowed inclination to comply with God's mandates, and the Holy Spirit to empower to obey God.
But the regenerate man remains NO LESS the SAME METAPHYSICAL PERSON with the entire complex of attributes of fallen humanity in Adam. But you continue to deny this.
Therefore, though the "old man" has been crucified, he is still present in our flesh. But through the new life and Holy Spirit, he no longer controls the believer, though we can STiLL ALLOW him to (v.13).
That's the choice I keep referring to.
Quit wasting your breath trying to convince me I'm still a servant of sin when I have been freed from it.
Let me be clear again. You are FREE from the PENALTY of sin. You ARE NOT free from the power of sin, because it's an on-going choice of whether to obey sin or righteousness. That is what Paul SAID in Rom 6:13 and 16.
Those who commit sin will have a judgement to face, and God is no respector of peoples.
Do you believe that Christ did NOT die for every sin?
Romans 8:2 says "it"..."For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."
Yep. Free from the PENALTY of sin. Not the practice of sin, as you wrongly opine.
As His sheep are the ones who "follow Him", that automatically disqualifies those who commit sin.
This doesn't even make sense.
There is nothing "automatic" about the Christian life regarding practice. It's all about choice, which you keep denying.
The Spirit is a "down payment" on what you claim to already possess.
Please quit misreading the Bible.
The down payment or GUARANTEE is my inheritance for the day of redemption.
What I possess right now is the gift of eternal life. Given to me by Jesus the MOMENT I put my faith in Him alone for salvation.
Rom 6:22..."But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."
You've got to be free from sin before you can be a servant of God.
The only way you can be "free from the power of sin" is by being IN fellowship with the Lord through confession of your sins and by being filled with the Spirit.
There is no other way.
Your fantasy that this is an automatic thing for believers is refuted by all the commands in Scripture about not sinning.
Ever read Matt 7:22-23?
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Doesn't that sound like believers to you?
No. Why should it? Didn't you bother to read and comprehend what their WHOLE basis of entering the kingdom was? Works. Just works. Nothing about believing at all.
In fact, this is PROVEN by the fact of what Jesus said to them: "I NEVER KNEW YOU".
That proves that this crowd NEVER believed in Him for salvation. They based entrance into the kingdom on what THEY did.
Believers that still committed sin.
Couldn't be farther from the truth. They were unbelievers. Religious ones, to be sure.
And Jesus NEVER KNEW them. Period.