“For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 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. What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.”

In this passage Paul is describing a person, perhaps himself, before being made alive in Christ. He says that when we were in the flesh, (meaning controlled by the sinful nature and before salvation), the law ignited our desire to sin. Yet he makes sure to tell us that it’s not the law that’s the problem but the inner-disease of rebellion that is aroused by the “do not’s” of the law. The law is holy and is instituted by God, but when an unregenerate man is exposed to it, he will not be able to keep its heavy demands and will instead find that sin’s desire is awakened within.

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:14-15)

The law is spiritual, meaning only a man who has the Holy Spirit is able to walk out obedience to it. We cannot obey God in the flesh, it’s impossible! And so in this passage you have a person who knows God’s law and yet is not born again and filled with the Spirit, and is therefore in an endless tug-of-war between light and darkness. There are many believers stuck in this rut, always struggling with sin, falling, and falling, and falling, with no end to their bondage in sight. But the reason for this is very simple, they have not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit that purges and cleanses them of their sin and supernaturally empowers a new life. They are in bondage because they have not yet entered into that experience of the power of God that breaks the yoke of sin, addiction, shame, and condemnation. They are trying to please God in the flesh.

“The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8)

The law describes the external out-workings of an internal-connection with the Holy Spirit. In other words when the Holy Spirit lives on the inside, the demands of the law will be walked out as the natural out-flow of God living in you, this is otherwise known as the fruit of the Spirit. (see Galatians 5:22-23) But when we do not have the Spirit and we begin reading the word of God it then exposes us to the law, and by that knowledge our sinful passions are ignited, we die, and through the commandment sin becomes utterly sinful.

Before being born again we can only “mimic” holy behavior, but we are not holy in the core of our beings, we are not holy in nature. Therefore it is merely a charade when a carnal man is attempting to obey Christ. He first needs to repent and receive the Holy Spirit, and through that experience he’ll become supernaturally animated by the Spirit of God. For the Spirit-possessed man, obedience to God’s law is the out-flow of this internal-fountain of power that abides within.

“In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4)

This is one of the extremely important reasons why we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit so greatly. We can only walk out the righteous requirement of the law when we live in the Spirit. When we are filled and continually filled with the Holy Spirit, we enter into the realm of the kingdom, and when we live in and operate from that dimension, the power of God is ever bubbling up from within us empowering obedience to the once impossible demands of the law.