For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
The inward person delights in God's law, which is holy and just and good. That law is God's standard of character and it reveals sin, including coveting. Sin takes occasion by the commandment to produce desire and bring death, though the commandment itself was ordained for life. By exposing sin in this way it brings the sinner to recognize the need for deliverance through Jesus Christ.
The repentant sinner delights inwardly in God's law even while sin in the flesh opposes the mind and brings the person into captivity. Through Jesus Christ and the Spirit, believers as obedient children are freed from slavery to sin and delight inwardly in God's law. The mind serves God's law, but victory over sinful deeds comes through the Spirit.
This delight is learned under the teaching and influence of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ sent to all to give sufficiency so that through His grace believers are complete in Him. Beholding Christ changes the person into His likeness and into the divine image, and the Holy Spirit writes God's law in the mind and heart, bringing a renewed relationship with God. This is the experience of every teacher of truth who beholds Christ until changed into His likeness, with the result of inward delight in God's law.
The delight belongs to a converted, born-again life that comes through turning to the Lord with full purpose of heart and making an unreserved surrender to God now. It becomes true when a person separates from everything marring character, and it is an entirely different experience from many years of unconverted, unsanctified living. In that converted experience the person counts all things as loss for the excellency of knowing Christ. Every privilege is opened before him, and he copies Christ's loveliness of character with thanksgiving and rejoicing of heart. He finds God's statutes right and pure, more desired than gold and sweeter than honey.
He is freed from pride and self-assurance, from weakness in spiritual power, from an unforgiving spirit and wrathful feelings under Satan's control, and from a masterly spirit that judges, condemns and censures. The renewed inward change leads to love-filled obedience from the heart, with love for Christ leading to obedience. The believer loves the requirements of the law and from the heart renders obedience to its requirements, leaving no room for cherished sin. He does not try to lower God's commands to fit personal weakness but strives to live up to their perfection.
The inward person delights in God's law, which is holy and just and good. That law is God's standard of character and it reveals sin, including coveting. Sin takes occasion by the commandment to produce desire and bring death, though the commandment itself was ordained for life. By exposing sin in this way it brings the sinner to recognize the need for deliverance through Jesus Christ.
The repentant sinner delights inwardly in God's law even while sin in the flesh opposes the mind and brings the person into captivity. Through Jesus Christ and the Spirit, believers as obedient children are freed from slavery to sin and delight inwardly in God's law. The mind serves God's law, but victory over sinful deeds comes through the Spirit.
This delight is learned under the teaching and influence of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ sent to all to give sufficiency so that through His grace believers are complete in Him. Beholding Christ changes the person into His likeness and into the divine image, and the Holy Spirit writes God's law in the mind and heart, bringing a renewed relationship with God. This is the experience of every teacher of truth who beholds Christ until changed into His likeness, with the result of inward delight in God's law.
The delight belongs to a converted, born-again life that comes through turning to the Lord with full purpose of heart and making an unreserved surrender to God now. It becomes true when a person separates from everything marring character, and it is an entirely different experience from many years of unconverted, unsanctified living. In that converted experience the person counts all things as loss for the excellency of knowing Christ. Every privilege is opened before him, and he copies Christ's loveliness of character with thanksgiving and rejoicing of heart. He finds God's statutes right and pure, more desired than gold and sweeter than honey.
He is freed from pride and self-assurance, from weakness in spiritual power, from an unforgiving spirit and wrathful feelings under Satan's control, and from a masterly spirit that judges, condemns and censures. The renewed inward change leads to love-filled obedience from the heart, with love for Christ leading to obedience. The believer loves the requirements of the law and from the heart renders obedience to its requirements, leaving no room for cherished sin. He does not try to lower God's commands to fit personal weakness but strives to live up to their perfection.