‘For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am fleshly, sold under sin.'
If we consider the passage from Romans 7:14 to Romans 8:4 we discover an interesting fact. It commences with ‘we' and then immediately moves into ‘I, me', and with the exception of ‘our' in Romans 7:25 (easily explicable in a phrase which is commonly found throughout the letter). The use of ‘I, me' then continues until Romans 8:2 with the passage finishing in Romans 8:4 with ‘us'. Thus ‘we' and ‘us' form an inclusio for the passage, which is on the whole based on Paul's personal experience. And it commences with the idea that the Law is ‘spiritual' (pneumatikos) and ends with that same Law being fulfilled by those who walk after the Spirit (Romans 8:4). In between, however, is a vivid description of times when the ‘fleshly' part of the Christian comes out on top.
Paul begins by defining the problem, and at the same time exalting the Law. The problem lies in the fact that the Law is ‘spiritual' (of the Spirit), and its commands thus cater to what is truly spiritual. It is too high in its standards for fleshly man. It assumes a perfect man. The wholly spiritual man, if such existed, would no doubt have no problem with it. Indeed, we have one such example in Jesus Christ Himself. And those who come nearest to fulfilling it are spiritual Christians (Romans 2:29; Romans 8:4). It is intended for those who ‘walk by the Spirit' all the time. No doubt the angels in Heaven would not have found it too difficult to observe due to their spiritual natures, but that is not true of us. For men, even the best of men, are not wholly spiritual (pneumatikos). On the contrary, they are ‘fleshly' (carnal), something which from time to time reveals itself.
Thus our flesh rebels against obedience to the Law. Whilst with our minds we want to fight our flesh, we at times find ourselves giving way, defeated by sin which takes advantage of our fleshly disposition. Our ‘flesh' (Romans 7:18) provides a place from which sin can launch its attacks. Thus ‘as we are in ourselves in our fleshliness' we as Christians are at times the unwilling slaves of sin, sold under sin against our will. We at times serve the principle of sin, albeit reluctantly. We may have been redeemed (Romans 3:24), but that, though real, and resulting in a genuine spiritual experience (Romans 6:1 to Romans 7:6), is not always effective in outward living, precisely because of the flesh. The fleshly side of man (and the context suggests that fleshly must signify sinful weakness) is still contrary to what is spiritual. This is as true for the Christian as the non-Christian. That is why there is such a struggle between flesh and spirit in the Christian, a struggle described in Galatians 5:16 onwards. It arises because the Christian is fleshly as well as being spiritual. Sin still seeks to bring him into subjection. He is still in that sense ‘under sin'. That is why it must therefore be ‘put to death'.
In this regard we should note that the statement is in the first person, and is in the present tense, ‘I am fleshly.' Paul does not exclude himself from those who by nature have a ‘fleshly disposition'. Indeed he thrusts himself forward as such. None among men (save the One Who was supernaturally born) can be excluded. It is the very nature of man. And that it refers to Paul's present state would also appear to be confirmed by the following verses, also in the present tense, and also in terms of ‘I'. Those who see what follows as the description of unregenerate men, or as representing the Jews, have to find some explanation for some of these clear declarations in the first person singular and in the present tense, (note especially the ‘I myself' of Romans 7:25, and the heart cry of Romans 7:24) and we know of none that is satisfactory. Such interpreters have to invent something which is not in the text, and is certainly not apparent from it. But what they cannot do is see them as meaning what they say, that is, as Paul referring to his present state, even though on the face of them that is what they do, and would certainly appear as doing so to the hearer.
The problem lies in thinking that Paul was referring to gross sins. But once we recognise that he has in mind spiritual sins, of failure to be totally Christlike, we recognise that he was conscious of, and convicted by, things which we would not even call sins. His conscience was highly attuned.
Our view therefore is that Paul is referring to himself as having the fleshly disposition that is common to man, a fleshly disposition which has to be brought into subjection by the Spirit (Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:16 onwards), and which is still subject to sin, even though from the point of view of acceptability with God we can count it as ‘dead'. That this is so would seem to be confirmed by the experiences which follow which are all the common lot of Christians whenever they allow ‘the flesh' to prevail.