NOTES for Rom 7:15
The inner duality is familiar to many. It would seem that the experience of Paul in this respect is not at all different from the experience of many other persons. But is it so? What we usually call the inner duality, is mostly only an outward symptom of a certain hidden spiritual disease. Of course, in comparison with the outward demonstrations of our "I", we can consider this duality that we sometimes experience, as something internal. But its reasons are much deeper, and mostly we do not notice them. Where comes this duality? Mostly it is only one of the demonstrations of the fallen human nature. Our spiritual "I", what is usually called in the biblical books "the heart", in the fallen state there are few to whom the inside is whole.
In fact, at first to the fallen man it is never whole, it has to come to this wholeness, proposing in it directed efforts. Such a work on the alignment of the internal and the obtaining of the spiritual wholeness, in fact, is called asceticism. And only having crossed a defined spiritual path, one can obtain such wholeness. But it is not still the end of the path; it is only its first stage. At the first stage, to man reveals his personal inside and this chaos, which reigns in him usually, if no effort is taking to change the situation. The ascetic practice can end this chaos. But at the same time man opens suddenly for himself that in his own nature, except the chaos, which prevents the inner wholeness, there is another more powerful power resisting him, if he wishes to go on the path of the righteousness and observe the Torah. It is about this sinfulness, which is peculiar to the fallen man.
It is already more here not about the internal chaos, but about the powerful destructive force, which counteracts the one who wants to follow the Torah, observing the commandments given by God. And the apostle, as we see, faced in particular that. He already has no more internal conflict; he knows perfectly, what he wants. But besides Paul is conscious that in his own nature there is something that opposes the decision taken by him, when he tries to realize it. Here is, this “something” is what we usually call the original sin. And Paul understands perfectly that, unlike of the usual internal duality, connected generally with the spiritual weakness, the original sin is irresistible for man. Here can help only the coming of the Messiah and the breath of the Kingdom, which He brought to the world.