As Paul mentioned:
Romans 7:7-24
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
I guess its good to always keep in mind the doctrine of your salvation, knowing it with all your heart how it is 'Not I, but Christ that lives in you' (Gal 2:20)
1 Corinthians 10:23-24
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
Christian liberty has put us in a very advantaged position I will say, yet many has abused it to the most immoral extent. Edifying and forbearing one other comes hand in hand, to build up and teach one other with patience, love, gentleness, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Virtues we can so easily associate with in the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22-23)
Its dangerous to "seek, strive, then excel" (also the motto for the school of combat engineers in army) without first acknowledging, admitting you are nothing/dead to your old self and Christ is our life. (Col 3:4).
I will just end off with a quote from watchman nee, as a remainder if we are practicing our Christian life in the wrong way.
Many believers feel it is very hard to maintain the Christian life. Daily they try, yet daily they sigh. Daily they struggle, yet daily they fail. Everyday they try to maintain their testimony, yet every day they bring shame to the Lord. ...... Before they were saved, they had the burden of sin on their back. Now that they believed in the Lord, they have the burden of holiness on their back. They exchange one burden for another, and the new one is just as tiresome and burdensome as the old one. ......
If you live the Christian life by yourself, endurance will be a suffering to you, as will love, humility, and bearing the cross. But if Christ lives in you, endurance will be a joy, so will love, humility and bearing the cross.
Good to know how Christ once crucified me on that cross with Him.
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