In the fall our life is a life of sin. Romans 7:14 says, “I am fleshly, sold under sin.” The phrase “sold under sin” means sold to sin. Sin is the buyer, and we have been sold to him.
Romans 7:17 goes on to say, “It is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.” The Greek word translated “dwells” actually means “make a home,” for the verb has the root meaning of house or home. Therefore, this verse is not saying that sin merely remains in us but that sin makes its home in us. For this reason, it is no longer we who do the evil that we do not want to do, but sin that makes its home within us.
Romans 7:20 says, “If what I do not will, this I do, it is no longer I that do it but sin that dwells in me.” This verse is further proof that our life in the fall is a sinful life, a life that is devilish, satanic.
Our life in the fall is also a life dominated by the law of sin and death (Rom. 7:23; 8:2). A law denotes a natural power with a certain tendency and activity. Every kind of life has a law. For example, it is the law of the bird life to fly and the law of an apple tree to bear apples. Because every kind of life has its own law, the devilish life, the life of sin, also has its law—the law of sin and death. Paul speaks of this law in Romans 7:23: “I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me a captive in the law of sin which is in my members.” The law of the mind here is not the Mosaic law. This is the law in our nature created by God, a law of trying to do good. But the law of sin in our members is always warring against this good law in our mind and making us captive to the law of sin. The evil law wars against the law of good and invariably captures us. Thus, we become a captive in the law of sin which is in our members. This is not a doctrine; this is our life-history.
In Romans 8:2 Paul again speaks of the law of sin. In order to impress you with the seriousness of our life in the fall being dominated by the law of sin and death, I shall use the word “law” as a verb. The law of sin “laws” us; we all have been “lawed” by this law. We simply cannot escape the “lawing,” the spontaneous working, of the law of sin within us. According to 8:2, the law of sin is also the law of death. When this law “laws” us, we are involved not only with sin but also with death.
The unbelievers have passed through the stage of creation and remain in the stage of the fall, but the believers have been transferred into a third stage—the stage of God’s salvation. This means that as believers we have not only the human life and the satanic life but also the divine life, the life of God. Just as Satan, in the fall, injected his life into us and caused us to be united with him, gained by him, and possessed with all the evils of his life, so God, in His salvation, puts His life into us and causes us to be united with Him, gained by Him, and possessed of all the riches of His life. Therefore, just as the crucial point of the fall was life, so also the crucial point of salvation is life. Now, in addition to our original created human life and the life of Satan obtained through the fall, we also have the life of God.
The life we have in God’s salvation is a human life mingled with the divine life, the eternal life. The Gospel of John reveals that we receive the divine life by believing in the Son of God (1:12-13; 3:15-16). The divine life does not come into us to replace the human life; rather, the divine life is mingled with the human life. This mingling of the human life and the divine life is illustrated by the grafting of a branch from one tree into another tree. In grafting two lives are joined and then grow together organically. Because the human life was made in the image of God and according to the likeness of God, it can be joined to the divine life and mingled with it. Although our human life is not the divine life, it resembles the divine life. Therefore, these two lives can be grafted and grow together organically. This is the mingling of the human life with the divine life in the believers.