1. “The law of God” (Rom. 7:22, 25).
Romans 7 and 8 speak of four different laws. The first law is the law of God, which is the law of the Old Testament. This is the law written by God on the stone tablets that were given to Moses. It enables man to know what God justifies and what He condemns.
2. “I did not know sin except through the law” (Rom. 7:7, see also v. 12).
The law of God causes us to know sin. Without the outward law of God, we would not know what is sin in God’s eyes. The law of God is holy, righteous, and good. When we act against the holy, righteous, and good demands of the law, it condemns us and causes us to know sin.
1. “The law with me who wills to do the good...the law of my mind” (Rom. 7:21, 23).
In addition to speaking of the law of God, Romans 7 and 8 speak of three additional laws. These three laws are within us because they are related to the three kinds of life that we have within us. Every life operates according to a law. While there are many laws that are not related to life, every life has a law. Since there are three different kinds of life in us, there are three different laws operating in us. Each of these laws corresponds to one of the kinds of life within us.
The law of good is related to our good, created human life. Romans 7:23 refers to this law as “the law of my mind.” This law is related to our soul because our mind is a part of the soul. This law is good because it comes out of the good and upright human life that God created. It operates through our mind and causes us to will to do good.
The law of good in our mind is not something that is received through salvation. Since this law comes out of our created human life, every person is born with this law. This is proven by human experience. Before we even believed in the Lord, we had the thought and desire to do good. For example, we had the desire to honor our parents and to be kind to others. When we failed, we would be sad and resolve to improve ourselves. Every thought related to doing good and to improving ourselves comes from the law of good which operates in our mind. Therefore, this law is the law of our created life, not a gift in God’s plan of salvation.
According to Romans 7:18, which begins with the phrase I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells, some teach that there is nothing good in us, either before or after our salvation. They say this because they do not see that this law is related to our original created life. If we read this phrase carefully, however, we will see that this interpretation is not accurate. According to the truth, the part of our being in which nothing good dwells is our flesh, not our mind, which is part of the soul. According to the context of the word in verse 18 and the general context of verses 21 through 24, flesh refers to our fallen and transmuted body. In our flesh, that is, in our fallen and transmuted body, there is nothing good. Nevertheless, this does not mean that there is nothing good related to fallen human beings. On the contrary, verses 21 though 23 clearly indicate that even fallen human beings have a desire and a will to do good according to the law of good in their mind. Both our desire and our thoughts are related to the soul. Although there is nothing good in our fallen and transmuted body, there is still an element of good in us which is proven by our soul’s desire and the thought of good in our mind after the fall. This element of good is related to our good created life. Thus, the law of good in our mind comes out of our good created life, which we received when we were born.
Some say that our good created life was corrupted by the fall to the point that there is no longer any element of good in it. This concept is inaccurate. Although our good created life was corrupted through the fall, even to the point that it cannot be healed, this is the most that can be said in this regard. Even though our good element was corrupted and stained, it still exists. According to Romans 7, there is still an element of good in our mind and in our desires. Moreover, after the fall, there is an element of good in our conscience, even if it is very weak. Our condition can be compared to a glass of sugar water that has been corrupted with a sour ingredient. Although the sweet taste has been corrupted, the element of sugar still exists and still provides a trace of sweetness. Although the fall has corrupted the element of good in our mind, this element has not been eliminated. There is still a tendency toward good, according to the law of good in our mind. This tendency still exists even if it is not strong. This tendency is within every created and fallen human being. Our conscience corresponds to the law of good, which is expressed through our mind as the desire to do good. According to Chinese philosophers, this tendency in man has been associated with the terms bright virtue, the knowledge of good, and the bright innerheart. The considerations of the Chinese philosophers related to the element of good in our human nature fit the true condition of our human nature.
2. “With the mind I myself serve the law of God” (Rom. 7:25).
We serve the law of God with our mind because the law of good in our mind causes us to desire to be according to the outward law that is good. The law of God is compatible with the law of good in our mind. The outward law of God places good demands upon us, and the law of good in our mind responds to the outward law by causing us to desire to do good. Thus, our mind serves the outward law of God.