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. (Romans 7:14-25 ESV)
There is a tendency amongst some evangelicals to blame negative outcomes, poor judgement or blatant or not-so-blatant sin on external forces, most often demonic "oppression". Less than ideal outcomes end up being the fault of a will-o'-the-wisp bent on frustrating our best efforts. At the risk of offending some of my well-intentioned brethren, I must say that I find it amusing that people who should know better would say this. Sure, I believe the Forces of Darkness are at work--the Scriptures are very plain about this. But I don't believe that these forces have the power to force their will on us, causing us to take courses we would otherwise not take. I believe they have the power to influence us and lure us with any temptation available, yet I remain convinced that the choice is always ours. We choose to sin. We choose to make bad decisions. We listen to those proverbial voices from each shoulder and decide for ourselves.
There is another verse found in Jeremiah 17:9 which reads, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (ESV). This more accurately explains where the true darkness is to be found: the human heart. Now this, the heart, is metaphorical in this sense and isn't the muscular organ responsible for pumping our blood. Instead, it refers more to the soul of a person: the mind, will and emotions, or those intangible parts of us that have no physical form yet exist nonetheless.
It would indeed be convenient if we could blame our actions on external forces. However, drawing this conclusion requires that we disregard what is obvious to us all. The one common factor in all of our downfalls, mistakes and sins is us.
Even though I, too, often succumb to idiotic notions that my decisions can be reasonably blamed on someone or something else, I know what's really going on. There are times I reflect on a past action, marveling that the idiot that did that thing was me. Usually, it seems a foreign notion that I can fall to such levels of depravity. My shame swells when I see that I am not only capable of such bad stuff, but that I often choose this path against everything that I know and believe.
Things most often kept in check can sneak out at weak moments and show us just how deceitful and sick our heart really is. Weak moments: there is the flaw. We have weak moments, moments when our personal desires clash with what is right or good, and desire is the victor. We become weak when we begin to meditate on those things that are not conducive to right thinking. If I have a particular weakness that centers around lustful thoughts, then I need to become extra vigilant when the things that fuel these thoughts cross my path. If my guard is dropped in these moments, then that right jab will most likely connect with my glass jaw and down I go.
It might be considered unkind or unloving to say such things. After all, this is a frontal assault on self-esteem. How are we going to feel good about ourselves when we are confronted with the notion that our sinfulness is a buck that we cannot pass. I believe it is more harmful when we ignore reality and grasp for the vapors of our own self-righteousness. Dealing with the truth of this matter directly, even when the subject matter is unpleasant and unflattering, leaves us in a territory much closer to where we should be.
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