There is a little saying among the Deeper Life crowd that goes something like this: “You need to get out of Romans seven and into Romans eight.” This sounds spiritual, but it’s not scriptural. The truth is the man groaning in chapter seven is still at it in the next chapter. Inward civil war is the Christian’s lot, and it’s life-long. After all, how could we ever claim victories without battles? From the Believer’s viewpoint, the Christian life is one of progressive sanctification.
The way to deal with our dark side, that is, the side that’s continually in opposition to God and all that’s good, is by denial. Not denying its existence, but in recognition. When Peter denied knowing Christ, it was the latter not the former of these he denied. When the corrupt “old man” attempts to usurp authority in our lives, we are to deny him any and all rights; we are not to recognize his demands.
In the movie, A Beautiful Mind, actor Russell Crowe plays a true life character who’s a schizophrenic. Toward the end, when the character he portrays is asked if he still had difficulties, he replied, “I still see things, I just don’t acknowledge them.”
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