Greetings Dread!
I am going to take the time and effort to explain this to you as clearly as possible, because this is extremely important.
I really dont understand this reasoning. Are you saying that if you are a spirit filled apostle you no longer struggle with sin? Maybe not to the extremes you are saying, but even the apostle Peter cursed when he was asked if he knew Jesus.
What we are saying is that a mature believer - filled with the Holy Spirit - will walk according to God's commandments because the Spirit leads him/her and s/he can do no other.
25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
The scriptures above Dread, are God's promise to man-kind of complete victory over sin. Those promises were fulfilled in the Apostles and can be fulfilled in us also.
No educated person can claim that someone can have both the Romans 7 experience and the Ezekiel 36 experience at the same time. Either you walk in God's statutes or you want to, but fail to do so. The two passages of scripture cannot be true simultaneously.
The comforting thing about Paul is that he's no more holy than anyone else. He's just a man, and men stuggle with sin no matter how "seasoned" they are. Show me a holy, ministering, mature, God-fearing man who claims to never struggle with sin...and I'll show you a liar.
Dread, please answer me this one thing. Before the Holy Spirit came, how did the Apostles react to persecution? When Jesus was killed they all ran away in fear, and denied his name. Peter even swore as you mentioned previously.
Now Dread, how did the Apostles react after they were filled with the Holy Spirit? They spoke boldly in the temple and fearlessly preached before Emperors. They had a power given to them by the Holy Spirit that removed all fear and sin. St. John says that whoever fears has not been made perfect in love. These saints were made perfect in love Dread.
Tell me Dread, can someone who has been made perfect in love sin? Sin is the absence of love, and perfect love for God, with the whole heart, soul, strength and mind does not permit sin.
17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
What St. John is saying is that in order to stand in front of God unashamed, we need to have our love made perfect. Notice what St. John says: "because as He is, so are we in this world." That is a very bold statement by John, to say that he is just like Jesus. Either John is a blasphemer or he was actually in a spiritual state that was equal to Jesus.
He then says there is no fear in love because fear has to do with judgment. If we have been forgiven of all of our sins and walk in perfect holiness before God, we will have no fear of His judgment, correct?
I think Paul is being honest. He sins because at the time he likes it then hates it then does it again like a vicious cycle. The last verse in the chapter says "25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
That is a wonderful scripture that tells us Paul found the answer to his struggles. The Bible doesn't leave him in the Romans 7 state. He says who will rescue me? And then he gives thanks to God.
Also please don't believe that his mind and body can act contrary to one another so that in Paul's mind he can be praying to God while his body is connected to a prostitute. Clearly that is not what he is saying. There are other scriptures that say that our bodies are dead because of sin. I believe this is what he means in verse 25.
Yes to die to your old self and become a new creature in Christ can mean a sudden change in character (not killing Christians for example) but you cant say that you dont struggle with sin there on in. Just because Paul struggled with sin doesnt mean that his credibilty is ruined! He's not Jesus you know, just another sinner that God worked with. THATS why we have the NT, its perfect because of Christ not Paul.
We very well can say this Dread, based on the scriptures I have presented and upon the testimony of many thousands of Christians. The truth is Dread that these teachings were once well known in Christianity during the 1700's through until about the 1930's. After that time Calvinism and it's twisted theology of a life-long struggle with sin became popular, which is why we live in such a powerless church age.
John Wesley, General Booth, Keith Green, Leonard Ravenhill and many other great preachers of old claim to have had an experience called "The Second Blessing." Others have called it "Christian Perfection" or "Heart Cleansing." Many Christians - especially Calvinists - have the same experience of course but they call it something else, like experiencing revival.
Look at this wonderful promise God made to you Dread: 2 Peter 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Peter is saying that we have been given great and precious promises - probably referring to Ezekiel 36 - that by those promises we can become partakers of the divine nature. Once we are partakers of the divine nature we are what St. John said: "As Jesus is, so are we in this world."
Peter says that when we are made partakers of the divine nature, we will escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Clearly the man in Romans 7 had not yet escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Take care!
Quest