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The Fundamentals in the Spirit” and let not the sin principle, which is not ut- terly vanquished in the flesh at regeneration, prevail and cover them in defeat and shame. This same persistence of the sin principle is described in Rom. 8:5-9, where he surely is describing the experience of believers. Then in Phil. 3 :12- 14, he alludes to his own Christian experience thus: “I count not that I have already obtained; or am already made perfect; but I press on if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold. . . . I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God m Christ Jesus”. Paul knew by experience that the old sin principle still pursued him and that on account, of the weakness of the flesh he had not reached the “goal” of prac- tical righteousness. Even in his old age ( 1 Tim. 1:15) he breaks forth in the consciousness of his own enormous in- herent sinfulness: “Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom / am chief”. Every Greek scholar knows that in the last clause, “I am”, both pronoun and verb being expressed and their order inverted, is emphatic. Sin pursued the great and consecrated apostle even down to gray hairs. Sin is a Napoleon conducting his disturbing, destructive, and death bringing campaigns even in the Christian’s life. We may, by the grace of God and the help of the Spirit, make him prisoner on Elba, but he will escape and continue till life.s latest breath to distract our minds and defeat our holiest ambitions. But this Napoleon in the realm of our religious experience, like the Napoleon in the experience of European kings and nations, shall meet his Waterloo. SIN FINALLY VANQUISHED IN CHRIST JESUS Paul has this thought of conquest in mind in that unique passage, Rom. 5:12-21. TThe conquest of sin by grace in Christ Jesus far transcends the demolishing power of sin
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