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Thanks Richard. After I posted, I realized I ought to have noted the fact that only the redeemed feel, acutely, the sting of conscience that they "...do the things they do not want to do and do not do the things they want to do...."
The struggle is a sign of life. It's not an excuse to just resign ourselves to sin but we ought to recognize that only the living are aware of their sin in the acute way that Paul is describing.
Now, an objector might point out that even Jews and Roman Catholics feel guilty for their sin and do things they say they don't want to do. The difference is the solution:
- Man-made religion looks to the self and greater effort and promises that they will, next time, do and obey better. They might not have perfect righteousness yet but they're getting there.
- The Gospel, however, points to Christ as our deliverance. In it, we recognize that our sin is so obvious because we see the full weight of the Law which would only pronounce a curse on us but that Christ has become a curse for us.
Thus, the difference is that the unbeliever might feel shame but it is not the depth of shame because it doesn't touch on the depth of the Law. The believer has eyes to see the depth of the Law and the Gospel that announces to us again our Righteousness.
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