Some time ago I read The Life of Holiness: Notes and Reflections on Romans 1, 5-8 by James Faulconer. The book is a detailed set of reflections on those five chapters in Paul’s letter to the Roman church. It is not a light read but is full of depth, providing many hours of contemplation on powerful topics.
In discussing Romans 7:5, part of Paul’s discourse on the relation of the law to sin, Faulconer mentions an idea I had not previously considered. I found it to be quite profound so wanted to share it here for further discussion. On page 346, Faulconer says:
From this it follows that if I know that God has given a law and I desire to act contrary to that law, I desire that my will be done rather than his. Contained within my desire for what is forbidden is a movement to usurp the authority of God. In other words, contained in my desire is something like the desire of Satan. In fact, if we look at what is going on in Moses 4, we see that Satan was not willing to acquiesce to God’s desires but wanted his own to be fulfilled. Christ, on the other hand, was willing to give up his desires in favor of the desires of the Father. When we desire evil, when we desire that our desires be fulfilled rather than those of the Father, we imitate Satan.
While I had understood sin to be willful rebellion against God, I had never before considered that one is in effect usurping the authority of God by imposing one’s own will over God’s. The idea that, in doing so, one is imitating Satan’s attempt to do the same, seems profound to me.
What do you think of Faulconer’s assertion?
Wheat & Tares 
I’m going through the same book, though probably a lot slower than you did (I usually read books in a day or so, this one is stretching out in terms of more than a year), but there is something profound there.
Stephen, I think it took me the better part of a year to finish this one. It is thought-provoking and I had to take routine breaks in order to process it.
It takes the concept of a loving Father and turns him into an abusive tyrant. I reject any idea that does that.
While I haven’t read Faulconer’s book (yet), I think there is also plenty of precedence in the scriptures of arguing with God as a relationship building tool. Abraham argued to save Sodom, Jacob wrestled an angel, Enoch questioned God’s compassion, Jonah argued that the people of Ninevah be destroyed. There is something rich and fulfilling in the stories where a person takes their anger to God, argues with God and God shifts a bit. If we are truly eternal, progressive beings, we will need to someday act on our own, in our own, Godly way. Perhaps it is in the desire to place one’s will over God’s that we are refined into godhood.
I can only agree with Faulconer in a very limited sense. Sin makes it more difficult for us to feel God’s influence and leaves us open to greater influence from Satan or others. In that sense, sin causes something like an eclipse. But the moon in an eclipse does not fundamentally lessen the sun’s power, nor can it usurp it. It just makes it so the earth cannot feel the sun’s power. But, I guess I can see why someone might say that the moon is “usurping” the sun’s power over that portion of the earth with diminished light.