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I do not see them as long drawn out steps. I see them happening simultaneously when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and strengthening throughout his life as his love and repentance deepened.

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1)Paul realized his weakness.
2)He had trusted to the deeds of the law.
3)He had put his trust in his own righteousness
4)Through the mirror of the law, he became aware of his condition and cried out "wretched man that I am" etc.
5)He availed himself of the benefits of saving grace to become dead to trespasses and sin.

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Paul realized his weakness, and well he might distrust his own strength. Referring to the law, he says, "The commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." He had trusted in the deeds of the law. He says, concerning his own outward life, that as "touching the law" he was "blameless;" and he put his trust in his own righteousness. But when the mirror of the law was held up before him, and he saw himself as God saw him, full of mistakes, stained with sin, he cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" {ST, November 24, 1890 par. 6}

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Paul beheld the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. He heard the voice of Christ saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." He determined to avail himself of the benefits of saving grace, to become dead to trespasses and sins, to have his guilt washed away in the blood of Christ, to be clothed with Christ's righteousness, to become a branch of the Living Vine.(ST ref as above, par7)

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Sister White did not try to explain or interpret Rom 7:17-20. Quotinging an expression from verse 24 is not same as explaining verses 17-20. She did not describe a step by step progression in the way you are.

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Paul realized his weakness, and well he might distrust his own strength. Referring to the law, he says, "The commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." He had trusted in the deeds of the law. He says, concerning his own outward life, that as "touching the law" he was "blameless;" and he put his trust in his own righteousness. But when the mirror of the law was held up before him, and he saw himself as God saw him, full of mistakes, stained with sin, he cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" {ST, November 24, 1890 par. 6}

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Originally posted by Tom Ewall:
Thomas, I agree with the points of your post. Refusing to believe the truth puts us into position to where we are poised to believe a lie. If we believe that God is Satan, how can God possibly help us?

This is the unpardonable sin, not for any arbitrary reason (God would save us if He could -- this is His character), but simply for the reason that if we attribute the voice of God as the voice of Satan (the reverse is not the unpardonable sin, because we do that all the time -- that is, we fall for Satan's efforts to disguise himself as God; Satan is very clever) then what means does He have to communicate with us?

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Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

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