Romans 7

1-6 7-12 13-20 21-25

1-6

1

Paul ask a question directed squarely at the Jewish Romans, first saying brothers, which could be interpreted as brothers in Christ, but then clarifying that he is speaking to those who know the law, or Jews. He makes sure that they know that the law is only binding as long as they live. This however does not mean that the law has no effect on the spirit, as he says later in this chapter that the law is spiritual, what he means is that the law, which he is including God’s written law and all laws in general, in principal is only binding on a person as long as they live.

2

In verse 2 he goes on to use the law of marriage as an example of what he is referring to in verse 1. The law of marriage, instituted in Genesis 2, is binding on either the man or the woman, here he only uses the woman in his example probably because it was much more common for a widower to be female, but the law of marriage is only binding on them while they both live. If one of the two married persons passes away, the other is free from the binding law of marriage and all of the rules and stipulations pertained in it.

3

But if both still live then both are under the rule of the law, and again Paul uses the woman in his example but the law most certainly applies to both man and woman, if either of them leaves their spouse and lives with another man/woman then they would be an adulterer and would have transgressed the law of marriage. But if the husband/wife dies the widower is free from the law that bound them both together and is legally able to marry again and would not be an adulterer, and in fact Paul encourages younger widows to remarry as long as their new potential spouse is a believer. 1 Corinthians 7:39 and 1 Timothy 5:14. Paul in these three verses is making a simple analogy for the principle of dying to sin that was discussed in chapter 6 and not a deep commentary on the law of marriage which is covered in much detail by Paul and Jesus elsewhere in the bible, by Christ in Matthew 5:31-32, and 19:3-12, and by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:10-15.

4

Here in verse 4, addressing again his Jewish brothers, that since through the body of Christ, Jesus being the only human that had kept the law of God perfectly and willingly taking upon himself the punishment for their sin, the sin of all that would be given to him, and speaking to the Christian Jews specifically, that they also have died to the binding hold of the law. This is not saying that the Gentiles cannot recieved the grace of Jesus’ sacrifice but the Jews being God’s chosen race to receive the Law and this being such a part of their identity, Paul takes care to make sure that they understand and comprehend the full and far reaching effects of what being in Christ means. They have died to sin and have been raised from the dead spiritually with Jesus so that they can now belong to another, God, in order that we may do the will of the Father and bear the good fruit of our continuing sanctification for God.

5

While they, again he is specifically speaking to the Jewish Christians when he says we here, so while they were living in the flesh, living in their sin and sinful passions, being slaves to sin and death, and the law showing them the depth and breadth of how sinful they were, they were at work in their bodies producing fruit which led to death, the wages of sin.

6

But now that we have died in Christ and are released from the law that we were held to, just like a married person is released from the bindings of the law of marriage when his or her spouse dies, and now serve God in a new way in the Spirit, in a new state of mind that is made possible by the Holy Spirit helping us, the new state of mind that we have that desires, not to sin, but to do the will of God, and not in the old way that the Jews had by the written code involving the sacrifices of lambs and other animals, which did not forgive sin but pictured what would come in Jesus Christ.

7-12

7

Paul starts another question and answer session by asking if since we have died to the law through Christ, is the law that which is sinful. Again Paul responds with an emphatic no. But then he go on to say that if he did not know the law then he would not have known sin. Because the law of God shows how holy and perfect God is and what it means to be without sin, the law brings a deepening understanding of how sinful we are. Without the law God’s revealed power and divine nature are shown clearly in creation and the moral law that is written on everyone’s heart is still there, so just as Romans 2 said, no one has an excuse and that for all have sinned without the law and will also perish without the law. Paul then uses the tenth commandment about coveting as an example as the the depth of how holy God’s law is.

8

Our sin is the culprit behind all of our transgressions, our ingrain nature to rebel at any and all of God’s commandments is the problem, not the law. Once we have been made aware at the standard that God has made, our sin nature immediately wants to rebel against it. Apart from the knowledge of the extent of the holiness of God sin is dormant, Paul says sin lies dead apart from the law, this does not mean that we have conquered sin or did not have sin if we did not know the law just that with more understanding of how holy our God is and how far the chasm is between his holiness and our fallen state the more of our sinful nature will be known and want to sin even more.

9

Paul tells us that before his miraculous conversion to Christianity he believed himself to be completely blameless and abiding in the law, but it was an imperfect understanding of what the law truly is, Philippians 3:6 “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” But when the commandment came, when his eyes were opened by Jesus and he was converted with power and authority, sin came alive, his realization of what the law was, and that he nor anyone besides Jesus could keep any part of the law, this realization came alive and he realized he was spiritually dead before.

10

Before Christ, Paul delighted in his thinking that he was keeping all of the law and was blameless, a Jew of the Jews, but this thinking was in error, he was not blameless, all of his self brought works that he thought was making him a law abiding, blameless “super Jew” were nothing but filthy rags and his eyes were opened that the law showed that he was spiritually dead.

11

His boasting in how good he was, this sin had deceived him into thinking that he was a good person. That realization, that we are not good people, and that our so called good works that the world takes so much delight in, is the work of the Holy Spirit and the first step on the path of salvation.

12

The law is holy, and it is a reflection of how holy God is. It is not the law that causes anyone to sin, its the sin in us that delights in breaking the holy law of God. The law is good and righteous, but in our fallen state with sinful flesh in a fallen sinful world are completely unable to keep the Law. Only Christ could, and did, and in him we died to sin and the penalty that transgressing God’s law brings.

13-20

13

Paul anticipates, or has already heard the next question he brings up. If the law is holy and good, then was it the law that condemned him to death? Again, by no means. It was sin, it is always sin, our sin which started in Adam and Eve and through them passed down to the whole human race. Our sin rebelling against that which is holy and good, the law is holy and we are not, so the law shows us what we are, sinners. The law shows us how far apart we are from God, and that we are sinful beyond measure.

14

The law is the perfect holiness of God and it is spiritual in nature and reflects His holy character and we are in a world of flesh and while we are still earthbound our spiritual self, yearning for righteousness is encased in sinful fallen flesh.

15

Paul’s saved spirit does not understand the sinful flesh that still craves sin, he does what he does not want to do, Paul still stumbled and sinned and so do we. But this is also the thing, sin, that Paul says he hates. There is a constant battle going on in our lives, in our bodies. This fight we cannot win alone, we need the Holy Spirit in us helping us to fight hard against our sinful flesh and grow ever closer to Jesus, day by day, hour by hour. With prayer and keeping in the word we battle and seek God’s help to fight our flesh.

16

Logic dictates that if he does what he does not want to do, Paul does not want to sin but still does sometimes, then he agrees with the law, because the law points out sin, makes it clear that we are not holy, if Paul agrees that breaking the law, sinning is bad and he does not want to do that, then the law must be good. If not following the law is sinful and bad then following the law is good.

17

So if in our spirit we do not want to sin and want to be holy, then when we do stumble that is not our spirit but our sinful flesh that we are at war with.

18

There is no good in our flesh. Period. No deed we could do with our flesh alone is ever going to be good. We are not living in hope of our flesh, our sinful flesh, living forever. Our hope is that our spirit, our soul, is saved. This hope is not a wish or an uncertain thing, this hope is the knowledge of something, a sure and real truth of something that has not happened yet. Our spirit is desiring to do the will of God but our flesh is battling against us.

19-20

Verses 19 and 20 sum up this section, Paul does not always do the good, Godly work that he wants to do sometimes he stumbles and does the sinful things that he does not want to do, and this is not the spirit that is sinning, as our spirit is what desires to do the work of God, but our sinful flesh and the sin that dwells in it is what desires the world and sin. And our flesh will die, if Jesus does not come first, it will pass away, but our soul will join Jesus in heaven and at the end of the days will be rejoined with our new sinless bodies, remade as they were intended to be, free from the sin that stains our flesh now.

21-25

21

The law that Paul talks about here is not referring to God’s law but more of a principal, that when he wants to do right and follow the will of God, evil will be close by, wanting to distract, corrupt and discourage us from doing right and good.

22

Our saved spirit delights in the law of God, it is what we want to be, holy.

23

But our bodies, our fallen sin marred bodies are waging a war against our spirit constantly desiring to do evil and fight against God’s law, and while we are still on this earth, in our fallen bodies this war will wage on and on.

24

How wretched are we? We do what we don’t want to do and are in a constant battle with our own bodies. Is there any hope, do we have any help to deliver us from this body made for death? Do we have a savior?

25

Yes, thanks and all glory to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, who suffered and died for us, He has purchased us with his blood when we still hated God and openly fought against Him. Our saved souls server and want to follow the law of God in our minds and spirit, but our flesh is fallen and dead and clings to its sin. This world will pass away and our fallen sinful bodies with it, but that is not what we live for, we live for growing in sanctification and one day being rid of sin forever and to be in heaven with our God forever.