Lawson Romans 7
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The Believer and The Law – Romans 7:1-6
The Believer and The Law – Romans 7:1-6
OnePassion Ministries March 29, 2018
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Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter (Romans 7:1-6).
As we begin our study of Romans 7, the central theme is the believer’s relationship to the Law of God. In this chapter, and in the first four verses of chapter 8, the word “Law” (nomos) is used a total of 24 times. The Law of God is mentioned eight times in verses 1-6, six times in verses 7-13, six times in verses 14-25, and four times in the first four verses of chapter 8. It is impossible to read these verses and not see the constant focus upon “the Law.” In these verses, Paul is clearly defining the believer’s new relationship to the Law of God after his conversion to Jesus Christ.
In addition, the word “commandment” (entole), which means an order or charge issued by a superior, is used six times in this chapter, Romans 7. When Paul uses the word “commandment,” he is referring to one of the Ten Commandments, which are the foundation of the Law of God. As Paul uses the term, “commandment” is used synonymously for “the Law.” The Law does not give suggestions or options for how man should possibly consider to live. Rather, it contains authoritative commandments from God to be obeyed. The word “principle” is also found in chapter seven, and is translated from the same Greek word for “Law” (nomos). When you add all these together, the word “Law” or “commandment” is used a total of thirty-two times in Romans 7:1-8:4. Unquestionably, this is the dominant theme running through these verses in Romans 7 and the beginning of Romans 8.
Paul has already told us much about the Law in the previous verses. We have covered this subject of the Law with the apostle in earlier studies of Romans. This is not a new subject for our consideration. Surprisingly though, the Law is the last thing many Christians want to address today. There are hyper-dispensationalists who think that the Law has no binding effect on us in New Testament times. However, Paul argues to the contrary that nothing is further from the truth. Nine out of ten commandments in the Ten Commandments are reinforced in the New Testament. The only one that is different concerns the Sabbath. We must understand what our relationship is to the Law of God.
The Old Testament Law
The Law was given directly to Moses and is found recorded in the Old Testament books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. The legal code issued by God can be divided into three sections.
The Moral Law
The first section is the moral law, which is how to live a godly life or how to pursue personal holiness. It is rooted and grounded in the Ten Commandments. These moral laws are still in effect today with one minor exception.
In the New Testament, Paul makes his case that children are still to obey their parents in Ephesians 6:1-3 by quoting the Law issued in Exodus 20:12. We still must honor our father (Ephesians 6:4). Believers must still tell the truth under the New Covenant (Matthew 5:37). We are not to steal. We are not to covet. In Romans 13:8-10, Paul argues that we are to love one another, and he quotes the Law from Exodus 20:13-17, in order to bind the conscience of New Testament believers. We must have no other gods before God Almighty. We must not take the Lord’s name in vain. We must not make something to aid our worship of God. If anyone says those commandments are not still in effect, they are dead wrong. The moral law of God is still in effect and are binding upon His people.
The Ceremonial Law
Second, there is the ceremonial law, which is the sacrificial system made up of the high priest, priests, sacrifices, offerings, the day of atonement, a scapegoat, and the rest. The ceremonial law was fulfilled in the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ. He abolished the ceremonial law. That is why we do not attend churches today where a pastor cuts the throat of a lamb, lays it on the altar, and sprinkles its blood on the mercy seat. Christ was both our high priest and our sacrificial Lamb as He offered Himself upon the cross to make atonement for our sins (John 1:29). Everything in the Law, as it related to the ceremonial sacrifice, was to be a foreshadowing of the coming of Christ. The ceremonial law was fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus Christ. It is no longer in effect.
The Civil Law
The third aspect of the Law, the civil law, concerns how God’s people were to function as a society under the theocracy of the nation of Israel in the Promised Land. That part of the Law is not binding upon believers outside of the Promised Land without a king of Israel ruling over us. However, there is much for us to learn from the civil law. Our whole western system of jurisprudence is based upon the timeless principles based upon the civil law issued to Moses. For example, the death penalty should be still in effect. If you take someone else’s life, then your life should to be taken by the government. In Romans 13, we will we see that God has given the sword to the government to use to be an avenger of the wrongdoer. The sword of capital punishment is still in the hands of the civil government.
When you talk about the Law, you must break it down into these three divisions – the moral, ceremonial, and civil distinctions – or else it will be very confusing.
Uses of the Law
Coming out of the Reformation, John Calvin articulated three specific uses of the law. The first use was to give the knowledge of sin. We may know that we are sinners because we have been measured by the Law and shown to fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:20 says, “through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” That is why we should use the law in our evangelism. That is why Jesus used the Law in His evangelism with the rich young ruler, who asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus said to keep the commandments. In our evangelism classes, we would never say that to someone, but Jesus did. The intent was to reveal the knowledge of sin to the rich young ruler.
The second use of the Law was to establish law and order in society. No society can survive without law and order. There must be a standard for right and wrong. This is found in the moral law of God. I understand that in the United States, we are not a Christian nation. But we must have some standard of what is right and what is wrong. It can be found, in synopsis, in the second half of the Ten Commandments. It establishes the home, the work ethic, truthfulness and honesty, and more. This is why during the Reformation there was the reestablishment of the Protestant work ethic. People became productive, prolific workers as a result of the Reformation because they preached the Law.
The third use of the Law was to guide believers in Christian living. This is the divinely-marked path of sanctification. It reveals the heart of the moral will of God. It is not something to discard. If you discard the moral law, you just discarded the roadmap that leads to personal holiness. It is the lamp that reveals the narrow path, showing the essential benchmarks in how to live a life that honors God.
I will add a fourth use of the Law, which is, it gives the knowledge of God. We know what God is like by reading the Ten Commandments. In the Law, we see that He is sovereign. He has the right to impose law upon us. He is the authority over our lives. In the Law, we see the holiness of God, because in it He makes distinctions between what is good and what is evil. In the Law, we see the love of God, because He is pointing us in the direction of His blessing. It will lead you into fuller expressions of God’s blessing. But if you go away from the Law in disobedience, you will experience God’s loving discipline. In the Law, we see the sufficiency of God, that if you will not covet, but work hard, He will provide for your needs.
Two Dangerous Extremes
In the church today, there are two extremes that Christians can fall into when thinking about the Law. One extreme is legalism, which comes in many different shapes and forms. It is much like saying “Baptist” today, which can cover everything from A to Z. There are three main ways to break down legalism.
Number one is that you have to keep the Law in order to be saved. Paul has repudiated that position so thoroughly that none of us should be in danger of thinking that we have to keep the Law in order to be made right before God. However, that is one extreme form of legalism.
Number two is to believe you have to keep the ceremonial or civil law in order to be sanctified. There are some Christian teachers who pull ideas from Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy and want to impose them upon the daily lives of believers. We must understand that that part of the Law has been abolished.
Number three is where people add more commandments to the Law. They come up with their own traditions and preferences, but they do not have a biblical chapter or verse for their standards. They claim that someone must wear certain clothing, not dance, not wear certain jewelry, but they have no explicit biblical text to substantiate their claims. That is all legalism. There is no biblical premise for their man-made rules. It is fine if you want to personally live that way. But if they impose it on someone else, saying they are not a good Christian if they do those things, they are a card-carrying legalist. If they have no biblical support, they have added to the Law.
The other extreme, which is the complete opposite to legalism, is antinomianism. The Greek prefix “anti” means ‘against’ or ‘in opposition to.’ “Nomian” comes from the Greek word nomas, which means ‘law.’ So antinomianism means a person is against the Law. He is on the other side of the theological spectrum from the legalist. He is against the moral law. Antinomians believe they have a free license to live however they want to live. If you ever say the word “obedience,” people in these churches rise up against you, calling you a legalist. They believe they are free in Christ to live however they want to live. That is absolute nonsense. Yet there are pockets of antinomianism in the body of Christ. This is not a straw man position or hypothetical extreme.
The Proper Balance
We want to be right in the middle of these two extremes. We should honor the moral law of God, which includes commandments such as: “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. You shall not make for yourself a graven image or an idol. You shall honor your father and mother. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not covet.” We are to honor the moral law with our obedience from the heart. However, we must realize that we cannot keep it in the flesh or by our own trumped up self-efforts. We can only obey the Law through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Only by divine enablement can we keep the Law of God, from the heart, as we should.
In Ezekiel 36:26-27, God says that in the new birth, He takes out our old heart of stone and puts in a new heart of flesh. God writes His Law upon our hearts and puts His Spirit within us to enable us to walk in obedience to His statutes. Because we have received a new heart, we now want to follow the moral law of God. This naturally creates conflict within our hearts, because we still have sinful desires. There is a conflict between our flesh and the Spirit in keeping the Law of God. We will look at this in Romans 7:14-25. Paul will lay bare his soul regarding the spiritual warfare that goes on inside of him to walk in obedience to the moral law of God.
For this study, we will cover Romans 7:1-6. Paul has in his crosshairs the first extreme view of the Law, which is that of the legalist who tries to be sanctified by keeping the Law in his own willpower apart from the inner working of the Spirit.
I. The Legal Axiom (7:1)
The apostle Paul begins his argument with an axiom, which is a general principle, rule, or truism. It is a fundamental principle in life that is commonly known by all people. So, Paul begins chapter 7 with a legal axiom, “Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?” (verse 1). Note that Paul is addressing the “brethren,” which is those who are saved. When he speaks of the law in verse 1, he is not talking about the Mosaic Law, but simply the general laws of society that a Roman citizen readily knew and was required to keep. The question Paul asks is a rhetorical question, and the answer is, yes, they know this. “Has jurisdiction” (kurievo) comes from the same root word as Lord (kurios), as in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the verb form of the noun “lord” and means ‘to rule, have dominion over, to exercise lordship over.’ The apostle is establishing a commonly known truth, that the law has authority over your life. Every citizen has a binding obligation to keep the law of the land in which he lives, as long as it is not in conflict with the word of God.
In Romans 13:1, Paul says that God has established the government officials to be ministers of God for the common good of its citizens. The law of a nation or empire has authority over a person’s life. For how long? It has jurisdiction as long as a person lives. It is not that once a citizen reaches a certain age, his obligation to the law has ceased. It does not matter how old an individual is. As long as one is living, he is under the law. This is the legal principle that Paul gives as an illustration for what he will say in the following verses. Brilliant teacher that he is, he is presenting a practical argument that will build up to the spiritual application. He begins with the legal axiom that if you are breathing, you are subject to the law.
II. The Marital Analogy (7:2-3)
Next, Paul gives an analogy in verses 2-3 to explain the axiom. As we read these verses, you may wonder what addressing a husband and wife relationship has to do with the Christian and the Law of God. This discussion on adultery and remarriage may seem to be a strange departure from the subject at hand. However, the husband-wife analogy continues perfectly in the same flow of thought, because it is an illustration of the axiom. In verse 2, Paul writes, “For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.” The word “for” (gar) introduces an explanation of the previous verse. Having given the axiom, he now explains it with this analogy. It is a basic principle that a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living. She entered into a marital agreement with her husband, and as long as he is alive, she is legally married to him. However, if her husband dies, she is then free under the law to remarry another man.
Paul continues, “So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress” (verse 3). The phrase “so then” means that Paul is drawing a conclusion from the analogy in the previous verse. If she leaves her husband and marries another man while he is still living, while she is still legally married to her husband, she shall be called an adulteress. Paul is emphatic that she is bound under the law to remain married to her husband as long as he is living.
I want to add a footnote to this statement about divorce and remarriage. The New Testament does give two exceptions to this rule. There are two grounds for divorce found in the New Testament. One exception clause is sexual adultery by the other partner (Matthew 5:31-34; 19:9). The other exception is desertion by an unbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:15). I do not want to pull us away into a detailed study of divorce and remarriage. However, I do feel that I should mention these two exceptions to what Paul is saying in Romans 7:3. Nevertheless, aside from those two exceptions, she is to be called an adulteress if she leaves her husband for another man.
Paul further advances his analogy, “but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man” (verse 3). In other words, if her husband dies, she is free under the law to marry another man. She is no longer bound to her dead husband. If she remarries, she will not be called an adulteress. By this analogy, Paul is giving a clear picture to help us understand the axiom he gave regarding the law.
III. The Personal Application (7:4)
Paul now makes the connection addressing the matter of sanctification in daily Christian living. He writes, “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ” (verse 4). This is another way of saying, “On the basis of the analogy and the axiom.” He adds “brethren” for a second time to bring home this truth to the hearts of believers. “You” refers to believers, not unbelievers. It should be clear that Paul is addressing Christians on the matter of their spiritual growth. This does not pertain to the unbeliever.
The phrase “you were made” is a statement of fact. As a believer, there was a time in your past when you were made to die to the Law. Paul is looking back to the time of their conversion to Jesus Christ. The apostle is looking back to when they were justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is looking back to that time when they went from being a slave of sin to a slave of righteousness. It was nothing that anyone did that brought about this change in relationship to the Law. Every believer was “made to die to the Law.” This is something that the grace of God did in our lives. We were made to die to the Law.
Dead to the Law
In what sense were we made to die to the Law? We died to the Law in the sense that we no longer have to meet its requirements in order to gain acceptance with God. The reason is because Jesus perfectly obeyed the Law for us. Jesus was born “under the Law” (Galatians 4:4) so that in the thirty-plus years of His life, He met all of the demands of the Law on our behalf. In order to secure our salvation, Jesus not only died for us, He also lived for us. Christ not only sacrificed Himself upon the cross for us, He also obeyed the Law for us in our place.
All believers have suddenly died to the Law. How did that come about? Paul says that it was “through the body of Christ” (verse 4). In this context, “the body of Christ” does not refer to the church, as it does elsewhere in Paul’s writings. Rather, here it refers to the physical body of Jesus Christ. In His incarnation, Jesus fulfilled the demands of the Law through His sinless life and substitutionary death. As the second Adam, Jesus succeeded by His lifelong obedience where the first Adam failed by His disobedience. As the great High Priest, He offered Himself up as our sacrifice upon the cross to fulfill the ceremonial law.
“Joined to Another”
Here is the result of this death to the Law. Paul explains, “so that you might be joined to another” (verse 4). The believer has died to his old spouse, and is now free to remarry someone else. That someone else is identified as “Him who was raised from the dead” (verse 4). Every believer is now married to Christ and has become His bride. Every believer is now joined to Christ. The two have become one. This is a picture of our union with Christ.
Paul states that we have become joined to Christ “in order that we might bear fruit for God” (verse 4). When Paul says, “in order that,” this is the reason we have become one with Christ. Remember, “we” refers to believers, not unbelievers. All for whom Christ died and for whom Christ was raised from the dead will bear “fruit.” We will bear the fruit of personal holiness, which is a life that is well-pleasing to God.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are now married to Him. By this intimate union, His power is now operative in our spiritual lives. As we abide in Him, Jesus enables us to walk in obedience to Him. We can fulfill the moral law of God, though not perfectly, because we have the power of Christ within us. In summary, we have died to the Law, and we are now married to Christ.
IV. The Sinful Arousing (7:5)
Paul begins verse five by saying, “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death” (verse 5). He uses this phrase, “while we were in the flesh,” to address our pre-conversion days. This was the time before believers came to salvation in Jesus Christ. This is when a person was an unbeliever under the dominion of the power of sin. Every believer was once in slavery to sin and he obeyed his old master, sin. He was living in the flesh, under the control of your sinful flesh.
Paul explains that “the sinful passions…were aroused by the Law.” The “sinful passions” are the lust, greed, egotism, covetousness, and envy that once dwelled in every unconverted heart. Paul says that these “sinful passions” were “aroused by the Law.” In other words, every time God said, “You shall not,” it made the sinful heart want to do the forbidden action. Every time God said, “You shall,” the sinful flesh rose up in defiance to His command. The Law provoked and stirred up the sinful passions. The fact that God said that we must not do something only provoked us to do it all the more. That is how sinful our flesh was. This was true for every believer before he was converted. No one was in a special category as a nice little kid who did not have any sinful passions. Even if a person grew up in the church and attended a Christian school, there were still sinful passions controlling that life.
Paul specifies that these sinful passions “were at work in the members of our body.” This means they were constantly at work in the unbelieving life. They never took a day off, never went on vacation, never stopped sinning. They were working hard to oppose the Law of God, whether by sins of omission or commission. These sinful passions were rampant within your body. They were in the min, producing sinful thoughts. They were in the heart, creating lust. They were in the eyes, gazing upon what should not be looked upon. They were in the ears, craving to hear gossip and slander. They were in the hands, committing acts of sin. They were in the feet, running to sinful places. They were in the tongue and mouth, speaking arrogant words.
These sinful passions were working hard “to bear fruit for death.” The result was a rotten harvest of every kind of deadly “fruit.” This death is a spiritual death, in the second death, which is an eternity in hell. That was once the relationship to the Law of every believer before our conversion. The Law was actually arousing our sinful passions. There were no pure desires within us to obey the Law from a proper motive.
V. The Spiritual Antithesis (7:6)
Paul concludes this paragraph of thought in verse six with the spiritual antithesis of what he stated in verse five. There, Paul described how we lived before becoming a Christian. But here in verse six, we see the reality of what we have become as a Christian. Paul begins, “But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter” (verse 6). “We” refers to all believers without exception. This is not referring to unbelievers, but believers.
All those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ have been “released from the Law.” They are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Law in order to be justified before God. They are released from their striving to keep the Law in order to gain acceptance with God. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Before coming to faith in Christ, we were trying to keep the Law in our own efforts. The commandments were a heavy yoke that we could not fulfill. We had to pull the whole wagon in our own strength, but we had not the strength to do it. We were worn out. But Christ takes that heavy yoke off of us and replaces it with His yoke that is light. In reality, we become yoked with Him, and He now pulls the wagon while we walk with Him in obedience, keeping the moral law.
“In Newness of the Spirit”
Having died to the Law, believers can now serve Christ “in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.” We are justified by faith in Christ, who kept the Law on our behalf. We can now live in obedience to the moral law of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. We do so not by trying to keep the Law through our sinful flesh. We have been released from the Law in trying to keep it to gain our justification. However, we are not freed from the Law in our moral obligation to obey it in Christian living.
We are to live in obedience “in newness of the Spirit.” That is, we are to keep the moral law in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit now causes my heart to supremely love God so that I do not want to love anyone or anything else more than Him. The Spirit is at work in my life so that I do not desire my chief affections to be upon the things of this world. I can worship God under the most adverse circumstances. I can worship God in a prison cell or out in the middle of the desert. I do not have to be in a place with candles, statues, and artwork all around me to worship God, because His indwelling Spirit is magnifying the greatness and glory of God. I do not need the external stimuli to manipulate my heart. The Spirit of God causes me to use His name for His glory. If you use His name flippantly, in vain, that means the name of God does not mean anything to you. Would you use your wife’s name the same way that you use God’s name? The Holy Spirit is leading me down a path of freedom, not to pursue anything I want, but to give me the ability to pursue obedience to the moral law.
Understanding the Law
This is merely the beginning of Paul’s discussion of the believer’s relationship to the Law. This chapter has many knots that require being untied. If we do not carefully untie them, we are susceptible to making false assumptions about our responsibility to keep the Law. For example, when Paul says we are released from the Law, some say we are free to do anything we want. Such is sheer absurdity. We are not free to have an adulterous relationship. We are not free to dishonor our parents. I seriously wonder if a person who says he has such freedom is even a believer. We must follow the spirit of the Law, as well as the letter of the Law. God has given you a new heart that makes you want to obey. Even when you do not want to obey, the Spirit of God convicts you that you are not living in a manner pleasing to God.
There is much more to understand about the Law. Every time God says, “You shall,” it is to be assumed that God commands us not to the opposite. Every negative prohibition implies a positive command. Likewise, every positive command implies its counterpart.
Furthermore, every time God says, “you shall do this,” it begins in the heart with your attitude. We know that from the way Jesus interpreted the Law in Matthew 5. You may say you have not murdered, but have you committed murder in your heart by hating someone else? You say you have not committed adultery, but you have lust in your heart. Every command begins in the attitude and carries over to the action.
If a commandment says, “you shall not steal,” the opposite is implied. You should work hard. If it says, “you shall not tell a lie,” the opposite is implied. You shall use your mouth for good, for edifying others. If it says, “you shall not covet,” the opposite is true. You should be content with what you have and where you are. If it says, “you shall not commit adultery,” the opposite is also true. You shall love your wife as Christ loved the church and sacrifice for her. If you should honor your father and mother, that begins a path in which you are living in submission to the authorities over you. Being under authority begins at home with one’s parents. It then extends to honoring the schoolteacher, the policeman, the judge, the governmental leader, the football coach, or whatever authority figure is over you. If fathers do not discipline their children to show respect to their mother, this insubordination will spill over into how they talk to their teacher and others in authority over them.
A Personal Testimony
In my early twenties, the Spirit of God convicted me that I needed to start obeying the law of God with greater adherence. Most specifically, the Spirit cut me to the core of my being that I needed to show greater respect to my father. I needed to stop acting like I knew more than my father. I needed to humble myself and repent of my sin, confessing my sin to God and to my father. It was the Spirit of God leading me to obey the Law by honoring my father and mother. It was the Spirit of God who convicted me not to steal. While in college, I needed to study on my own without trying to get copies of the exam ahead of time. It was the Spirit of God convicting me that was wrong.
The Spirit also revealed that the opposite is true, that if I am not to steal, I am to work hard, and by my hard labor, I should earn my own living. It was the Spirit of God who convicted me to be disciplined, to work hard, to get up early, to give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. I was convicted to be in submission to my boss, to show up on time and do what he asked. That was the Spirit of God at work in my life.
If I was not to bear false witness, the opposite is also true. I must speak words of edification about the other people around me. I was convicted to use my tongue to build up other people. I was convicted not to slander, spread gossip, or tear down others. I became painfully aware that I was using my tongue improperly to make everyone laugh at someone else. I was rebuked that I was using my humor in an improper way. Then, I became a pastor of a church, standing in a pulpit. I became convicted that I could not say certain things from the pulpit that I might say jokingly with a group of friends. I came under deep conviction of my sin in how I was using my tongue.
I was also convicted of covetousness, of wanting possessions that were bigger and better than what others had. Rather than being content with where I was and with what I had that God had provided for me, I inwardly wanted more.
As verse 6 indicates, the Spirit of God leads us in this newness of life to walk in obedience to the moral law of God. The only one of the Ten Commandments that is modified is the one regarding the observance of the Sabbath. My understanding is that the requirements of the Sabbath rest were fulfilled in the death of Christ. Having said that though, I believe that we still need to be in church on Sunday, which is the Lord’s day. We still need to be with God’s people in public worship, but without the ceremonial restrictions. I believe you can eat in a restaurant or fly on an airplane on Sunday Others see it differently. That is fine, as that is their conscience that that aspect of the Law is still binding. For me, it is not.
The “I” Problem – Romans 7:14
The “I” Problem – Romans 7:14
OnePassion Ministries April 12, 2018
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For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin (Romans 7:14).
Every once in a while, you come to a verse that grabs you by the lapels and will not let you go. Romans 7:14 has been that for me. Virtually every commentary and study tool I have used as a reference for this verse has stated that this is the most difficult and controversial passage in Romans to interpret. For this reason, we will devote this entire study exclusively on verse 14. Hopefully, we can bring clarity to this text that has challenged students of Scripture down through the centuries.
I have titled this lesson “The ‘I’ Problem,” because as we read this passage, you will note how many times Paul uses the word “I.” I do not think there is another passage in the entire Bible with the word “I” used so many times. In verses 14-25, “I” is used twenty-four times, and when you add the times Paul uses “me,” “my,” or “myself,” it is another thirteen times. That comes to a total of thirty-seven times in these twelve verses that the apostle refers to himself in this one passage.
We need to begin by determining exactly to whom Paul is referring when he uses the first person term “I.” Is Paul speaking of himself as a believer? Or is he referring to his past when he was an unbeliever? In Romans 7:1-13, Paul was describing his life as an unbeliever. Is he still speaking in this manner? Or is he now speaking of his current state as a believer? And if he is speaking of himself as a believer, is this referring to himself as a mature believer? Or to an immature believer? We need to begin by identifying who Paul is referring to when he says “I” in Romans 7:14. The answer to this question carries great implications for our own Christian lives.
I. The Person Identified (7:14)
Paul begins, “For we know that the Law is spiritual” (verse 14). Paul states that this principle is common knowledge. It is a truth that is well understood by the believers in Rome. This is not a new teaching or something they do not yet know. When Paul refers to the “Law,” he is referring to the moral law of God. The ceremonial law was fulfilled in the death of Christ. The civil law was used by the Jews to govern their society in the Promised Land. The book of Romans was written to the believers in Rome, where Caesar and the Roman Senate were governing the Roman Empire. Therefore, the civil law was not applicable to the Jews in Rome in Paul’s day. He is referring to the moral law, and he says they already know that it is “spiritual.” This is to say, the moral law remains useful today for spiritual purposes.
Paul continues, “But I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin” (verse 14). I believe this is Paul referring to himself as a mature believer. This is the majority Reformed position, not an obscure minority position. This designation is important, because you and I as believers should be able to identify with Paul in this statement. We will examine six reasons why we come to the conclusion that Paul is referring to himself as he currently writes this as a mature believer in Jesus Christ. These reasons are as follows:
1. Change in Verb Tenses
First, we must note the change in verb tenses from the first half of the chapter to the second half. In verses 1-13, Paul was discussing his pre-conversion state. All the verbs that Paul used were in the aorist past tense. This represented his past life before Christ. In verse 14, there is a noticeable change in verb tense as Paul begins using the present tense “I am.” In verses 14-25, there are thirty-six verbs that are translated as being Paul’s current experience. The first of these is in verse 14 in which Paul states, “I am” in the present tense. In verse 15, he writes in the present tense, “For what I am doing.” He continues to write in the present tense through the end of chapter seven. Paul is describing the reality of his current experience as he is writing the book of Romans.
What Paul tells us about his present struggle with sin is the very same struggle that you and I face as believers on a daily basis. This struggle with sin does not mean that we are lost. Rather, it indicates that the struggle is a confirmation that we are saved. Before we were converted to Christ, we were not struggling with the sin in our lives, certainly not like we do now. Prior to knowing Christ, there was only our sin nature taking us down the broad path of a lifestyle of sin. But now that we have a new heart and a new nature, we experience this internal conflict. So, the first reason that I believe Paul is writing this as a believer is his use of present tense verbs.
2. Love for Scripture and Hatred of Personal Sin
Second, only a believer has a deep love for Scripture and a deep hatred of personal sin. Paul writes, “I am doing the very thing I hate” (verse 15). That is not the way that an unbeliever talks, but how a believer does. Paul affirms that “the Law is good” (verse 16), and he writes, “I practice the very thing I do not want” (verse 19). Paul has had a change of heart desires. This change of affections is the result of the new birth. He now finds himself doing the very things that he does not want to do. This is the result of being a new man in Christ. You and I can relate to that.
Then Paul goes on to state, “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man” (verse 22). That is the way a genuine believer speaks. Only a believer has a deep love for Scripture along with a deep hatred for personal sin. This will be true in the heart of every believer. Deep down inside his regenerated soul, the believer is a new person in Christ. They love the Law and hate the sin that violates the Law. For the one born of God, His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).
3. Giving Thanks to God for Deliverance
Third, Paul gives thanks to God for deliverance from his body of death. After lamenting over his struggle with sin and crying out, “who will set me free from the body of this death” (verse 24), Paul declares, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (verse 25). Paul thanks God for providing deliverance through Jesus Christ. That is clearly the talk of a believer, not the exuberant confession of an unbeliever.
4. An Increasing Awareness of Personal Sin
Fourth, Paul as a mature believer was growing in an increasing awareness of his sin. As he grew closer to the Lord, he was drawing closer to the sin-exposing light of God’s holiness. “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). As he drew closer to the Light, the Light revealed more imperfections in him. As he matured as a Christian, he became increasingly sensitive to sin in his own life. There was an increasing awareness of sin issues in his life of which he was not previously aware. The searchlight of the Law reveals his sin and impurities.
We see this truth in the life of Paul as we trace his spiritual growth through Scripture. In 55 A.D., Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians and confided, “I am the least of the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:9). As time moved on, Paul continued to grow and mature in the Lord, as he moved further down the path of sanctification. Five years later, in 61 A.D., while in his first Roman imprisonment, Paul wrote the book of Ephesians. At this time, he stated, “I am the least of all saints” (Ephesians 3:8). This reflects a heightened awareness of sin. First, he was the least of all the apostles. But then, as he grows and matures in the Lord, he declares that he is the least of all the saints. Sometime between the years 63-66 A.D., Paul writes 1 Timothy. He says, “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Timothy 1:15). He now says that he is the greatest among all the sinners.
From this declension, we might think that Paul is going backwards in his Christian life, going from bad to worse. But in reality, Paul is actually progressing in the right direction. He is becoming more and more humble. He is increasingly more aware of the sin in his life and his need to be a continual repenter. He does not become sinless, but he does grow to sin less. There is a heightened sense of an awareness to his own sin as he is growing in his Christian life. It does not take him as long to be convicted of his sin as he once did. He is more ready to confess and repent of it, because he is growing closer to the Lord. What we find in Paul is a mature believer who has a heightened awareness of his sin.
5. An Inner War Between His Flesh and The Spirit
Fifth, there is a fierce war that rages within believers between his flesh and the Spirit. When we were converted, our war with sin had only just begun. In Galatians, Paul gave the command for believers, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). “Walk” is a metaphor for our daily conduct as we live our lives. As we walk through this world, which are landmines of temptations and lures. This is why Paul instructs believers to “walk by the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit gives the believer spiritual direction and power in pursuing holiness. The Spirit enables believers to resist temptation and to keep their eyes on the Lord. The Spirit gives believers the power needed to buffet and discipline their body in order to make it their slave. It is the ministry of the Spirit to bring to the believer’s mind the right Scripture needed in order to walk in holiness before the Lord.
It is clear in Galatians 5:16 that believers still have “the desire of the flesh” within them. The “flesh” refers to our fallen nature, which we inherited from Adam. This is the sinful desires within us. The word “desire” (epithymia) is a strong Greek word that means ‘to long for’ something. It can be used in a positive way, as in 1 Timothy 3:1 when Paul writes that it is a good thing for an overseer or elder to “desire” the ministry. Or this word can be used in a negative way, such as a forbidden longing after sinful things. When used in this manner, it means to lust after that which is forbidden by God. The flesh within believers still sets its cravings on things that are enticing and alluring.
This results in a war between the flesh and the Spirit within each believer. The new heart that God has put within the believer in regeneration loves the Lord and His word. He wants his life to count for Christ and to be used to expand His kingdom. But as he lives his life, his flesh still holds him back at times. This is true in each one of us as believers. Consequently, we must be aware that our major problem is not outside of us, but inside of us. There are the outside forces of the evil world system and the evil one, Satan. But even without them, there is still an inward conflict taking place between our flesh and the Spirit, who indwells us. If we do not walk by the Spirit, we will carry out the sinful desires of our fallen flesh.
“In Opposition to One Another”
Further, we read, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another” (Galatians 5:17). The “flesh” is that part within us that is still part of our fallen nature. It is no longer the dominant power it once was within us, but it is still present and has influence in our lives. Or flesh remains self-centered, self-focused, self-preoccupied, self-flattering, and self-absorbed. It sets its desire against what the Holy Spirit desires to do in our lives in His work of progressive sanctification. The good news is that the Spirit is far more powerful than the flesh. This internal, civil war will be fought throughout the duration of our Christian lives, it will not be without much internal opposition. There exists an ongoing collision within us between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. No Christian is exempt from this battle.
Paul says, the flesh and the Spirit are “in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (verse 17). “Opposition” (antikeimai) means ‘to oppose, to be adverse to, to withstand.’ In this verse, “you” refers to believers, and “things” refers to the desires of the flesh. There is within our flesh the desire to be pleased by sin. As a result, no believer is simply coasting into glory without any internal conflict with sin. There is an ongoing fight for holiness, purity, and godliness that we must undertake every day of our life. The lusts of the flesh never takes a day off. It never goes on vacation. It is always with us as long as we live on this earth. Although we have been delivered from the dominating power of sin, that does not mean we have been delivered from the indwelling presence of sin in our lives.
“Lay Aside the Old Self”
Paul writes in Ephesians, “You lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit” (Ephesians 4:22). To “lay aside” is the idea of taking off dirty clothes. Just as every day we take off the dirty clothes we slept in and put on clean clothes, the believer must do the same in his spiritual life. The “old self” is your fallen nature, your sinful flesh. Paul uses a present tense verb when he says your old self “is being corrupted.” “Corrupted” (phtheiro) means ‘to become defiled.’ There is still a defiling effect that is taking place inside the believer. We have to take off the old self and disrobe the sin by confessing it, repenting of it, and resisting its temptation.
The pithy saying, “Let go and let God” is a lie that is not taught in the Bible. It is a passivist’s approach to the internal warfare that we experience. “Lusts of deceit” means that your flesh is lying to you. It says you can sin without any consequences or ramifications. That is a contradiction of reality. The desires of the flesh will cause you to choose sin rather than pursuing holiness. We should never choose sin, because it is harmful for our spiritual life. Yet we are continually being enticed by our flesh and its lustful deceit. Tragically, there are times that we cave in to such temptations.
Monsters Still Within
Elsewhere, Paul writes, “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you” (Ephesians 5:3). The fact Paul makes this statement to the church in Ephesus acknowledges that these sins can be found among believers. “Immorality” (porneia) is the Greek word from which we derive the words pornographic and pornography. It refers to every kind of illicit sexual sin. “Impurity” (akatharsia) means ‘moral uncleanness,’ and “greed” (pleonexia) means ‘covetousness, uncontrolled desires for more.’ Paul says these things must not be named among true believers. The clear implication is that all believers must fight against these sins. It always begins in the heart. We could easily say that we have not broken our marriage vows, but Jesus said that if you even look at a woman with lust in your heart, you have already committed adultery with her (Matthew 5:28). We are still in a battle with the sin within us.
Paul similarly addresses the believer’s war with sin when he writes, “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed” Colossians 3:5. “Consider” (nekroo) is literally translated as “ to put to death” the deeds of the flesh. Some older translations render this as “mortify” the deeds of the flesh. We must crucify the desires of the flesh. Then Paul gives a list of sinful deeds: “immorality impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed.” This is addressed to believers, who must war against these internal lusts. Paul wants to make sure that believers are aware that these monsters are still lurking within us.
When Paul writes, “evil desire,” “evil” (kakos) conveys the idea of ‘bad, wicked’ and “desire” (epithymia) means ‘lusting, craving.’ It is the evil desire for what is forbidden by God. “Greed” (pleonexia) is wanting more and more of what you do not have. The Bible teaches that we are to be content with what God has provided (Philippians 4:11-12). Paul tells us that “greed” amounts to idolatry, because these things have become more important than God. Whenever we desire these things more than God, it amounts to idolatry.
All of this is to say, there is a fierce war going on inside every Christian. If there is not a war going on within you between your flesh and the Spirit, you are not a Christian. Inside the one born of God, the flesh is lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit is setting its desires against the flesh. They are in fierce opposition to one another. When we see Paul refer to the war between the flesh and the Spirit in Romans 7, we can understand that in the broader scope of Scripture, this war does take place within the Christian.
6. True Believers Still Sin and Can Commit Gross Sins
The final reason why I believe this refers to Paul as a believer is that it must be recognized that true believers still sin. In fact, they can even commit gross sins. There is no lack of examples in the Scripture of this truth. Abraham lied about his own wife, saying she was his sister, so that he could protect himself. Moses killed someone. Samson was an adulterer. David was an adulterer and actually conspired murder to hide his sin. Solomon was a polygamist and serial adulterer. Jonah was filled with racial prejudice. He pouted when Ninevah repented because he did not want them in the kingdom of God. Peter denied the Lord three times. Ananias and Sapphira lied in church. The Corinthians pushed the limits of how carnal a believer could possibly be and still be a Christian. What Paul struggled with as a believer in Romans 7 matches up with these examples in Scripture.
In Psalms 32 and 51, David confessed his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband that he arranged. In that sin, David gazed down on Bathsheba from his palace roof as she was bathing. He then had her brought to him in his palace and committed adultery with her. Once it was discovered that she was pregnant, David had her husband moved to the front lines of the war to be killed, so that he could then bring her into his palace without any questions about the baby. This is as disturbing as sin can be.
With all this considered, I believe that Paul is describing himself as a mature believer, who is wrestling with sin and fighting for purity. Paul is not casually giving in to sin in his life. Rather, he is resisting temptation as he finds himself doing the things he does not want to do. All of the reasons previously mentioned point to the fact that when Paul writes Romans 7:14, he is describing his current state as a mature believer in Christ. The struggles that Paul had with sin as a believer are the very same struggles that you and I face as we seek to walk in the Spirit.
II. The Problem Stated (7:14)
As Paul shifts from his pre-conversion days (verses 1-13) to his Christian days (verse 14), he states, “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh.” He wants us to know that the problem is not the Law. The problem is within him, with the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I. The problem is Paul, not the Law. The problem is that he possesses a sin nature that once dominated and reigned over his life. It still remains in him, though it is no longer in the place of predominance that it once held over him.
When Paul writes, “we know that the Law is spiritual” (verse 14), we already know this because he said in verse 12, “the Law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” The Law reveals the character of God to us. It reveals sin to us. It gives us the right diagnosis of our sin problem. It takes us by the hand and leads us to Christ. Moreover, it reveals the perfect will of God for our lives. This is to say, the Law is good, holy, and spiritual.
In the middle of verse 14, Paul writes, “but I am of flesh.” I want to draw to your attention again to the fact that “I am” is in the present tense. This is a present reality in Paul’s life as he writes the book of Romans. He says, “I am of flesh.” We will be careful to distinguish between what this says and what it does not say. Paul does not say, “I am in the flesh.” Rather, he says that he is “of the flesh.” There is a difference between these two statements. If you are in the flesh, that means you are constantly living in the flesh. You are immersed in the flesh. That is the world in which an unbeliever lives exclusively.
Under the Influence of the Flesh
In Romans 7:5, Paul stated his pre-conversion life as,, “for while we were in the flesh.” That is where he once lived, “in the flesh.” Then in Romans 8:5, Paul identifies all unbelievers as, “those who are according to the flesh.” In Romans 8:8, he writes, “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” To be in the flesh is to be in an unredeemed, unregenerate state that is offensive to God. There is only one force in their life, and that is the sinful flesh. But Paul does not say that in Romans 7:14. He says, “But I am of flesh,” which means he is still under the influence of the flesh. That is, he can still be subject to the flesh. But he is no longer under the dictatorial tyranny of sin. Sin has been demoted, though it is still in the basement.
Paul finishes verse 14 by adding that he is “sold into bondage to sin.” This is the part where many interpreters say that Paul must be speaking about himself as an unsaved man. It is possible that they may be right, but I do not think that is the case. When you break down “sold into bondage to sin,” that little word “into” is better translated as “under.” In the ESV translation, it is perhaps rightly translated as “under.” The Greek word is hupo, which primarily means ‘under.’ It gives the idea of a hypodermic needle going under the skin. Paul is saying, metaphorically, that he has been sold under the influence of sin. He is still subjected to the power of sin in his spiritual life.
Paul is careful to make a distinction from his sinful flesh and the new man that he is in Christ. In verse 18, he writes, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.” Paul understands this stark contrast inside of him. Though he is a new man in Christ, the flesh remains in him, yet he is not in the flesh. Thus, the flesh and the Spirit are constantly in opposition to one another.
Paul acknowledges that he is still under the flesh, meaning he is under the influence of sin. He is not living in sin, as though it is the only reality in his life. Rather, he is living under sin. That is the careful distinction that must be made. He is being brutally honest with us that the problem lies inside of him.
As believers, you and I still suffer from this same “I” problem. The main problem in our lives is not around us or beside us. Instead, the truth is within us. The first man, Adam, lived in a perfect world, and he still sinned. Changing our environment is not going to get rid of the sin. The source of our problems lies inside of us, and we carry it around with us. It is our sin nature, the body of sin in which we live. It is our ego, to which we have to die daily. We still suffer from self, whether it be being self-centered, self-focused, self-sufficient, self-absorbed, self-flattering, self-indulgent, and self-promoting.
Three Ways to Combat Your Flesh
How can we combat the sin within us as a believer? I want to give you three action steps.
First, you must hate your sin. You must not coddle sin in your life. Neither must you excuse it. It is deadlier than a rattlesnake being let loose inside of your house. It must be put to death daily. Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily and follow me.” This is to say, I must die to self daily. I must put to death the deeds of the flesh every day.
There still is inside of me a sinful desire to push myself to the forefront of my life. Our sinful flesh rears its ugly head in relationships, work, ministry, everywhere. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate…his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). There is a daily hating of our old self that must take place inside of us.
Second, you must confess your sin. You cannot just state that you hate it. You must acknowledge it to God as an evil committed against Him. By confessing our sin, we are taking responsibility for our own sins against God. All sin is ultimately against God. We must name our sin to God and nail it to the cross on an ongoing basis. We must take the initiative to agree with God about the sinfulness of our deeds of the flesh.
Third, you must repent of your sin. We must turn away from the sin that we confess. True confession of sin includes repentance. If we truly confess our sins to God, we will repent of them. Deep sorrow will fill our hearts regarding them. And we will choose to go in the path of obedience.
The Battle Within – Romans 7:15-20
The Battle Within – Romans 7:15-20
OnePassion Ministries April 26, 2018
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For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me (Romans 7:15-20).
Every Christian is fighting a great battle being waged within them. They face outside enemies in the world and the devil that war against them. But there is an even more constant opponent that has established a foothold inside of every believer. I refer to our sin nature. It involves us in a relentless battle between our new man in Christ and our old sinful flesh. These two rivals are diametrically opposed to each other. They are hostile against one another. They produce an internal strife on the battlefield within the soul of every believer. There is never an agreed truce between these two forces. There is never a white flag waved in this skirmish. There is never a ceasefire. The battle is ever ongoing.
If you do feel the intensity of this internal strife, it is because you are converted to Christ. Once you have been justified by faith, an internal battle ensues within you. There is a new desire within every believer that desires to do right. We now love God, the church, the truth, and the will of God. But there are other desires in us that love our self and the world. The result is is an internal tug-of-war.
This passage in Romans 7:15-20 gives us the first-hand account of the battle between the new nature and the sinful flesh within the apostle Paul. He writes these verses as a mature believer in Christ. Paul’s own life demonstrates that this struggle with our sinful flesh never goes away while we are on the earth. Paul is in a fight for holiness, just as you and I are. We must take action to buffet our body and make it our slave. We must resist temptation and fight the good fight. We must resist temptation and flee immorality. The Christian life is a fight for holiness. This battle within us is real, intense, ongoing, internal, spiritual, and found within all true believers. These verses are like looking into a mirror and seeing the struggle with sin that resides within each one of us.
The Bible speaks with perfect accuracy regarding our human condition. It reveals the very worst about man. This is yet another evidence that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God. If this were merely a human book, it would present man in the very best light, always putting his best foot forward. But that is not what we read in the Scripture. Instead, we discover in its pages the real struggle with sin that a believer faces. The Bible contains God’s diagnosis of the human dilemma.
In Romans 7:15-20, we see Paul’s ongoing struggle with sin. This was his experience even as a mature believer in Jesus Christ. We will discover seven realities of sin found within Paul, as well as within every believer.
I. Sin is a Perplexing Mystery (7:15a)
In the first half of verse 15, we see that sin is a perplexing mystery. Paul writes, “For what I am doing, I do not understand” (verse 15). When Paul writes “what I am doing,” he is referencing his participation in sin. Notice that this is written in the present tense. Paul is not looking to his past before his conversion to Christ. He is not referencing his life when he was still a Pharisee, a Hebrew of Hebrews, looking for righteousness by his own merit. He is writing this in the present tense, addressing his present condition as he lives his Christian life.
This struggle with sin is what is so baffling to Paul. As a mature believer, he does not understand why he is still sinning, when he has a new heart that loves God. Why does he still sin when he has a new nature with new affections, and the Holy Spirit now lives inside of him? He cannot understand why he still sins. It is bewildering to Paul. This is a point of major frustration, because he desires godliness and holiness. But he keeps falling into sin. Paul is confused and baffled by this inexplicable mystery about himself.
For those of us who are believers, this should be an echo of the perplexity we should feel within our own hearts. When we end the day in prayer, there are sins we must confess that make no sense why we would commit them. Egotism, greed, lust, worldliness, covetousness, and many other sins still rear their ugly heads in our lives. We wonder why they continue to plague us. Sin is a perplexing mystery. Why do we still practice sin if we have been born again?
II. Sin is a Total Contradiction (7:15b)
Paul then describes his struggle with sin as a total contradiction with his new nature that is created in holiness. He writes, “For I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate” (verse 15). Paul says that what he wants to do, he knows that he is not practicing. And what he is doing is the very thing that he hates. Everything in his life is inverted. What he does not want to do, he does. What he does want to do, he does not do. There is both a negative and a positive aspect to this inverted dilemma. He commits both sins of omission and commission. Sins of omission are what he does not do, but should have done. Sins of commission are what he does, but should not have done.
When Paul says, “For I am not practicing what I would like to do,” he is speaking of practicing those things that pertain to personal holiness. This is another reason why Paul is referring to himself as a believer. Unbelievers do not want to pursue holiness. Unbelievers do not want to deny themselves and take up their cross to follow Christ. Unbelievers usually prefer to be antinomian and live without a concern for obedience to God’s word. By contrast, believers do not want to be antinomian, because God has given them a new hunger and thirst to keep His word. As a result of the new birth, they have been given a new desire to walk worthy of their calling. They have a new heart with new affections. They want to do the things that honor the Lord.
But the contradiction within Paul is that he is not always practicing these things. His desires are for godliness, but his practice does not always line up with that. Paul is being brutally honest. He does not try to present himself in a hyper-spiritual way. He is pulling back the veil of his inner life and being gut-level honest. The word “like” (thelo) means ‘to delight in.’ We delight in pleasing God. We love what He loves, and we hate what He hates. “But,” Paul says, “I am doing the very thing I hate.” Paul, as a believer, is doing things that he hates. He hates the sin that displeases and dishonors God. He hates caving in to temptation. He hates compromising his witness. Yet he does. When we are on our knees in prayer before God, we need to be honest with Him that we are not practicing what we would like.
Know Yourself
From this, we see that sin is a total contradiction to who we truly are in Christ. It makes the believer an oxymoron, a living paradox, a contradiction in terms. At times, we do what we hate. Likewise, we do not always do what we love. The sinful flesh within us can cause us to be a walking contradiction. This is certainly true about me, as I can preach a far better message than I can live. The same is true for you. You can learn far more truth than what you can live. It is true of each one of us. If you do not see this, then you do not know yourself.
John Calvin wrote in chapter one, section one of his Institutes of the Christian Religion that with the knowledge of God comes the knowledge of self. Everything in your Christian life begins with knowing who God is and, in turn, knowing who you are. Until you know who God is, you will never know who you are. And until you know who you are, you will never advance in spirituality. Paul is being completely honest with us. This is a private thought that is now made known publically in order to help us learn about ourselves. If when you sin, you are thinking, “What is wrong with me?,” the reality is that this is what is wrong with all of us. The reality is that even as a believer, we still struggle with sin.
III. Sin is a Legal Offense (7:16)
Third, sin is a legal offense against God and His word. Paul writes, “But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good” (verse 16). Paul is obviously talking about the sin that he does not want to do. We know he is a true believer because no believer wants to sin. But Paul confesses that he does the very thing that he does not wish to do. If anyone could have reached sinless perfection in this world, it would have been the apostle Paul. If anyone could have reached the place in their Christian life where they no longer struggle with sin, it would have been this remarkable man. If anyone could have coasted into glory without having to fight against sin, it would have been this man, who authored thirteen books in the New Testament. Yet even as a mature believer in Christ, Paul is still entrenched in this war against the sinful flesh within him. It is no different for you or me who are believers, even mature believers.
As believers, we will always be fighting sin. The battlefield is within us, and the spiritual conflict is not going away. Sin no longer reigns over us, though it is still resident within us. Sin once reigned over our lives, but Christ has removed sin from the throne of our life. Jesus is now enthroned as Lord over our lives. But sin is not vanquished. Sin still lives in the palace of our heart and still has direct access to us.
The Law Reveals Our Sin
How does a believer know that there is still sin within him? The answer, according to verse 16, is that the Law reveals it to us. One of the necessary ministries of the Law of God is to expose sin in our lives, even as a believer. Paul writes, “But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good” (verse 16). What is it that the Law testifies to Paul, to which he is in agreement? It is that the Law reveals to us our sin.
The Law is not restricted to the Old Testament. It has a continuing, primary ministry in the life of a Christian. To say otherwise is to contradict Scripture. Here is Paul, as a believer in New Testament times, writing the book of Romans, and he is appealing to the Law as still being in effect and performing a needed ministry in his life.
For New Testament believers, one of the purposes of the moral law is to reveal our sin to our own heart. This is actually a good thing, because when you are sick, you go to the doctor so that he will tell you what is wrong with you. This is a good thing, so that you can know how to become well. The Law is like a loving doctor who is diagnosing your problem. The purpose is so that you can repent, confess your sin, and have your spiritual health restored. This is why Paul says that he agrees with what the Law is saying about his own heart and motives. Paul knows that he is in a continual fight with the sin that remains in him.
By stating, “the Law is good,” Paul continues to affirm the positive ministry of God’s Law, even under the New Covenant. The Law was not only good for David and Solomon, but also for his life. Paul says in the present tense, “the Law is good.” At that very time, the Law remained a friend and helper in Christian living. In like manner, it performs a good ministry in your spiritual life. Ironically, the Law is good because it tells you when you are bad. Paul wants to clarify that his problem with sin is not the Law. The problem is Paul, whose sin is a flagrant breaking of the divine law.
All sin is a violation of the Law. We are measured by the unchanging standard of the divine, moral law. It is like a yardstick that we lay down next to, only to see that we regularly fall short. The Law is like an X-Ray that the doctor takes of our internal organs. The doctor looks at the X-Ray and discovers the problem inside of us. The Law makes this sin clear to our own spiritual eyes.
The New Testament affirms this when it states, “All sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). All sin is a departure from the standard of the Law. It is a violation against the governing statutes of the King of heaven. All sin is a defiant rebellion against the Sovereign of heaven and earth. As you think about your own life, do not think of your sin as a small problem that you can excuse. It is rank rebellion against God. It is a serious violation of the rule of law in heaven. It is an egregious offense against the good Law of God.
IV. Sin is an Indwelling Force (7:17)
Fourth, sin is an indwelling presence that remains in a believer’s life. Paul writes, “So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me” (verse 17). Paul’s use of “so now” further reinforces that he is speaking in the present tense. An initial reading of this verse can be potentially confusing as Paul says he is not the one doing the sin. Is Paul passing off his personal responsibility to obey God? In no way is he doing so. He has not fallen into a Hellenistic worldview of a dualistic separation of body and soul. Under such a false scheme, it does not matter what a person does in their body because any sin does not affect their soul. Paul has not strayed into Gnosticism. He simply recognizes that he has become a new man in Christ, and there is a new nature within him. This new man is Paul’s true identity now.
Paul’s new nature is incapable of sinning. When he goes to heaven one day, his new nature will be that which endures forever. But the problem is that he lives in an unredeemed body of sinful flesh. Sin continues to reside within Paul. The source of his sin is not the new man that he has become. His problem is his old fallenness that remains in him. His sinful flesh no longer reigns in him, but it still “dwells in me.” It has not moved out of him. His sinful flesh still goes to bed with him. It still dreams with him. It still wakes up with him. It still goes to work with him. It still travels with him. Every moment of every day, his sin nature indwells him. It is the same with us as believers. It is not outside of us or laying on the surface of our lives in a superficial way. It dwells deep within us. Sin is an indwelling force.
V. Sin is a Contrary Power (7:18)
Fifth, sin is a contrary power to the believer’s new nature. Our new man in Christ and our old sinful flesh are unequally yoked. They cannot agree on anything. They are always going in totally opposite directions. There is no middle ground that they share in common. They are antithetical to each other. Sin in a believer is a contrary power. Paul writes, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” Paul speaks with absolute certainty. There is no equivocation. He is emphatic that he knows nothing good dwells in his flesh.
The “flesh” is Paul’s old sinful nature, his old disposition and inclinations, his fallen humanity, his old man. Paul uses a possessive pronoun “my” in connection with his “flesh.” This is very personal for him. Paul says that nothing good dwells in his sinful flesh. It is completely antithetical to everything that is holy, righteous, and good. Our old flesh is the very opposite, namely, that which is wicked, vile, evil, and carnal. It is still in us, even as believers. This is how David was still able to commit adultery. This is how Abraham could lie. This is how Moses could commit murder. That is how Peter could deny the Lord. This is how Ananias and Sapphira could lie to the Holy Spirit in the middle of the church service. Every one of us is one step away from committing similar sins. Even as believers, our sinful flesh remains still within us.
We still have the capacity to do that which the new man we have become does not want to do. As soon as we wake up, the battle continues. There is no time-out from this internal conflict. There is no half-time break from the struggle. Sometimes even, the higher we are spiritually, the more vulnerable we are to sin. We tend to let our guard down and become more naïve after times of spiritual victory. Some of our greatest defeats come right after our greatest spiritual victories. This is because we are most vulnerable then.
Paul continues, “for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not” (verse 18). The new man that Paul has become certainly desires to do good. He desires to study to the Bible. He desires to go to church on the Lord’s day. He desires to obey the word of God. But it is one thing to want it, and another thing to do it. Even your new man is incapable of doing good without the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and Him enabling helping you. It is not enough that you have a new nature and a new heart, because you still have an old nature. We must have the power of God to be at work within us to will and to work for His good pleasure. We cannot live the Christian life in our own self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Every moment of every day, we still need the grace of God to be dynamically operative in our lives. We need to abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only the power of God can help us to overcome this contrary power of sin that is pushing us away from obedience to the word of God.
VI. Sin is a Competing Evil (7:19)
Sixth, sin is a competing evil. Paul writes, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want” (verse 19). As a believer, Paul has new wants, new affections, and new desires from his former manner of life that are holy and godly. Yet he does not always do what he wants to do in his heart. There is still evil lurking within him. There is still a capacity within him to do evil. The word “evil” (kakos) is a strong word that means ‘wrong, wicked, destructive.’ Evil is that which is contrary to holiness. It is a powerful force that is the total opposite of what conforms to God’s won character.
Again, this evil that continues to plague Paul is not the dominant, reigning force within him. Nevertheless, it is still a powerful force within him. It is no longer in the driver’s seat, but it is still in the car. We cannot be so naïve as to think that sin is not in the back seat riding with us. It still has an influence in our life that leads us in a different direction away from God’s prescribed path.
VII. Sin is a Remaining Reality (7:20)
Seventh, we see that sin is a remaining reality in the life of every believer. Paul writes, “But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me” (verse 20). This repeats what Paul said earlier in verse 17, making the clarification that though he is doing the sin, it is not the real Paul. It is not the true Paul now that he is converted. The real Paul is the new man that he is in Christ. That sin “dwells” in him, “dwells” (oikeo) means ‘to live with,’ as though to co-habitate and to occupy a house with another person. Paul reaffirms that sin set up house in him and is living within him. It has made itself at home with Paul. It never leaves and never goes away from him. His sinful flesh is a permanent houseguest that is always looking over his shoulder and whispering in his ear. Simply put, sin is a monster living inside of him.
For every believer, sin is a reality that continues in our lives even after we are saved. After reading Romans 6, we could have gotten the idea that we are coasting into glory without any speed bumps or hindrances. But Paul includes Romans 7 to teach us that sin is still in our lives with us. We will fight it all the way to glory. You and I will never get out of Romans 7 until we arrive in heaven. Sometimes I hear teaching that states we need to get out of Romans 7 and permanently leave it behind by moving into Romans 8. This is not the reality of the Christian life. If Paul could not get past the battle with his sinful flesh found in Romans 7, neither will we. For the rest of our Christian life, we will be in the second half of Romans 7, as well as in Romans 6 and 8. This is an ongoing reality in the life of the Christian.
Romans 8 will emphasize our great hope regarding victory and triumph over sin in our Christian life. The trip to the doctor in Romans 7 reveals our troubling diagnosis. Romans 8 will give us the prescription for how to get well. It has been well said that a right diagnosis is half the cure. We must have a right diagnosis about what is wrong with us.
Some people are converted to Christ, join a Bible study, and begin attending a church. They assume that everything in their new Christian life will be an easy walk from there on out. Paul reminds us of the reality in Romans 7, that is an accurate diagnosis. We need these verses to help us see what remains that is wrong with us. The prescription for our ailment is found at the end of Romans 7 when Paul says, “thanks be to God [who gives us the victory] through the Lord Jesus Christ.” There is victory in the Christian life.
We cannot adopt a defeatist attitude, because greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. Because of the all-sufficient grace of God, we will grow in personal holiness. We will experience ever-increasing victories over sin in our lives. There is still sin within us as believers, but we are, nevertheless, making progress and moving forward into greater conformity to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). In Romans 7, we see our problem with sin, which continues for even the mature believer. But there is great hope in the verses that lie ahead.
The Ongoing Struggle – Romans 7:21-25
The Ongoing Struggle – Romans 7:21-25
OnePassion Ministries May 24, 2018
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I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin (Romans 7:21-25).
Romans 7:21-25 brings to conclusion the seventh chapter of Romans. These verses describe Paul’s struggle with indwelling sin. He is writing as a mature believer who still struggles with sin. Paul is honest and transparent for the benefit of other believers who will read his words. This is written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to encourage us in our Christian life.
As believers in Christ, you and I can identify with Paul’s struggle with sin. Sin does not go away when we become a believer. There is an ongoing struggle that each one of us has with sin. This struggle does not mean that we are unconverted or lost. Granted, there are some who think they are saved, but are actually lost. Not everyone who claims Christ is a true believer. However, those who are genuinely born again will continue to battle with sin. Their life will be a battlefield between that which is good and that which is evil until the day they enter into glory.
I. The Conflict (7:21)
In verse 21, Paul restates the conflict that he has been describing in verses 14-20. The conflict is that there are two powers pulling Paul in polar opposite directions. He will start verse 21 with one power, and then conclude with the second power. Paul writes, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good” (verse 21). When Paul writes, “is present in me,” he is writing in the present tense. This is the reality of Paul’s Christian life, not in the past, but currently as he writes.
“Principle” (nomos) is the same Greek word that is translated throughout this chapter as “law.” Some translations use “law” rather than “principle” in verse 21. Nomos means ‘a governing principle, an operating rule.’ Paul says the principle is that “evil is present in me” (verse 21). “Evil” (kakos) is a strong word for that which is wicked, bad, and destructive. In some ways, the word “evil” carries a shock value that is much larger than saying there is sin present within us. Paul does not treat this as a small, insignificant sin, but rather an evil that is within him. The evil is this principle, or law, of sin.
The verb “is present” (parakeimai) means ‘to lie beside.’ The idea is that sin is crouching, lying in wait, ready to spring at any moment. It is like a lion lying in the tall weeds ready to devour you as you walk by. God said to Cain, “Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:7). The sin that was crouching at the door for Cain is still crouching at the door for you and me, ready to spring forth and devour us when we least expect it. This is the first operative power that is present within the believer that Paul describes.
The other power is at the end of verse 21, “the one who wants to do good.” There is also a part of Paul that wants to do good. “Wants” (thelo) is a strong word that means ‘to be resolved,’ ‘to be determined.’ It is not an apathetic word. There is a part of Paul that has a tenacity to pursue holiness, deny self, take up a cross, and follow after Christ. Paul has a strong inward resolution to please God.
The evil principle and the good desire are both inside of Paul. This is the conflict that is raging like a civil war within him. He never outgrows this conflict by being a Christian for a longer period of time. When Paul wrote the book of Romans, it would have been at one of the strongest points in his Christian life. He is on his third missionary journey. Yet Paul still feels this tug-o-war on the inside. This same conflict between evil and good is still being played out in every Christian today.
II. The Clarification (7:22-23)
Paul now gives a clarification of these two opposite laws at work within him. He writes, “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man” (verse 22). Paul is happy to agree about the law of God within him. “The law of God” refers to the Mosaic Law and the moral principles that are laid out in the Ten Commandments. These are still operative in Paul’s life as a believer. The Ten Commandments are not relegated to the Old Testament. We do not have liberty in Christ to do whatever we want to do. The Ten Commandments still regulate our Christian life.
Paul is not upset about this law within him, but joyfully concurs with it. He writes, “I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man.” The law of God is in his “inner man,” because when Paul was regenerated, God took out his heart of stone, put in a heart of flesh, and wrote the Law upon the tablet of his heart. If you are a believer, God has written His Law upon your heart. It was already in your conscience, but now, in a much sharper way, God has written it upon your heart with indelible ink. He set it down deep within you in your inner man.
The Psalmist’s Delight
The psalmist joyfully delights in the Law of God. “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1). There is a three-fold separation in the blessed man’s life. He does not “walk in the counsel of the wicked,” “stand in the path of sinners,” or “sit in the seat of scoffers.” If you want to experience the fullness of God’s blessing, there needs to be this firewall around your Christian life. You cannot get close to the fiery sin of this world without being singed. If you are so naïve as to think you can walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers and be unaffected, you are dead wrong. You think far too highly of yourself. You are not as good as you think. “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Either they will be your mission field, or you will be their mission field. We need to be in the world, but we are not to be of the world. Even as we are in the world, we must use careful discernment not to fall into sin.
The psalmist then shifts to the positive in a total contrast. He writes, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). The delight of the righteous man is not found in the world, but in the Law of God. As he delights and meditates on it, “he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3). These streams of water come gushing out of the Law of God. They refresh, revive, and reinvigorate. The Law of God is a means of grace that flows into our lives.
What does the Law of God do for you? First, it reveals the holiness of God, which we need to have ever before us. The God who authored the law also reveals Himself through the Law. God makes a distinction between what is evil and what is good, between what is right and wrong. That is an expression of the holiness of God. The Law also reveals the will of God for our lives. Every time God says, “You shall,” He is pointing you into His will. Every time God says, “You shall not,” He is pointing you to the epicenter of His plan for your life. It is a blessed defense against the encroachment of sin into your life.
The psalmist clearly loved God’s word, and was to his great benefit to do so. “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches” (Psalm 119:14). “Your testimonies” is a synonym for the written word of God. God speaks through His written word. “Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). The Law of God has proceeded from His mouth and comes in the form of His testimonies. “I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget your word” (Psalm 119:16). Here, the synonym is “Your statutes.” The believer loves and delights in God’s word. “Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24). We all need counsel regarding the will of God for our life. These testimonies, which counsel the psalmist in how he is to live, are his “delight.” Again, he writes, “I shall delight in Your commandments, which I love” (Psalm 119:47). “May Your compassion come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight” (Psalm 119:77). “Your word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it” (Psalm 119:140). This love for God’s word is the mark of a spiritually healthy believer. He is not lukewarm, apathetic, or cool toward the word of God. He is fervent, passionate, delighting in and joyfully concurring with it. He desires God’s word. Paul joyfully concurs with the law of God within him.
The Different Law
Paul then gives the other law at work within him, and herein is the conflict: “But I see a different law in the members of my body” (verse 23). This law is in stark contrast to the first law. It is completely antithetical to God’s moral law. This different law sends one in a total opposite direction, never in agreement with the law of God. This “law” is a governing principle, just like the first “law” in verse 22.
There is an unwritten law inside of us, which is our sin nature. Paul says it is “in the members of my body.” It is not on the external façade of his life, but down deep in his bones, in his innermost being. From the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, sin has made its way into every little crevice of Paul’s life. Likewise, sin is in every member of your body. It is in our mind as we have selfish thoughts. It is in our eyes as we look with lust, greed, and envy. It is in our ears as we want more of the titillating gossip we hear. It is on our tongue and in our mouth as we speak half-truths and put others down. It is in our hands as we lay hold of things we should not. It is in our feet as we travel to places we have no business going. All the members of our body are tainted with sin in one way or another.
An Ongoing War
Paul says this different law is “waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members” (verse 23). “Waging war” means something is attacking and assaulting as on a battlefield. There is a war being waged inside each believer. This is a present tense, ongoing struggle that we face. “The law of my mind” refers to the new mind that we have in Christ. The believer has a new eternal perspective, a new worldview, a new way that they see God and the path their life should take. As they travel this path with the law of the new mind, sin wages war virtually every step of the way. There is a strong resistance.
The battle for your Christian life is the battle for your mind. Paul will later say, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1). Paul always emphasizes the mind, because as your mind goes, so goes your heart, and as your heart goes, so goes your will. “Making me a prisoner” means to lead away captive. Sin still has power in our life. It is no longer the dominant tyrant as before our conversion, but nevertheless, it is a force that must be dealt with in our Christian lives. The struggle is real, and it is internal.
The “law of sin” is the “different law” that Paul spoke of at the beginning of verse 23. “In my members” is a repetition of “the members of my body” found earlier in this sentence. This different law is operative in our lives. It has not gone away and is not asleep. It never backs off, never sounds retreat, and never waves the white flag. It is an ongoing battle within us until the day we step out of this world and into the very presence of Jesus Christ. Paul clearly explains the depth and dynamic of our sin problem.
III. The Crisis (7:24)
We next see Paul’s crisis as he figuratively throws up his hands and says, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). Paul describes himself as a “wretched man.” “Wretched” (talaiporos) refers to one who endures toils and troubles, one who is painfully afflicted and miserable. Today, we would tell Paul that he is being too hard on himself and needs to go to Christian counseling. We would think that he needs to have a better self-worth. But Paul knows himself. He knows the truth. Notice that Paul speaks in the present tense when he says, “wretched man that I am.” He does not say, “wretched man that I once was.” Again, Paul reinforces that this struggle is present in his life as a Christian.
Then Paul reasons about how he will get out of this state. He asks, “Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Paul acknowledges that he cannot set himself free. He needs someone else who is stronger and does not have this same conflict within them. Someone who does not have this different law within their being. This person is the only one who can set Paul free.
“Who will set me free” is the same as saying, ‘Who will deliver me from this conflict? Who will rescue me from these powers that are clashing within me?’ Paul writes that he must be freed from the “body of this death,” which refers to his physical body that is dying. The reason why Christians still die, even after being converted, is because we still live in a body tainted by sin. There is not one of us who has the internal power to pull ourselves out of this conflict. Someone else must deliver us. Someone who is not struggling with this sin issue. Paul tells us who this Someone is in verse 25.
IV. The Celebration (7:25)
In the midst of this conflict and crisis, Paul raises a note of celebration. He declares, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (verse 25). There is victory and deliverance from this law of sin that is within us. It comes “through Jesus Christ our Lord,” who is the only Man without sin. He is the only One who does not have this different law within Him. Paul is so emphatic in pointing us to Jesus Christ that he uses all three names for Him. Jesus is His saving name. Christ is His strong name. Lord is His sovereign name. He is the only One who can deliver us from this intense warfare with sin.
We need to understand that complete deliverance from sin will not come during this lifetime. We are in the battle to the very end. This ultimate deliverance from sin will come at our final glorification. We cannot have a naïve, misguided view of the Christian life that believes the battle will be over once we reach some certain level of holiness. As long as you are in this present body of death, the struggle will go on. That is why, in our final glorification, we will receive a new, glorified body, as well as a glorified soul and spirit. You will be renovated from top to bottom, both physically and spiritually. In justification, God dealt with the penalty of sin. In sanctification, He is dealing with the power of sin. But in glorification, He will deal with the presence of sin. In that final day, there will no longer be a struggle with sin.
Paul talks about our final glorification in the next chapter. He writes, “Not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). That groaning within us is the struggle against sin. Our spirit and soul have already been redeemed. One day our body will also be redeemed and we will have a new glorified body in heaven. Our sin nature will be eradicated from all the members of our body. At the end of the golden chain of salvation found in Romans 8:29-30, we read, “and these whom He justified, He also glorified” (Romans 8:30). It will be at that final stage of glorification that we will have the experience of the full victory over and from sin. But until then, we continue to wage war in our battle against sin.
V. The Conclusion (7:25b)
We might think that Paul should have ended the chapter there, at the mountain peak of deliverance through Jesus Christ. But he brings us back down into the valley of reality to remind us that we are still in the battle. He concludes this section by writing, “So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin” (verse 25). Paul ends with the stark reality of his ongoing struggle with sin. As he concludes this chapter, he reminds us of the struggle in which we, too, are living in our Christian lives.
Paul has certainly told us about the victory that lies ahead. But we are still in the campaign to war against sin. “Serving” (douleuo) means ‘to be a slave to,’ ‘to obey.’ There is this strong aspect of Paul’s life, which is the reality of who he really is, where he is serving the law of God. Yet the word “but” brings a dose of reality. Paul is also serving the sin that remains in him. As Paul ends this chapter, he ends not with future glory, but with the present battle that is going on in his Christian life.
So What?
First, remain alert. We must be in constant vigil, examining ourselves, confessing our sin, and repenting of our sin. We must be on constant alert, knowing that sin is crouching at the door ready to spring on us at any moment. We are all one step away from the greatest sin of our life. We must remain alert. Our spiritual eyes must be open to the indwelling sin within us.
Second, remain armed. You must put on the word of God. Our strength is in the Lord, and we must have the word of God in us to fortify our faith and to purge and purify us. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). We are made holy as the word of God richly dwells within us (Colossians 3:16). We must be filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered by the omnipotent Spirit of God. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Whatever little strength we have is weak. We must have the power of the Holy Spirit operative in our lives. We need to pray the words of Paul, “God, make me strong in Your grace” (2 Timothy 2:1).
Third, be aggressive. We cannot be passive in our fight against sin. We must be aggressive. We must take action. We must fight the good fight. We cannot only be on the defense, we must be on the offense. We must raise up a resistance. We must discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. We must resist temptation. We must flee immorality. We must be of sober spirit. We must be aggressive. The moment we are passive, we will start to lose. It is like the lion tamer in the cage with the lion. As long as he has the chair and the whip in his hand, the lion lays dormant. But the moment he turns his back or puts down the chair or the whip, the lion is on his back to devour him. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
You and I have three great enemies: the world, the devil, and the flesh. There is an evil world system of entertainment, politics, business, greed, immorality, anti-God agendas, and more. Then there is the devil and his demons. But there is also an enemy inside of us. This is our biggest enemy. Even if we did not have the world around us and the force of the devil against us, we would still be in over our heads fighting against our own flesh, our own sinful desires, and this law of sin within us.
As Paul brings Romans 7 to conclusion, he leaves us with a sober reminder of our ongoing struggle with sin. We need to be aware and to wage war against it in order to maintain our purity. If we do not fight against sin, the Lord will help us through His discipline. “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). May we fight well and “pursue…the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
