Justification and Law, Rom.7:1-13

The Justified Are Not Under Law:

The Justified Are Not Under Law:

The Illustration of Marriage,

Romans 7:1–3 ESV

1 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

Link: = sanctified man in regard to sin. = sanctified man in regard to law.

SLAVERY, 6:15-23

MARRIAGE, 7:1-3

Context: What Paul has said so far about the law:

The Application of this Law to the Christian Life,

· no man can attain righteousness by works of law, but that law only reveals the unrighteousness of man.

Romans 7:4–6 ESV

4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

1. Union with Christ

· the law has no part in the revelation of God’s righteousness or the imputation of God’s righteousness except as a witness.

· the law would not, and could not, exclude the boasting of man.

2. Bearing Fruit for Christ

· the law has nothing to do with the inheritance that we have as children of Abraham.

3. Service to Christ

Relation of Law and Sin,

· the law only brings about wrath.

Romans 7:7–13 ESV

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

· the law brought man under bondage.

4. The Effect of Sin

Broader Context: To avoid being a stumbling block for Jews and new Christians Paul gives broader context surrounding the law:

5. The Deceitfulness of Sin

6. The Sinfulness of Sin

1. sin will not have dominion since we are under grace.

2. the law is not sinful even though the law causes sin to abound.

The Inability of the Flesh to sanctify:

3. the law is powerless to deliver men fRom.the struggle against sin. So, the law is unable to save fRom.indwelling sin.

Linguistic background:

The Justified Are Not Under Law:

Confession One: I Am Unspiritual ()

Romans 7:14–17 ESV

14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

The Illustration of Marriage,

Confession Two: I Am Indwelt By Sin ()

Romans 7:18–20 ESV

18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Confession Three: I Am A Wretched Man ()

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released fRom.the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free fRom.that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

Romans 7:21–25 ESV

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Table: Can this be the same man?

starts with “or.” The current contextual discussion is FREED FROM.SIN using two ILLUSTRATIONS.

SLAVERY, 6:15-23

Holiness is Possible:

MARRIAGE, 7:1-3

The Application of this Law to the Christian Life,

4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the [1st husband] law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to [2nd husband] him who has been raised fRom.the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released fRom.the law [1st husband], having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the [2nd husband] Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

· Is there condemnation for those under the law or in Christ?

· While living with the 1st husband, were we baptized?

· The “old flesh” that died was our union with the 1st Husband or the Law. T/F?

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

· Why is there no condemnation for those in Christ?

1. Union with Christ

· With the new union with Christ, is it possible to live the old life (obeying the demands of the flesh)? Hint: Read if you need clarity.

· How does this verse answer : “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

· Is service to sin possible? Hint: Read if you need clarity – asking why can I not obey the old master?

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

· Why did God have to send His Son?

· Can the Body I am united to have two heads? Hint: Read for clarity asking which head am I serving … Christ or Adam?

What is the purpose of Holiness?

2. Bearing Fruit for Christ

· Who are the two husbands in chapter 7?

4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The rest of deals with the possibility, privilege and power that eliminate the reign of sin in our life, letting the Spirit of God be in total control.

o New husband is Jesus. So I bring forth fruit for him.

How is Holiness shown in the Contrast of Flesh and Spirit,

o Old husband was buried with Jesus. Could the old husband be our old flesh with its desires?

o Fruit is the expression of your character that is revealed in your conduct. Explain.

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

3. Service to Christ

· What 2 principles try to control my life?

· How do these two seek to rope my mind into the battle?

How do I serve in a “newness of spirit” (; )?

· How can “submit” and “set” be used to please God?

Relation of Law and Sin,

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.

o What must we do first – “set” or “submit”?

· What is the real nature of law as it relates to sin?

o Which one is in the mind and which on is in the heart?

Alive In the Spirit,

· Does being “dead to the law” place the law in the same category as sin?

So, how is the law good?

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

1. The law reveals the fact of sin.

· How many times does Paul say “the Spirit of God dwell in you” in these verses?

· :10 At funerals we witness dead bodies. But is that all we witness?

2. the law reveals the to our conscious the reality of sin.

3. we read that the law reveals the power of sin. As a child, Saul of Tarsus whould have had no knowledge of sin. (cf. Eze_28:15, KJV). He had reached “the age of accountability.” So, the law did not kill Saul. Sin killed him. The law simply made him aware of sin through knowledge.

· :11 What will happen because the spirit dwells in us?

4. The Effect of Sin

10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.

The Privilege of Holiness,

List the 6 new privileges that is the result of a life of holiness

In the law reveals the effect of sin. The outcome was death. The effect of sin in Paul’s life was death. He said in that it killed him. The sinner must die because of his inability to fulfill the law. Notice the three statements that Paul makes of himself in the chapter. He says that there was a time that he was alive apart fRom.the law. But then the commandment came; sin came to life, and he died. Paul has already talked about the fact that through faith in Jesus new life is possible. Paul described the generate state of the child, the degenerate state of the sinner, and the regenerate state of the sinner made righteous by the grace of God.

Who is my new debt towards, :12?

5. The Deceitfulness of Sin

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

What is my new life, :13?

· Since Adam and Eve ate of the tree, sin has been deceptive.

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

o But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

What is my new guidance, :14?

o And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

· What did sin do to David, Peter, Judas, etc.

What is my new privilege, :15?

· What did sin do to Adam? What did it rob him of?

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

· What did sin do to Jesus?

What is my new witness, :16?

· Can sin give joy, success, value, etc.?

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

· Sin can give a cross, death, eternal fire, separation, etc.

What is my new inheritance, :17?

6. The Sinfulness of Sin

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

· How does the Law reveal the sinfulness of sin?

Conclusion: Is a magnifying glass evil for revealing a deadly bacteria?

The Incentives to Holiness,

Incentive: How does glory outweigh suffering, :18?

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (cf. )

Incentive: What is the appeal of creation, :19-22?

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

Incentive: The attitude of the believer, :23-25

Towards our final redemption, :23?

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

What is our attitude towards patient endurance when living holy, :24-24

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

How does the Holy Spirit help us towards holiness, :26-27

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

How does God’s providence help us towards holiness, :28

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

What is the harmony of the divine working?

What is the benefit of this working?

What is the limitation of this working?

Incentive: What is the outcome of God’s Purpose?

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Triumph through Holiness,

What are the three relational reasons for a triumphant confidence, :31-33?

How is God shown as our Advocate, :31?

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

How is God show as our Provider, :32?

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

How is God show as our Protector, :33? (by being our justifier)

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

What is the Believer’s Relationship to the Son, 8:34-36?

34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

(ESV) — 1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (perfect, passive, participle, singular, accusative, masculine).

Christ was crucified in the past, but the action is ongoing into the present.

What is our Relationship to Circumstances, 8:37-39?

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.