A Study of Romans (26)

The Book of Romans 1. The Present: A Broken Dominion (Romans 7:1–6)

The first thirteen verses of Romans 7 just naturally divide themselves into two sections. The point of the first six verses can be simply summarized by this: We are “dead to the law.” The Mosaic system does not now have dominion over us. The significance of this truth will become clearer as we expound these six verses.

Dominion

Have you ever felt something or someone had or wanted total control over you besides Christ;

This thing (physical or inanimate) was what you thought about strove for or maybe feared to a point;

But the control was so strong you felt you could not break free;

In chapter 6 Paul addressed how the first audience - the church at Rome - were released from sin through the death of Jesus;

However like many of us there were many, most likely, at the church at Rome did not want to let go of the law (we call it tradition or legalism);

The Book of Romans Introduction: The Problem of Dominion (Verse 1)

Now Paul turns to the question of the law’s dominion over a sinner. There is a close relationship between sin and law: 1 Corinthians 15:56 actually says “The strength of sin is the law.” When sin has dominion, so does the law. If Paul has described the broken dominion of sin, he will now describe the broken dominion of the law.

Why does Paul continually but sin and the law together;

The Book of Romans Introduction: The Problem of Dominion (Verse 1)

One answer is that the law serves to make sin fully known: All the variety and excess of sin is fully exposed by the light of the law. And since the law cannot deliver from sin, then sin in effect thrives by the law. Another answer is that the law demands a penalty for sin.

Remember we have all sinned and therefore deserve a penalty which is spiritual death;

The Book of Romans Introduction: The Problem of Dominion (Verse 1)

Thus the law is “reigning” over them, and that dominion finds its strength in the sin of which the transgressor is guilty. Thus sin and the law join hands in dominion over the unsaved man.

Principle

How does any law work, whether religious or secular;

Basically it tells what is a wrong action to deter someone from doing it not prevent it from happening;

The Book of Romans Introduction: The Problem of Dominion (Verse 1)

The nature of the specific problem is that “the law has dominion over a man as long as he liveth.”

So her Paul is specifically talking about the unsaved;

The Book of Romans Introduction: The Problem of Dominion (Verse 1)

What Paul means is that the unsaved man is permanently under the law’s dominion. This “dominion” remains in force so long as he lives. Man in sin cannot ever free himself from that dominion.

What is this “dominion” - one a desirer to keep sinning and secondly the law set the penalty;

The Book of Romans Introduction: The Problem of Dominion (Verse 1)

Such is the magnitude of the problem faced by the unsaved man as he stands before the law of God, required to be something he cannot be, and sentenced thereby to death.

Example

So here is the problem - the sinner in uncontrol (dominio) of the law until he dies;

So therefore the only way they exscape is death;

The Book of Romans Illustration: The Partner’s Death (Verses 2, 3)

First, he prepares us for that solution with an illustration. The illustration concerns the bond created between man and woman at marriage. That bond can be broken by the death of one of the partners.

Marriage is life long bond, a permanent bond - now we are going to be talking about good marriage bad marriage this an illustration point;

The Book of Romans Illustration: The Partner’s Death (Verses 2, 3)

The point of the illustration is that the marriage bond is divinely ordained to be permanent, and the only circumstance that can break that bond without violation of God’s ordained plan is death.

The point of the illustration is an obligation that is life long and binding;

Deliverance

There is an opprotunity to be freed from the dominion Paul is speaking about;

The Book of Romans Implications: A Permanent Deliverance (Verses 4–6)

Now Paul applies the illustration and makes the point he has been aiming for: The Christian has been fully set free from the “dominion” of the law.

Death must occur for release to be obtained;

The Book of Romans Implications: A Permanent Deliverance (Verses 4–6)

And just how did the sinner “die”? “By the body of Christ”! The verb “ye are become dead” is simple past action in Greek: “ye died.” The meaning is the same as it was in 4:4: We died with Christ.

V. 5 reviews our former servitude;

Once our master change our “fruit” production should also have changed;

The Book of Romans Implications: A Permanent Deliverance (Verses 4–6)

When that old dominion was broken, however, we were not set free to be neutral. We were brought into a new servitude, a servitude suggested already in verse 4, the servitude of Christ.

Therefore one servitude is legal and the other is spiritual;

The Book of Romans Implications: A Permanent Deliverance (Verses 4–6)

But the believer, justified by faith, finds himself in a new relationship to the law. He is dead to the law. The law’s dominion is broken. He is in a new servitude to Christ that successfully produces in his life “fruit unto God.”