Romans 7:7-25
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Heres the bridge from last weeks sermon to this week:
We used to just have a mirror that accused us of our ugliness, but now, we actually have God living and working inside of us to obey him!
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. 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. 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.
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.
I want to address, quickly, verses 7-9
Remember, the context of this passage is that grind that happens to a Christian when they begin to kill their sin.
So lets make a time line:
1 I do not know anything about the law of God, the bible says I sin but I dont know it. - no hesitation or regret
2 To me, the sin doesnt have any power, or at least thats the feeling because i dont know any better.
3 I hear the law (teachings of the bible).
4 God opens my eyes to my sin and I realize my sin.
5 The internal struggle of knowing im guilty yet no power to do anything about it actually makes me sin more.
6 I die with Christ.
7 He lives in me.
8 Theres now power over sin to kill it.
So paul seems to be heading off some view that the Law brings life. Paul is saying, not only is it not our hope for life, but can actually make the sin worse. I have to admit, this is a little bizzare, but i guess it makes sense. especially in light of the above chart.
Moo compares this to the garden of Eden experience with Adam.
It takes more than a rule to produce obedience!
Let’s dwell in verses 14-25
Do you feel this way?
Theres debate about whether Paul is referring to the way he used to feel or if this is currently state for him.
Im not sure which, but I still feel this way sometimes. Not as much as i used to, but i do.
Close with this:
I see three types of people here.
The one who doesnt know their sin. Ignorant bliss that leads to eternal death. (heaven now, hell later)
The one that doesnt but doesnt have Christ. Hellish misery that leads to eternal death. (hell now and later)
The one that lives by the power of Christ, (hell now, heaven later). Hard work and pain now to kill sin, but heavenly bliss later.
Exegete
Exegete
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.
What does he mean by this? I think this is the objection thats about to be raised in verse 7
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. 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. 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.
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.
Heres the bridge from last weeks sermon to this week:
We used to just have a mirror that accused us of our ugliness, but now, we actually have God living and working inside of us to obey him!
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.”
Paul seems to be saying, “wait, im not saying the law was horrible. No, I was horrible, and the law helped to show me that.”
8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.
What does this mean?
Moo gives a few things:
The sin is the cause and originiator but the law is an agitator. Almost a forbidden fruit thing (i cant do it so i think i will do it). He says Israel sort of operated this way. God would tell them no, and they would go and do it.
He also says 9-10 unlock the meaning.
Moos formula
Apart from the law When commandment came
_________________________________________________
sin is dead sin sprang to life
i was alive i died
Moo argues that “apart from the law, sin lies dead” means that this is a description of the time period before mosaic law came about. They had sin, but it lied dormant without much power. The law actually gave the sin power. (Moo- NICNT Commentary on Romans p 435-436)
Im not sure how i feel about this description. Im going to read more to investigate
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.
Some of the confusion is on who paul is referring to: Mankind, Himself, or israel. I guess its no matter though because we all follow the same course of action with sin and life/death.
So lets make a time line:
I do not know anything about the law of God, I sin but dont know it.
To me, its really that the sin doesnt have any power, or at least thats the feeling because i dont know any better.
I hear the law.
I realize my sin.
The internal struggle of knowing im guilty yet no power to do anything about it actually makes me sin more.
I die with Christ.
He lives in me.
Theres now power over sin.
So paul seems to be heading off some view that the Law brings life. Paul is saying, not only is it not our hope for life, but can actually make the sin worse. I have to admit, this is a little bizzare, but i guess it makes sense. especially in light of the above chart.
Moo compares this to the garden of Eden experience with Adam.
It takes more than a rule to produce obedience!
Verses 10-14 are quite confusing. maybe even more than 7-10. Im honestly not digging into them at this time.
Here does seem the jist of it though. The clearest example of sin using the law to deceive and kill us is that Israel was given the law. Its good, but not saving. Israel in their sin, hoisted it up to the level of salvation. Their sin took the law and caused them to sin with it.
How could that apply today? I think of legalism. i think that term embodies that phenomenon. Its not the whole story, but because not all sin is legalism, but it certainly is a clear example.
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.
I think we need to have a moment here where we think through this passage. Do we feel this way? Now this leads back to the chart of the three types of people. Which are we.
That is the truth, despite how we feel.
This is further compounded by verse 21.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
Verses 23-25 unforntunately and fortunately are the new reality that we live in until Jesus comes back.
The key is verse 22-23. Even though outer turmoil exists and sinful failure, in my heart i delight in the law of God because thats where he dwells.