Romans 7.9-When The Commandment Became A Reality In Paul's Life, His Sin Nature Became Active And He Died Spiritually
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday September 3, 2008
Romans: Romans 7:9-When The Tenth Commandment Became A Reality For Paul, His Sin Nature Became Active And He Died Spiritually
Lesson # 220
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 7:1.
This evening we will study Romans 7:9 and in this passage, Paul teaches that when the tenth commandment became a reality upon his conversion to Christianity, his sin nature suddenly became active and consequently, he died spiritually meaning as a Christian he lost fellowship with God.
Romans 7:1-9, “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. What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COVET.’ But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died.”
As we noted in our study of verse 7, some expositors of Romans chapter seven contend that the expression ego ezon choris nomou, “I was once alive apart from the Law” that appears in Romans 7:9 refers to Israel before the giving of the Law.
However, as we noted this is incorrect.
Rather it refers to Paul’s experience as a Christian when through the ministry of the Holy Spirit he became aware of the significance of the tenth commandment in Exodus 20:17 prohibiting coveting.
Once he became aware of its significance, he became aware that he was guilty of violating this commandment.
Romans 3:20, “Because each and every member of sinful humanity will never be justified in His judgment by means of actions produced by obedience to the Law for through the Law there does come about an awareness of the sin nature.”
Paul’s use of the first person plural and the lack of any contextual evidence make clear that the apostle is referring to his own experience as a Christian with respect to the tenth commandment.
Romans 7:9, “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died.”
Paul’s statement “I was once alive apart from the Law” serves as a contrast with his statement at the end of verse 8 of his own personal experience with the Law as a Christian.
His last statement at the end of verse 8 was explanatory as we noted meaning that it is explaining why it is true that because the sin nature seized a base of operations through the tenth commandment, the sin nature produced in Paul each and every kind of covetousness.
This explanation continues to verse 10a.
This explanatory statement at the end of verse 8 teaches that personal sin is dead apart from the Law meaning that it can never be charged to the account of the sinner by God when the Law is not in effect.
Then, his statement “I was once alive apart from the Law” in verse 9 stands in contrast with personal sin being dead in that Paul was alive apart from the Law when he was regenerate.
Romans 7:9, “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died.”
“I was once alive apart from the Law” refers to Paul’s initial experience when he became a Christian and enjoyed eternal life for the first time.
This state is used in contrast with another state that he mentions in the second adversative clause in verse 9 in which he says he died spiritually when he became aware of the demands and the significance of the commandment prohibiting coveting.
When Paul says that he died spiritually, he is speaking in the context of his Christian experience and thus refers to losing fellowship with God, which is restored through the confession of sin according to 1 John 1:9.
That Paul is speaking in the context of his initial experience as a Christian is further indicated in that the Jewish Christian is not under the Law but under grace.
Therefore, when Paul says in Romans 7:9 that “I was once alive apart from the Law” he is speaking of his Christian experience since Romans 6:14 says that the Jewish Christian is not under the Law but under grace.
This prepositional phrase appears also in Romans 3:21 and 28 in relation to the justification of the sinner through faith alone in Christ alone apart from obedience to the Law, which further indicates that Paul is speaking of the first time that he experienced eternal life as a Christian.
Romans 3:21-30, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.”
Romans 7:9, “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died.”
The second “but” in Romans 7:9 introduces a statement that contrasts his initial experience of enjoying eternal life for the first time as a Christian with that of experiencing loss of fellowship for the first time as a Christian.
“When” is the indefinite temporal particle pote (povte) (pot-eh), which is used of time in Paul’s past when he was regenerate.
“The commandment” is the noun entole (e)ntolhv) (en-tol-ay), which refers to specifically to the tenth commandment that appears in Exodus 20:17 that prohibits coveting.
Exodus 20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
“Came” is the verb erchomai (e*rxomai) (er-khom-i), which denotes the tenth commandment “becoming a reality” in the life of the apostle Paul when he was saved.
As we noted in our study of Romans 7:7, some expositors interpret the expression elthouses tes entoles, “when the commandment came” as referring to the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.
This would indicate that Paul is identifying with his Jewish countrymen.
However, this interpretation is incorrect rather it is referring to the tenth commandment “becoming a reality” for Paul as a Christian when he first became aware of the significance and the demands of the commandment.
This interpretation is the only correct one since Paul is speaking in the first person and there is nothing in the context indicating that he is speaking of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
“Sin” is the noun hamartia (a(martiva) (ham-ar-tee-ah), which refers to the sin nature as indicated in that the word is being personified by the verb anazao, “became alive.”
Romans 7:9, “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died.”
“Became alive” is the verb anazao (a)nazavw) (an-ad-zah-o), which means, “to begin to function, to suddenly be active, to spring to action.”
The word personifies the sin nature depicting the sin nature as suddenly becoming active in the life of Paul when he was a Christian when the tenth commandment became a reality in his life.
“And” is the “emphatic” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which serves to emphasize the statement to follow that Paul died spiritually when as a Christian through the ministry of the Spirit the tenth commandment became a reality in the sense that he was convicted by the Spirit through the commandment that he had violated the commandment.
“I died” is the verb apothnesko (a)poqnhv|skw) (ap-oth-nace-ko), which refers to the regenerate state of Paul losing fellowship with God, which is also called by theologians, “temporal spiritual death.”
The word implies that he was experiencing for the first time losing fellowship with God when the tenth commandment became a reality in his life and simultaneously his sin nature suddenly becoming active.