Romans 7.22-Paul Joyfully Concurs With The Law Of God In The Inner Man
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday September 30, 2008
Romans: Romans 7:22-Paul Joyfully Concurs With The Law Of God In The Inner Man
Lesson # 234
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 7:14.
This evening we will note Romans 7:22 where Paul states that he joyfully concurs with the Law of God in the inner man.
Romans 7:14-22, “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 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. 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.”
“For” is the “explanatory” use of the conjunction gar (gavr), which introduces a statement that “gives more information that explains” the spiritual principle that Paul presented in Romans 7:21.
In this passage, Paul relates to the Christians in Rome that he discovered a spiritual principle, namely that when he desired to obey the Law that evil was present in him in the form of the sin nature.
The conjunction gar introduces two statements in verses 22-23 that provide more information that help to explain this spiritual principle in verse 21.
Romans 7:22-23, “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.”
Therefore, the explanation for evil being present in Paul when at the same time he desired to obey God’s Law is that he joyfully agrees with the Law of God in his new nature but the sin nature wages war against his mind and makes him its prisoner and which sin nature is resident in the members of his physical body.
“I joyfully concur” is the verb sunedomai (sunhvdomai) (soon-ay-dom-i), means, “to joyfully agree with” the Law of God.
Now, in Romans 7:16, Paul states that he “agreed” with the Law.
However, here in verse 22, the verb sunedomai not only expresses agreement with the Law of God but a “joyful” agreement thus it is a word that involves emotion whereas sumphemi in verse 16 does not involve the emotions.
“The Law” is the noun nomos (novmo$) (nom-os), which refers to the Mosaic Law as indicated by the context, the word’s articular construction and the articular genitive adjunct, tou theou, “of God.”
“Of God” is the noun theos (qeov$), which refers to all three members of the Trinity since it functions as a “genitive of possession” indicating that the Law is “owned” by God.
“In the inner man” is composed of the preposition kata (katav) (kat-ah), “in” and the noun anthropos (a*nqrwpo$) (anth-ro-pos), “the man” as well as the adverb of place eso (e&sw) (es-o), “inner.”
The noun anthropos is used in a generic sense for the new nature that the Christian received through regeneration the moment he was declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The word is modifying the adjectival use of the adverb of place eso, which means, “inner.”
The articular construction of anthropos functions as a “possessive pronoun” indicating that Paul is referring to his new nature.
It also can be classified as “generic” meaning that it is distinguishing this new Christ nature from that of the old Adamic sin nature.
The preposition kata is employed with the accusative case of the noun anthropos as a marker of reference specifying the “inner man,” i.e. the new nature, which bears a relation to Paul joyfully agreeing with the Law of God.
Therefore, in Romans 7:22, the expression ton eso anthropon, “the inner man” refers to the new Christ nature that the Christian received through regeneration the moment they were declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
At the moment a sinner is declared justified by God through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, the Holy Spirit creates a human spirit for the imputation of eternal life by God the Father, which makes the believer a new spiritual species meaning he now possesses the divine nature.
This is called in theology “regeneration.”
Titus 3:5, “He (God the Holy Spirit) saved us, not on the basis of deeds (human works) which we have done in (human power) righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”
This act of regeneration makes the believer a new spiritual species, which is the nature of Christ that can never sin and that is described in Scripture by many phrases such as the “new self, new man, newness of life, new creation.”
Galatians 3:27, “For all of you who were identified with Christ have clothed yourselves with the nature of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new spiritual species; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
2 Peter 1:4, “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
1 John 3:9, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
The new Christ nature gives the believer the capacity to experience and enjoy fellowship with God and to love all men as Christ loved all men.
The new nature gives the believer the capacity to execute the command to be holy as God is holy and thus experience fellowship with Him.
The Christian is commanded to put on the new Christ nature.
Ephesians 4:24, “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
The Word of God is alive and powerful and is the believer’s spiritual food that strengthens the new nature’s control over the soul.
Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Matthew 4:4, “But He answered and said, "It is written, "MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.”
In Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3, the apostle Paul uses this expression “old man” in contrast with the “new man” challenging the Ephesian and Colossian believers to put off living in the old nature and put on the new nature so that they might live in a manner consistent with their new position in Christ.
Ephesians 4:17-24, “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
The expression ton eso anthropon, “the inner man” also appears in Ephesians 3:16 with reference to the new nature.
In this passage, Paul prayed that the Ephesian believers’ new nature would be strengthened with power through the Spirit, which takes place when the believer obeys the voice of the Spirit, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
Furthermore, this expression also appears in 2 Corinthians 4:16 where it is used of the new nature in contrast with the “outer man,” which refers to the old sin nature.
This “inner man” Paul says is being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”