The Roman’s Road to Righteousness (Chapter 7:1-12)‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue our journey through the book of Romans – “The Romans Road to Righteousness.”

The Roman’s Road to Righteousness (Chapter 7:1-12)

This week we will begin reading chapter 7, verses 1-12 as we consider Sin’s Advantage in the Law and being Freed from the Law…

In our continuing study of Romans, it is interesting to note that twenty-three times in chapter 7 there's a reference to the “law” – the main theme of this chapter. The “law” of God is perfectly “holy” and yet this chapter says so much about being “dead to the law.” Although the “law” of God is indeed a glorious thing – the Christian has been “set free” from it! 

 

Remember: The context and major theme of the book of Romans is Justification by “faith.” You're not saved by keeping the “law.” However, by believing on Jesus Christ through God’s “grace” alone you have been “set free” from “sin” and its tyranny!

 

Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 all focus on Justification by “faith.” Then chapters 9 to 11 the Apostle Paul applies them to Israel. Then in chapters 12 through 16 he shows how “faith” manifests through “righteous” living – Sanctification. In fact, the point that we've been stressing since we began chapter 3 is that Salvation has tremendous power. You cannot claim to be a Christian without demonstrable “fruit” produced in your life. True Salvation transforms the believer from the inside out!

 

Here in the first section of chapter 7, verses 1 through 6 we see we have been Freed from the Law and the Apostle Paul gives us four points to ponder: the “axiom,” the “analogy,” the “application” and the “affirmation” of this truth…

 

The Axiom – Paul is quite gifted at establishing self-evident axiomatic principles that don't have to be proven – they are simply obvious!

Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? – Romans 7:1

Notice here that Paul addresses these Roman readers as “brethren” to interject an affectionate greeting. After all, by now some of the Jews were ready to stone him because of his saying we are not under the “law” of God! Paul appeals to what he assumes they already know. He's rather tactful and gives them the benefit of the doubt. Another words, everyone knows this whether it’s Greek “law,” Hebrew “law,” Roman “law,” Mosaic “law,” Biblical “law,” Jewish “law” – any “law!” Anybody who understands “law” knows it only has dominion over a man “as long as he lives…” That is the key point being made here.

 

The Analogy – Paul uses a fascinating analogy from the institutional “law” of marriage:

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man – Romans 7:2-3

Another words, if the “husband” is dead, the “wife” is loosed from the marriage “law” of her husband. Again, the key point here is that marriage “law” binds people only while they're alive.

 

NOTE: This passage is not meant to be the all time definitive statement on marriage and divorce stating that the only time you can ever remarry is if your partner dies. This is simply an analogy and is only saying one thing – “death” ends the rule of “law” in marriage.

 

The Application – Paul gives us an excellent application that leads to this essential correlation:

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death – Romans 7:4-5

As we've been learning from Paul, when you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are united with Him – you “die” with Christ in a real spiritual death. Before you came to Jesus Christ, the “law” had no ability to save you – all it could do was condemn you. However, now that you've been saved, the “law” cannot condemn you. And ultimately that you “should bear fruit to God” rather than “bear fruit to death…” That is what Paul is talking about here.

 

The Affirmation – Paul states we are no longer in the “oldness of the letter” but have been “delivered from the law”:

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter – Romans 7:6

We have been discharged from any legal liability. The “law” said you're guilty, so you must “die.” When Jesus Christ “died” on the cross, He paid our “sin” penalty and we “died” in Him. The “law” no longer has any claim on us. The curse of the “law” that was on us has been taken by Jesus Christ – we “have been delivered from the law” that “we were held by…” 

 

And what is this “newness” of service? Great question! Well, it is "not in the oldness of the letter." It is not in submission to an external code or external ritual. It's not on the outside obeying the “law” of God while all the while the heart is unresponsive. It's not Pharisaism, it's not legalism, it's not externalism, it's not religiosity, it's not hypocrisy. No! We now “serve in newness of the Spirit” by the power of God – Praise the Lord!

 

In the second section of chapter 7 verses 7 through 13 we see Sin’s Advantage in the Law as the Apostle Paul shares four elements of conviction: through “sin” the “law” reveals, rouses, ruins and reflects its nature. 

 

The “law” Reveals:

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” – Romans 7:7

Again, Paul must be imagining his Jewish antagonist to ask: “Hey Paul, Are you saying that the holy law of God that He gave to His people which was a manifestation of His heart and His mind and His will and His nature and His purpose is evil?” And again, Paul’s answer is a stern “Certainly not!” 

 

In fact, I think what he's saying here is: “I really never knew the full extent of sin until I really understand the full extent of the law and it convicted me!” – “I would not have known sin except through the law.”  The “law” to Paul was now internal – conviction of the heart.

 

The “law” Rouses:

But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead – Romans 7:8

The idea is that until you see the “law” of God in its fullness and are truly convicted of your “sin” – it is “dead” in the sense that it doesn't overwhelm you. But when the “law” of God convicts and you really see what “sin” is, it then rises to become quite apparent in your life. Paul said that “sin, taking opportunity by the commandment” then “produced in me all manner of evil desire.” And that's when a person truly comes to Jesus Christ – they're overwhelmed by their “sin” nature. 

 

The “law” Ruins:

I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me – Romans 7:9-11

The point here then is that the “law” devastates the sinner. And that's exactly what God wants to do – put the sinner in a hopeless, helpless state outside of his own strength. The “law” aggravates “sin” – it “deceives” and it “kills” through the “commandment” of the “law…”

 

The “law” Reflects:

Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good – Romans 7:12

Finally Paul says the “law” reflects the sinfulness of “sin” – it's not anything that is the fault of the “law.” In other words, the “law” of God has a wonderful purpose. It converts the soul. It makes wise the simple. It reveals the truth. The “law is holy” and the “commandment” is “holy and just and good” – and man cannot keep them. There's nothing wrong with the “law” – something is wrong with man!

 

In closing:

 

The Jews highly esteemed the “law” of God, which was divided into three parts:

• The ceremonial law
• The social law
• The moral law

The “law” was given to the Jews because they are a unique people. However, they believed that you had to keep all of these external “laws” – as that was the standard of holiness. And the only way one could become “holy” and the only way one could stay “holy” was to keep the “laws” of God – which of course is impossible. The rabbis, by the time of our Lord Jesus Christ – and the time of the ministry of the Apostle Paul – had summed up all of the Old Testament “law” into 613 man-made commandments! And in order to be perfectly “holy” and to maintain it, one had to work really hard!

 

For context, these “laws” had been embellished by rabbinical tradition – even way beyond the intention of God! The rabbis divided them into two parts: 

 

FIRST: There were mandatory things to be done – 248 habitual things one had to DO to be “holy” (related to God, the temple, sacrifices, vows, rituals, donations, Sabbaths, animals, festivals, community, idolatry, war, social issues, family, judicial matters, legal rights and slavery).

 

SECOND: There were prohibitory things not to be done – 365 prohibitional things one could NOT DO to remain “holy” (related to idolatry, history, blasphemy, temple worship, sacrifices, priests, diet, vows, agriculture loans, business slaves, justice and relationships).

 

However, as we know, the issue of “sin” is not external. In fact, Jesus Christ spoke very harsh words of condemnation to these self-righteous religious “hypocrites” – actors:

But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments… But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves – Matthew 23:5 & 13-15 

As for today… You might be able to stop your drinking on the outside by attending “AA” meetings. You might be able to stop lying by going to psychological counseling. In fact you might even be able to control your behavior because you want to be accepted by certain “religious” people. But the Word of God is clear – the only way you will ever be cleansed and forgiven of the evil desires of your heart is by a complete internal transformation by the power of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ…

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith – Romans 1:16-17

Praise be to God that we have been set free from the “law” of “sin” and “death” by the blood of Jesus Christ – Halleluiah! 

Please continue reading verses 1-12 of the seventh chapter of Romans.

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

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