Study Scripture: Romans 7: 1 – 12
Background Scripture: Romans 7: 1 – 25
Lesson #6 October 7, 2023
Key Verse:
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 [h]Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. Romans 7:6
The Law Reveals Sin
Study Scripture: Romans 7: 1 – 12
Background Scripture: Romans 7: 1 – 25
Lesson #6 October 7, 2023
Key Verse:
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 [h]Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. Romans 7:6
INTRODUCTION
Our Study Lesson tells us that humans are in a terrifying jam and their lifeboat is sinking. They need a bigger boat, a bigger solution than what they can envisage.
The sin with which they are involved is most malevolent and people who are carnal and are enemies of God can do nothing to help themselves. Even believers in the Gospel seem to misunderstand the extremely radical approach that is needed, for this approach is much more than following a bunch of rules that they create to help them.
What believers and non-believers need is a solution which works at the level of the heart. This calls for the continuing work of the Holy Sprit on the heart. This supernatural work is unavoidable if there is to be success spiritually.
This solution has nothing to do with reorganizing society, our political systems, or our school systems. The Book of Romans tells us that rearranging the pattern of the problem will give little hope, for that will not result in the kind of change required.
This is so because the problem is in us, and as one writer state, “We have met the enemy and he is us”.
One writer tells us how God solves the problem. He states:
Romans tells us that God’s solution to the problem of man is to begin a whole new race. He doesn’t start with halfway measures; he doesn’t patch up the old; he doesn’t try to improve what’s there until it gets good enough to live with.
He cuts us right off at the root and begins a new race.
But the wonder and the glory of it is that he starts the new race within the shell of the old.
Outwardly we remain unchanged. Our bodies are still subject to decrepitude and decay and death.
Yet, within, a new man has begun if we have exercised faith in Jesus Christ.
God’s solution is to end the curse of Adam and to release within us the power of a new life, the life of Jesus himself.
Paul brilliantly describes this solution in those opening chapters of Romans, especially in chapter 5, where there is a tremendous picture of what happens when we put our faith in our Lord and what he has done.
We enter into an identification with his death and his resurrection, and the death of Jesus cuts us off from the old Adam what we all began life with.
The resurrection of Jesus, Paul says, introduces us to a whole new power- the life of Jesus is available to us”.
Now, we know when we become believers we cannot go on in the same lifestyle which we engaged in before we came to Christ. Yet people still sin as believers. They often choose to sin and refuse to come out of the enslavement sin brings. But they go to church regularly, proclaim they are saved by all kinds of different media, and yet they ignore the prohibitions stated in Scripture, and the warnings that those who persist in doing these things will be rejected by God.
They do things of which they should be terribly ashamed.
When we look around at believers in the churches which are all over the place, and the nations which claim to be Christian we see much shameful behavior which is designed turn people away from Christ. There seems to be no regret but a repetition of the old shameful saying found in the prophets’ condemnation of the people of Israel, “Does God see?”
Before we professing believers compare ourselves to the bad behavior of many in Israel and get too proud of ourselves let us read again the words of the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:1-10 as he warns the foolish found living in the last days.
We will point to Verses 1-4 which gives us the context for our Lesson on sin, righteousness, the law, and the work of the Holy Spirit:
1. Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder).
2. that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour.
3, knowing this first; that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts.
4.and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation”.
5. For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water.
6. by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men”.
At some point or points in the life of most people, responsibility or a vocation in one form or another falls on all. Sometimes persons take on responsibility voluntarily; sometimes it is thrust upon us; other times it is assumed as the norm of society and culture. Very often how well one executes, carries out, works at a vocation / responsibility becomes the barometer of failure or success in life.
The Apostle Paul was called to be the ‘apostle to the Gentiles’ and his Epistle to the Romans is considered by many to be the highpoint of his ‘writing’ ministry if not to his entire ministry. Beyond the specific reasons he provided as motive for this letter, (1:15-16) many see the comprehensive, systematic and scope of essential Christian doctrines in the epistle, especially ‘justification by faith’ as an indication that this most important teaching was on record and available to the fledging church.
The church in Rome like many of that era was comprised of Jews and Gentiles (Gentiles are those who are not Jews) and different parts of the Book of Romans addressed these groups individually and collectively.
It is understandable that in this setting, each group would have different perspectives on the ‘Law’ with a risk of polarization and the Apostle used the occasion of his letter to address both groups and so reconcile what might have been strident opinions.
This epistle was also meant to be read by other churches (Col.4:16) and by extension all Christians.
The true purpose and role of the Law in the lives of believers was misunderstood by many and the elevation and prominence accorded the Law in the Scriptures. It is understood that Paul’s statement that believers ‘… are dead to the Law…’ would necessarily spur questions and require careful explanation. Chapters 6 and 7 then may be seen as Paul’s answer to the questions: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?”.
“ How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2).
The word Law occurs numerous times in chapter 7 and is clearly a theme. Here are a few reminders of how the Bible presents the Law.
Psalm 19:7-10. “The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:
the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”
… “More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”
Psalms 119:12. “Blessed art Thou, O Lord: teach me Thy statutes.” Verse 16. “I will delight myself in Thy statutes.” Verse 18. “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” Verse 77. “For Thy law is my delight.” Verse 97. “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” Finally, verse 174. “I have longed for Thy salvation, O Lord; and Thy law is my delight.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13 – “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” So obedience to the law again is exalted.
The terms law, testimony, statutes, commandment, and ordinances refer to the law of God.
So far in Romans in a broad sense the apostle moved from questions about why people need salvation (1:18—3:20), to what God has done to provide salvation and how we can receive salvation (3:21—5:21).
Paul showed man’s need for justification (judicially declared righteous) in Chapters 1 to 3. Paul moved on to the nature of justification in Chapters 3 to 5.
Paul next explained that salvation provides more than a right standing before God, which justification affords.
God also provides freedom from the present power of sin in the redeemed sinner’s daily experience. This is progressive sanctification (chs. 6—8).
It involves growth and requires a believer to cooperate with God to produce holiness in daily life.
The process of becoming progressively more righteous (holy) in his or her daily experiences is not automatic. Through the Holy Spirit, God leads the believer and provides the enablement for him or her to follow, but the believer must choose to follow and make use of the resources for sanctification that God provides.
Among other things, believers need to understand their relationship to sin (victory, chap. 6); to the Law (liberty, chap. 7) and to God (security, chap. 8) to attain that worthy goal of sanctification.
The fundamental thought that undergirds all of this is that the believer is united to Christ as our representative in His death, burial, and resurrection. Notably Jesus was a substitute for those who are His in crucifixion. It is in this respect that Paul described believers as identified with Christ.
The apostle sets up the theme of Romans in the first chapter; he makes it plain that salvation is what he will expounding in this epistle. He wrote,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the
The first section of the Study Text is better understood in light of Chapter 6:12-14
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
(See also 3:20,21-31; 4:13-16; 5:20).
The tension in the church of Rome between believing Gentiles and believing Jews, which is more clearly seen in Chapters 9 to 11 also has some bearing on the Apostle’s words here.
These verses also employ an analogy of death releasing someone from a marriage bond as with the believer’s relationship to “law.”
The apostle shows that the ‘law’ rightly understood does a necessary work in the believer as it among other things reflects God’s righteous character and becomes a gracious internal guide to believers,
(Jeremiah 31:33).
THE TEXT
Verse 1. Paul presses the point concerning believers present status – freedom from obligation / domination and attendant behavior when they were slaves to sin.
… brothers and sisters … a term of endearment to lessen resistance to what he was about to say.
… those who know the Law… Paul’s readers lived in the capital of the empire where officials debated, enacted, and enforced laws. They of all people were very familiar with law and legal matters. But it was the acquaintance of these Roman believers with Old Testament law that was probably in Paul’s mind.
In this Chapter Paul uses the Greek word translated “law” in two different ways. One writer explains:
“In verse 21 and following the word is used to mean a principle of operation. We would speak of the law of gravity in that sense.
Here in the opening verses we encounter the word law to mean, as Paul says at the end of verse 6, the written code.
These are the moral statements that come directly from the heart of God, describing what humanity ought to be like.
We see a number of aspects of the law in this chapter. First of all, the law is completely inflexible. There is no bending of the rules and no exceptions. The law is not at all dynamic; it is lifeless and cannot generate anything new. It cannot help us, only measure us or judge us. Yet, yhe law is completely true, and it is therefore good.
But it is always external to us: it stands outside us like a mirror. It declare to us exactly what ought to be and, then measures us by that”.
Everyone would agree with Paul that law has authority only over living persons. We can anticipate where Paul would go with his argument, since he earlier explained the believer’s death with Christ. Since we have died with Christ, law has no authority over us (6:14) from the standpoint of judgment / condemnation.
The law already exercised judgment for our sins, in Christ penal and vicarious death on the Cross. The Cross is therefore absolutely essential and necessary for us.
It is a general principle of the law that death cancels engagements.
Verses 2-3. … she is released from the law concerning the husband. … these verses illustrate the truth of the principle stated in Verse 1. The law binds a wife to her husband. Paul’s example was especially true in Jewish life, where the Mosaic Law did not permit a woman to divorce her husband.
In the illustration, the wife represents the believer, and the husband represents the Law. A married woman is no longer a wife if her husband dies, so she is free as a woman to marry again.
Note however that the law is necessary for men are in Adam. The believers now are said to be in Christ.
From God’s viewpoint there are only two important beings, Adam, who is on one side and whose actions brought sin into the world, and Jesus Christ, who actions took those who believed in Him out of the world of sin brought by Adam.
The marital illustration thus brings out clearly the two positions in which we find ourselves.
As a woman whose husband has died is free to marry another, so also are believers, since they have died to the law, free to belong to Christ.
Note that in this illustration of marriage there are two different analogies. It speaks in the first analogy
Asboth husband and wife in a whole marriage withtheir relationship together. Then in the second analogy it speaks of the wife in amarriage when eventually the marriage ends. The position and the interaction of both husband and wife was finally put to death and so Paul states, “You also died to the law”.
Then, in a new situation, united with Christ in His death, and united as happens in His resurrection, all is new. We now are spoken of as the wife in the second marriage, for in that second marriage she will have a new strong, loving, good husband with all that that entails.
Note from the standpoint of the law the wife could not be free from her husband whether he was difficult to live with or not. She was stuck with that position and her choice.
The analogy used before us before we became Christians, is that the ‘husband’ is our old nature, and the law or ‘husband’ tells us that no matter what we think of ourselves, and no matter what our dreams we are stuck. Hence the need for a new and qualitatively different relationship.
Of course, in this new relationship there is no threat of condemnation from the as previous.
“Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus”.(Romans 8:1).
Verse 4. Therefore introduces an application of the illustration to the readers. The believer was put to death in regard to the Law and as a result he / she is freed from its binding authority to condemn. This aside, the Old Testament is still authoritative revelation for the Christian. It remind us of the boundaries set by God so that we will turn for succour to the Holy Spirit who we are now under.
…body of Christ… is the literal body that died on the Cross. Here Paul viewed Jesus again as our representative, as he did in 5:12-21 and Chapter 6. Since we died with Christ, our debt to the law has been paid and it is now become a gracious guide written in our hearts changed under the New Covenant into hearts of ‘flesh’ and not as before we were with hearts of stone.
… in order that we might bear fruit for God … every believer not only died with Christ but also arose with Him (6:14). Thus, God has joined us to Christ in both His death and resurrection. The phrase ‘might belong to another‘ does not imply that our union is only a possibility. God did unite us with Christ (6:5). The result of our union should be fruit for God (John 15:1-6; Gal. 5:22-23).
We are fruit bearers. You must bear fruit to show you are in Christ. The Spirit will work through you so you will bear fruit.
Verse5. This verse is a contrast to Verse 4 which relates to the experience of a believer. Verse 5 described the ‘fruit’ of the life without God’s power (Gal. 5:18-24.)
… while we were in the flesh … in context this phrase is referring to believers’ fallen, sinful nature inherited from Adam (6:19). Paul uses this term ‘flesh’ (Gk.=sarx) in two different ways, (a) sin nature (the old man) and (b) physical body (1:3; 4:1; 9:3,5). Here it is negative, but notice Rom. 1:3; 4:1; 9:3,5; Gal. 2:20. The flesh/body (sarx/soma) is not evil in and of itself, but it, like the mind (nous), is the battleground, the place of confrontation between evil forces of this age and the Holy Spirit.
… which were aroused by the Law… this aspect of rebellious human nature, which reacts aggressively to any restrictions, is clearly seen in Genesis three and in all humans. The Law set boundaries (vs. 7-8). These boundaries were for mankind’s protection, but humans viewed them as chains and limits. The sinful, independent spirit was stimulated by God’s Law. The problem was not the limits
(law, vs. 12-13), but human autonomy and self-will.
…to bear fruit for death… what a stark contrast between (a) verse five – bear fruit for death
and (b) verse six – bear fruit for God.
Believers have died to death, sin, and ‘the Law’ and now they live to bear fruit for the Kingdom! Paul paints in black and white; a person is one of two groups-Adam or Jesus (5:12-21).
Verse 6. But now we have been released from the Law … our new existence allows us to be free from sin and, therefore, delivered from the law. This does not mean we are delivered into a state of permissible lawlessness. Paul has already made the point that freedom from sin is not a license to sin (Romans 6:1–2).
Instead, the focus of our new life in Christ is no longer to be “the flesh,” reveling in the passions of our body. The focus and driver of our new life is the opposite of material existence: it is newness of spirit. Serving God is not simply a matter of keeping rules, obsessing over the letter of the law. We no longer behave in a right manner out of fear or in the hope of being rewarded. Rather, we obey Christ’s commandments out of love for God and for others (John 14:15; Galatians 5:14, 1 John 5:2). This yields the fruit of the Spirit as life transcends restrictions of the law (2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 5:22–23).
Verse 7. ? Is the Law sin? … the Law … Paul’s example of the Law, the tenth commandment, clarifies that by “the Law,” he was not referring to the whole Old Testament. He meant the Mosaic Law, and particularly the moral part of it, namely: the Ten Commandments.
… What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? They may have thought something like this. Now Paul you just said in chapter 6 that the believer has died in respect to sin, and now in chapter 7 the believer has died with respect to the law. If the believer has died with respect to sin, he had died with respect to the law are you not, Paul, putting the two in the same category?
– Are you not saying that the law stands in the same category that sin stands in? Is God’s law sinful? Now that is the question that the apostle naturally raises. That’s why he begins verse 7 by saying, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin?” And then he will spend his time giving an answer.
Here Paul looks at the connection between sin and the law? Paul has addressed this issue before (Romans 3:20; 5:13), and now offers a personal example. He chooses the tenth commandment, the prohibition against coveting (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21). Coveting is the desire to have something possessed by another person and to which we have no right. Coveting is characterized by lust, but this refers to more than sexual desires; it includes all sorts of greed, jealousy, and obsession.
If coveting is a natural impulse of our self-centered, material nature (the desire to have the best for ourselves), then why is it sinful? Paul’s answer is simple: the law forbids it. The Lord, in giving the command against coveting, knows what is best for us as individuals and as larger society. Coveting is sin.
… I would not have come to know sin except through the Law … Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Law reveals sin, 3:20).
The Law gives the knowledge of sin; exposes man’s inability to keep the law and thus his need for a Savior!
Verse 8. … But sin … Paul’s use of ‘sin’ in this paragraph shows that he was thinking of sin as a force within everyone, our sinful human nature.
– He was not thinking of an act of sin.
– It is that force or sin principle that the Law’s prohibitions and requirements arouse.
– The basic meaning of the Greek word translated “sin” (hamartia) is “falling short.” We see that we fall short of what God requires when we become aware of His laws.
The Law is a mirror that reveals the inner man and shows us how dirty we are (James 1:22-25).”
The demands of the Law, in this case, “Thou shalt not covet,” make us consciously aware of
(‘come to know’) our sin.
– Likely Paul selected the tenth commandment for his illustration because it deals with desires
(i.e., illicit desires of every kind).
– Our desires are the roots of our actions. (James 1:14-15).
The tenth commandment is also arguable the most convicting commandment.
… taking an opportunity through the commandment, … one illustration of what Paul had in mind here is the story of the temptation and Fall in Genesis three. Whenever someone establishes a law prohibiting something, the natural tendency of people is to resist it. If you tell a small child, ‘Do not do such-and-such,’ you may create a desire within him or her to do it, a desire that was not there before. The Law is a catalyst that aids and even initiates the action of sin in us.
Verse 9. I was once alive apart [o]from the Law; (It is there but dormant).
Paul seems to broaden the discussion to include the larger human experience. Without the law, Paul had been alive, oblivious to the definition and consequences of sin. This could describe the behavior of a child, who may have no guilty feelings about selfishly taking a toy away from another child. But it also describes the pagan world of Paul’s day and ours, where ambitious self-gratification was often encouraged and celebrated, even in laws.
… . I was once alive apart [o]from the Law… Paul was relatively “alive apart from the Law. However, in his past, Paul had lived unaware of the Law’s true demands, and was therefore self-righteous.
as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. (Phil. 3:6).
… when the commandment came …. when the commandment entered Paul’s consciousness, it aroused ‘sin,’ and he ‘died’ in the sense that he became aware of his spiritual deadness. This is true of everyone.
Mankind’s rebellious spirit is energized by prohibitions. The ‘do not’ of God’s Law triggers the self-directing pride of fallen humanity (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-6).
Paul was not speaking of His union with Christ in death here, but of his moment of recognition of his unsaved condition.
Verse 10. and this commandment, which was [p]to result in life ??, proved [q]to result in death for me;
… this commandment, which was [p]to result in life … The original intent of the Law (for Old Testament believers) was to bring people blessing (“life”) as they obeyed it: Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord (Lev. 18:5).
When such a “pre-law” person is confronted by the commandment, then sin takes on a new life. The result might seem like harmless greediness, but its toll is much higher: spiritual death. One cannot know of God’s commandments, spurn them, and be in relationship with Him. Therefore, Paul’s ironic conclusion is that even though the law was given for our benefit, our violation of it leads to death.
Still, it seems fair to conclude that the law would have given life had it been perfectly obeyed.”
Verse 11. for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it, killed me.?
… for sin, … Paul personified “sin” as an actor here. “Sin” plays the part of a tempter. It “deceived” Paul and “killed” (destroyed) him (Gen. 3:13). Paul’s sinful nature urged him—being typical of all people—to do the very thing the commandment forbade.
Here we become aware of a dangerous deception as it plays out in modern culture: whatever happens between consenting adults is proclaimed to be nobody’s concern but their own. We want to be allowed to follow our desires as valued by today’s world. Yet this is a fraudulent approach to life. Our lusts and desires are too often fed by self-centered sin. We think we find the rich life by following our passions. But the end of our pursuits is death.
Verse 12. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
To leave no doubt, Paul expands on his answer to the question of verse seven, “Is the law sin?” The Law of Moses is neither sin nor sinful. It is not the cause sin, but the definition of it. The law is holy because it defines, and is the definition, of moral purity. It is just (or righteous) because it promotes justice. It is good because it was given by the Lord for people’s benefit.
While Christians may disagree over certain aspects of the applicability of the Old Testament law to today, we should agree as to its value and place for study. We will never understand sin and its dire consequences if we ignore the law and its teachings. It is still holy. It is still just. And, most of all, it is still good.
Put in other words:
‘holy’. It comes from a holy God and searches out sin.
‘righteous’ because it lays ju.st requirements on people, and because it forbids and condemns sin.
‘good’ because its purpose is to produce blessing and life
CONCLUSION
First Peter 1:16, quoting Leviticus 11:44–45, says “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” We may disagree on which aspects of the Law of Moses still apply in the New Testament era and which do not, but this is one area where there is no doubt.
We press further when we wonder how to be holy as God is holy. That is a profoundly important question, and as we wrestle with it, we must commit to growing in holiness throughout our lives.
To be holy requires a distinction from that which is unholy—and God is the one who makes that distinction known in His laws. Same thing with being loving versus being unloving (see Galatians 5:14, quoting Leviticus 19:18). If there is no God, no lawgiver, then there can be no absolute laws with regard to being holy, loving, etc. But God does exist, and He has given laws for the good of humankind. The philosophies of the world deceive us into thinking that selfish living is a full, authentic life when it is actually death. The way to counteract this influence is to study the ways God intends as presented throughout our Bibles.
Now you are in Christ, united to Him in a marriage union since you are in the Bride of Christ, He will cleanse you of all your shortcomings.
You do not have to live under the weight of guilt for Christ is our great champion and our great Intercessor with the Father.
Jesus has made us a Kingdom of Kings and priests and so as sons of God we need not have no fear.