Romans 7:14-25
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Romans 7:14 “14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.”
spiritual
the law had its origins in God
meant to indicate that the law came from God and reveals His character.
I am
the personal pronoun and the verb, taken together, suggest that Paul is describing his present (Christian) experience.
unspiritual
even believers have the seeds of rebellion in their hearts
1 Co 3:1 “1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.”
sold as a slave
a phrase so strong that many refuse to accept it as descriptive of a Christian.
however, it may graphically point out the failure even of Christians to meet the radical ethical and moral demands of the gospel.
it also points out the persistent nature of sin.
1 Ti 1:15 “15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”
The closer one gets to a holy God, the more the magnitude of one’s sin becomes evident
Why is this the case?
Romans 7:15 “15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
I do not understand
the struggle within creates tension, ambivalence and confusion
Gal 5:16-17 “16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”
Living by the promptings and power of the Spirit is the key to conquering sinful desires
what I hate I do
the Christian who, despite the Spirit’s indwelling presence, struggles to live according to righteousness because of the powers of sin and death
Paul shares three lessons that he learned in trying to deal with his old sinful desires:
Knowledge is not the answer
Self-determination
Becoming a Christian does not stamp out all sin and temptation from a person’s life
being born again takes a moment in faith, but becoming like Christ is a life long process.
Have you had a struggle like this?
Romans 7:16 “16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.”
the law is good
While the inability to do what is righteous and holy highlights humanity’s fallen nature, it also demonstrates the goodness of the law in contrast to the power of sin.
Romans 7:17 “17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.”
no longer I myself who do it
Not an attempt to escape moral responsibility but a statement of the great control sin exerts.
reflects sin’s power to enslave and control people
Why are we so susceptible to the power of sin?
sin living in me
Paul does not deny personal responsibility for sinful behavior, but he recognizes that sin is an indwelling power.
In ch. 8, Paul declares that believers are filled with God’s Spirit—the antidote for sin.
Romans 7:18 “18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”
good itself does not dwell in me
A reference to Paul’s fallen nature, as the last phrase of the sentence indicates.
the weakness of people prohibits them from doing what is good
I have the desire
people may have the desire or wish to do what is good, but they lack the empowerment without God.
Romans 7:19 “19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
Why is that the case?
Romans 7:20 “20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”
refer to verse 17
Romans 7:21 “21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”
law
here most likely means “principle”
principle the Greek word used here, nomos, could refer to the fundamental pattern of sin’s oppressive influence
normally refers to the Jewish law
? Do you find that true in you?
Romans 7:22 “22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;”
God’s law
refers to the Law of Moses
Romans 7:23 “23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”
another law
a principle or force at work in Paul, preventing him from giving obedience to God’s law
law of my mind
his desire to obey God’s law
law of sin
the same as another law
? Why do we struggle so hard?
Romans 7:24 “24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”
body that is subject to death
His body not only was aging and dying, but was still influenced by sinful powers.
This language is figurative for the inescapable body of sin
Ro 6:6 “6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—”
Ro 8:10 “10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.”
Romans 7:25 “25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”
thanks be to God
Paul expresses gratitude for the provision of Jesus Christ.
Through his death and resurrection, He gave people an alternative to the ineffective law, empowered people to overcome sin (as He did), and provided them with a relationship with God that sin previously prevented
Paul here references the realm of sin and death that has so infiltrated humanity that sin has become their master. Only in Christ is the yoke of slavery broken
slave to the law of sin
Christians must reckon with the enslaving power of their sinfulness as long as they live—until “the redemption of our bodies”.
Ro. 8:23 “23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”
