Romans Lesson 13

Introduction

A very pleasant good day and welcome to Let the Bible Speak. I’d like to encourage you to get your New Testaments and be opening with me to the reading found in the book of Romans, where we’re studying today in Romans chapter 7. This is a study which I believe every sincere Christian can see the picture of himself. In Romans chapter 7, really beginning in about verse 14, we’re going to read through the end of that chapter and talk about it today, where it pictures a person who is trying to keep the word of God. And his sincere desire is to follow God’s word without any sin, without fault. And yet every person looks at himself in the mirror of God’s word and recognizes that we all sin, even as much as we try, we are not perfect.

Yet our desire is to do God’s will. We delight in the law of God, and yet at the same time the flesh is weak, and there are times that we struggle with sin. And so this chapter, really, our study today is going to answer the question how can we win the struggle against sin? It’s an important study, and I do hope you have your testament open with us to Romans chapter 7. We’ve been going verse by verse through the book of Romans, and of course it’s one of the greatest treaties concerning the subject of salvation by grace through faith. We’ve pointed out how that in the earlier chapters, the Apostle by inspiration, has been showing how that man cannot live perfectly. Therefore, the system of salvation by the law only finds man in sin.

And really, as the result of sin worthy of eternal or spiritual death. Therefore, God recognizing that man could not live perfectly, though he gave man law, yet he also provided a new way, and that is salvation by grace, by system of grace. And as we’ve been showing throughout this study, this salvation by the system of grace does not mean that man has nothing to do, as though God does it all. While the word grace does mean unmerited or undeserved favor. Yet through the book of Romans, the system of salvation by grace is really a contrast with a system of salvation that is attempted by just perfect law keeping. But in really showing that we’re saved by grace, he also teaches that it’s by grace through faith.

Grace is God’s part. Faith is man’s part. And yet in this same section, as he comes to really, you might say a climax to this whole discussion of salvation by grace, there are four questions that have been raised in chapter six and chapter seven. In fact, chapter six and in verse one, for example, after showing that it is by the grace of God that we’re saved, he raises the question, or as though to anticipate the reader who might raise the question, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Is shown that as far as sin has gone, so has the grace of God been provided. And therefore the question was, well, maybe the more we sin, the greater the grace of God.

And he answers, God forbid. If you really understand what occurs when we’re baptized into the death of Christ, then you wouldn’t be raising such a question as this, shall we continue in sin? But a second question that was raised is in verse 15. What then shall we sin because we’re not under the law, but under grace? Again, the answer, God forbid. To each of these four questions comes the strongest answer that can be written in the Greek language. In the English is translated, God forbid. It’s as though to say no ten thousand times no. And yet the question that’s raised in Romans chapter 6 and verse 15 is really rather frequently, I think, raised in our own day and time. Where those who say, Well, if we’re not under the law, does that mean then that we can just sort of keep on sinning?

That it doesn’t matter really what we do? And he answers, God forbid. In fact, the answer to that is continued in verses 16 through 18 of Romans 6, when he says that we are the servants to whomever we yield ourselves to obey. If you yield yourself to serve sin, then you’re really the servant of the devil. And the Christian, while he may not be perfect in his life, he has a different attitude and standard of living. He does not let sin reign in his mortal body. But then there was a third question that was raised in Romans chapter 7 and in verse 7. The question is raised, what shall we say then? Is the law sin? If we’re no longer under the system of salvation by law, does that mean that God made a mistake?

And again the answer, God forbid. No, 10,000 times no. And then he goes through this explanation that the law that God gave, particularly here, the law of Moses, that it was good, that it was given for a purpose that really was holy. And it is spiritual. It came from God. And therefore, don’t think that God made a mistake when he gave the law. The fourth question is in Romans chapter 7 and verse 13, when he says, Was then that which is good made death unto me? And again the answer, God forbid, or no, 10,000 times no. The law that God gave indeed was good. And it served a purpose. It showed us the sinful nature of sin. It showed man his need for the grace of God.

It showed man the need for the remission of sins that can come only through Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty of sin for us. But after raising these four questions and answering them in this context, now we proceed to read Romans chapter 7, where our text begins today in verse 14, when he says, For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow not. For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I can sin under the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing, for the will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Well, this sounds rather confusing in one sense, if you’re just reading it for the first time, where he says, That which I do I allow not. It says, though, to say, well, what I really find myself doing or committing, I really wish that I did not. I I do not really want to permit it, and yet, uh although I do not approve of it or allow it, yet that’s what I find myself doing. And that which I would wish I didn’t do, that what I hate, that’s what I find myself doing. And then he says, here I am in this struggle. There’s a struggle of sin versus righteousness, of the outward man versus the inward man. Now, as we read through these verses of Romans 7, I would have to tell you that it’s a place where there’s been much uh discussion as to who really is intended in the first person pronoun where it says I.

1. Who Is the I in This Text?

Who is the I in this text? There are those who say, well, he’s talking about an unregenerated sinner. Those who believe in the doctrine of inherited total depravity, who believe that uh the baby is even born with original sin, that he inherits Adam’s sin, usually take that point of view of this text. As though here is the struggle, and he finds that he just cannot keep from sinning, that he is a sinner and he keeps on sinning. But really, that does not fit the context. It doesn’t really fit the Bible for that matter. For the Bible nowhere talks about an individual as inheriting sin or being born with sin. Really, quite the contrary. We’ve already talked about how in Romans chapter 5 and verse 10, the scripture said, For by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin, and death passed upon all men.

But notice the reason why in Romans 5.12. Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. We do not suffer the penalty of spiritual death unless we actually commit sin. And then in Ezekiel chapter 18 in verse 20, for example, the Bible there says that we do not inherit sin. It says the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

So therefore, this text really I do not believe refers to someone who’s been born in sin or inherited sin. But then there are others who say, Well, maybe maybe it fits the Jew, the faithful Jew who is struggling trying to keep the law of Moses, and he finds he cannot keep that law perfectly. Well, really, that idea certainly fits the context better. And yet, even as we pointed out earlier, the language here is speaking in present tense, not past tense. And and here is, I believe, a an a regenerated Christian, a believer, who’s struggling with sin. And he finds himself as one who in present tense, now even though he’s obeyed the gospel of Christ, he still finds himself imperfect. He finds himself struggling. That which he wished he would do, he doesn’t always do.

2. The Problem Is Not God’s Law

Sometimes we talk about the sins of omission. We fail to always do what we know we really ought to do. And sometimes there are things that we wish we had not done, that we’ve yielded to the temptation of sin. But this seems to fit the Christian even better than the other two positions, because where in verse 22 he says, I delight in the law of God after the inward man. He’s talking about one who wishes to do what is right. And that would fit, of course, the regenerated Christian. What is the problem here? Let me say, first of all, the as the context would teach us, the problem is not God’s law. For God’s law is spiritual. That is, as Romans chapter 7, the scripture there speaks about in verse 13, verse 12 it is, the law is holy, the commandment holy and just and good.

And in fact, he says the law itself is delivered by God. It came from God. It came by inspiration of God, 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verses 11 through 13. And in fact, uh the scripture here says in verse uh chapter 7, verse 13, uh verse 12 it is that the law is good. Now, to say that the law is spiritual, and to say then that the law is good, is to say it served the purpose God intended. It was given by God, it was given to help man in his spiritual walk with God, and it has a good intent and a good purpose. You see, when we have the Word of God, what it teaches us is God’s perfect standard. It is the high and holy standard that all of us should aspire to live by.

We ought to try to keep it. Now there may be times that we we are not keeping it perfectly, and yet it is our desire. We ought to delight in the law of God, for it is spiritual and it is holy and it is good. Well, then the question is raised, if if indeed God knows that we’re not going to be perfect, though his law is perfect, does that mean that God overlooks then what we do? Since God just understands who we are and we just know we’re not going to be perfect, so let’s just quit trying. God’s going to overlook it. Again, there are those who sort of take that point of view. If God is so loving and God is full of grace, it’s as though it really doesn’t matter what we do, we’ll be saved regardless.

But that is a false impression of this whole context. In fact, earlier we’ve already pointed out how in chapter 6 and verses 16 through 18, he says, Don’t you know that to whom you yield yourself servants to obey his servants ye are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. And then he said, God betank that you were the servants of sin, but you’ve obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. Does that sound like we can just keep on doing what we want to do? Not if we’re really trying to serve God. Not if we delight in the law of God after the inward man.

In fact, on into our next chapter in Romans chapter 8, verses 6 and 7, he very clearly says, to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. There’s a difference in the attitude that we have. You remember the statement the Apostle Paul himself made when he wrote to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse twenty seven. He said, I buffet my body and bring it under subjection daily, lest after I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. In other words, I cannot just do as I wish. I have restraints, and I try to keep my body under subjection to the will of God. But look at chapter seven, now again, verses eighteen through twenty, before we take our break, when he says, I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.

For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now, if I do that I would not. It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. What is he saying? Well, here I am in this struggle, and and I’m wishing I didn’t do it, but sin is in control at the time I do it. Sin dwelleth in me. Now the question that we should raise, is there a way? How is it possible? How can our inward win against the outward man? Now we’re going to take a break for just a moment, and when we come back, we’re going to look at this.

3. The Law of the Mind and the Law of Sin

Where he describes there’s the outward man who follows the law of sin and death, and there is the inward man who delights in the law of God. The Bible talks about an inward and outward part of us. In fact, a passage in James chapter two, and in verse twenty six, where it speaks that the body without the spirit is dead, even so faith without works is dead also. And in Second Corinthians 4 and verse 16, it speaks how our outward man perishes, whereas the inward man is renewed day by day. We all consist of two parts. There is the flesh that we see, but there is the spirit, the inward, the mind of man. Who is in control? The outward or the inward? There’s a struggle going on.

How can we win? The inward man win against the outward flesh that is allured by sin and often fails in being allured and following the temptation of sin. We’re going to pause for just one moment. When we come back, we’re going to study the rest of this chapter in which I believe the apostle really reaches the climax in answering how it is that we overcome the temptations of the devil, and to which even sometimes we fall by yielding to sin. You stay with us, we’ll be back in just one moment. How is it possible for the Christian to win in his struggle against sin? Is it possible, even though we find walking in the flesh we still commit sin, and yet we delight in the law of God and want to serve Him, but we’re not perfect in doing so.

How can we win this struggle? Well, as we continue our study in Romans chapter 7, read with me, beginning of verse 21 through the end of the chapter, Romans 7, verse 21. For the inspired apostle said, I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me, for I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin.

Notice in these last five verses that we just read that the word law appears some seven different times. And yet it’s talking about two different kinds of law. It’s not talking about the law of Moses or law or keeping in general, but rather it’s talking about that governing principle that’s in control. Whether our outward man is following the law of sin and death, or whether it’s our inward man delighting in the law of God. In fact, you notice in verse 22, he speaks about the law of God after the inward man. And then comparable to that and equal to that, I think in verse 23, where he calls it the law of my mind. And then in verse 25 again, he says, with the mind I myself serve the law of God.

In other words, here is the one hand, the governing principle controlling my life. I delight in God’s law, and from the inward man, my mind wants to do that. But there’s a battle going on. And this struggle is that there’s another law. There’s another governing principle that I find in the flesh. In verse 23, for example, he says, I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind. Well, what is that law in the members? Well, it’s it’s the law that controls the flesh. There’s the fleshly temptation and the weakness of the flesh. In fact, in verse 25, he says, With the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. So there is this law of sin, verse 23 and verse 25, but also in the next chapter, and you may remember it’s the translators that make the chapter division.

So really the thought continues right on. Where in chapter 8 and verse 2, he says, For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. The law of the flesh is that of sin, and it brings about death. There is death, spiritual and eternal death. Now we must choose which law controls. Which law we’re going to serve. In Galatians chapter 5, verses 16 and 17, then it says, Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not full, ye shall not fulfill the law of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would.

Now, you know what that says in Christ Jesus, there’s going to be a difference in our life. In Christ Jesus, there is this battle going on with the flesh against the spirit, but we cannot continue to live after the flesh. In Ephesians chapter 4 and Colossians chapter 3, other texts that talk about putting off the old man and putting on the new man. Ephesians chapter 4, for example, in verses 22 through 24, he says, that ye put off concerning the former conversation, that old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. You see, there he even speaks about being renewed in the spirit of your mind.

So again, there’s the law after the inward man. In fact, even in the earlier chapter, the first chapter of Romans, in Romans chapter 1 and verse 9, the apostle there spoke about how that he served God with my spirit in the gospel of his son. So there’s the inward man, there’s the spirit of man seeking to serve God. We make a choice. We decide who we’re going to serve. But really, all this, rather than just seeing it as a battle only, it’s leading up to a point. The climax. What is the point of this whole context? Even after we opened this book, we talked about how man sinned, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Man trying to keep the law of God, found himself in sin, could not keep it perfectly.

4. Who Shall Deliver Me?

We needed the system of salvation by grace through faith. The whole point is leading up to this very part of the text, where then he, when he raises the question in verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this dead? If I’m walking in the flesh and I find that the weak is flesh, and I find myself stumbling and in sin, is there any deliverance? Is there any way to win this struggle? The answer has already been given. First of all, by the fact that a Christian, one who’s been regenerated by faith, a Christian is made new when he obeys God. Look back at chapter 6, where in verses 3 through 6 he says, Know ye not, or don’t you know, that so many of us as we’re baptized into Jesus Christ, we’re baptized into his death.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. What’s he saying by that? Well, when we obey the gospel of Christ, what happens to the sins that we’ve committed in our former life? They’re forgiven. We’ve been buried into the death of Christ. That is his blood now has touched our souls and washed away our sins. And there’s a newness of life. In fact, that same context in Romans 6 in verses 12 through 14. He says, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.

And we all recognize that we continue to be tempted by sin, but sin doesn’t have control. It’s not reigning. It’s not the king of our life. We now have the King of Kings. We have the Lord of Lords, whom we seek to serve. And as even Colossians chapter 3 and in verse 10 so describes that we put on a new man. In fact, we’re renewed in the spirit of our mind. He said, put on the new man which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of him that created him. There’s a newness of life. Well, does that mean we never commit a sin? Well, obviously not. As this whole text has been showing, there’s the struggle. We continue to have the struggle with walking in the flesh, battling against the inward man.

The inward man is delighting in the law of God, but we still find ourselves sometimes doing things we wish we hadn’t, and leaving undone those things we wish we had done. Well, does that mean that there’s just no hope for us? Oh, God forbid that thought. You see, there’s there’s two sides of this. Either on the one hand, there’s the individual who thinks, well, it won’t matter what we do because we’re under grace and we just do as we please, that’s wrong. On the other hand, it is likewise wrong to just give up and say, Well, it really doesn’t matter what we do. It does matter how we live. It matters what we do. But in Jesus Christ, our life now says, I’m going to do God’s will, and I’m going to seek it.

5. Walk in the Light, Confessing Our Sins

My delight is in the law of God. In fact, you read the passage in 1 John chapter 1. The scripture there speaks about the forgiveness that is through Jesus Christ. If on the one hand we’re living like we want to live, that’s walking in darkness. In 1 John 1 and verse 6, he says, if we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanseth us from all sin. Now here’s the Christian. We are not walking perfectly, but our goal is perfectly to walk with Christ. We walk in the light of his word.

How do we do that? Well, there’s an attitude here. Look at verses eight and nine. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. What that says is we walk with that broken spirit in the contrite heart. As a Christian, we continually confess our sins. We continually turn back and repent of them. It is an attitude, it is not an attitude that says, Oh, God won’t care because he knows I’m his child. Just the contrary. We regret when we sin, and we repent when we sin.

We confess when we sin. What happens? The blood of Christ continually cleanseth us as we repent and as we confess our faults. In fact, on in 1 John chapter 2, he says, My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Jesus Christ, the propitiation. So when we look back at our text in Romans chapter 7, and you notice he raises that question, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of this debt? I thank God through Jesus Christ. In fact, in the chapter 8, he continues the thought, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Conclusion

There is forgiveness of sins, therefore no condemnation. For he says the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemn sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. There is forgiveness in Christ Jesus, dear friend. You can win the struggle against sin. Give your life to Christ, start anew, and then continue to walk in the light, confessing your sin. There’s continual cleansing. No condemnation to those who are faithful in Christ Jesus.

Until our next study, we bid that the grace and peace of our Lord be with you.