30. Romans Chapter 7 Verses 7-14 - Messages In Romans – Gentiles Are Not Part Of Chapter 7 – Not The Battle Of The Two Natures - Message 30 Part 2 Of 3 Series

30. Romans Chapter 7 Verses 7-14 - Messages In Romans – GENTILES ARE NOT PART OF CHAPTER 7 – NOT THE BATTLE OF THE TWO NATURES - Message 30 Part 2 of 3

ROMANS CHAPTER 7 EXPOSITION – PART 2

It is most unfortunate that these three messages had to be broken into three Parts because it disrupts the flow, but not to do that would give one message of over 8 000 words. Let us continue straight on from where we left off at verse 6 -

[1]. THE HOLY LAW CONFIRMED BUT IT PROMOTED SIN. ROMANS 7:7-12

{{Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? IS THE LAW SIN? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law, for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet,”

Romans 7:8 but sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind, for apart from the Law sin is dead.

Romans 7:9 I was once alive apart from the Law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died,

Romans 7:10 and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me,

Romans 7:11 for sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it, killed me,

Romans 7:12 so then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”}}

(a). VERSE 7

Now comes the explanation for any who were thinking that Paul was rubbishing the Law and condemning it. He comes right out with the question, “Is the Law sin?” or it could mean, “Does the Law make us sin (related to the Jews) and therefore it is a sinful thing?” I remind you yet again that it is Jews being spoken to here. Paul speaks of his experience, which also makes me think he is the one in the rest of this chapter being described. Again IT IS NOT A CHRISTIAN BATTLING TWO NATURES either before or after conversion!

That question about the Law being sin is answered by the strongest negative that can be used. “Certainly not!” (NIV). “May it never be!” (NASB). “By no means!” (ESV). “God forbid!” (AV). “Absolutely not!” (Holman). The Law was given by God for the purposes of righteousness but the failure lay with sinful man who could not keep such a holy Law. He failed, so a better covenant came in by way of the cross. No way is the Law sin! THE LAW GAVE AWARENESS OF SIN.

In the remainder of verse 7 Paul explains his reason for upholding the righteousness of the Law. He argues that without the Law there would not have been knowledge of sin. Earlier he covers similar ground – {{Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”}} Also we have this earlier – {{Romans 3:31 “Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW.”}} The righteousness of the Law is established but only through Christ.

Then Paul provides an example, and uses coveting. Because the Law said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” then the Jews knew what coveting was, otherwise they would have been in ignorance. If they were ignorant because God provided no standard for them, how could they be accountable? That is one of the themes of Romans and earlier we had these verses – {{Romans 2:13-14 “It is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. When Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,”}}

In my younger Christian life I used to use terms like, “The Law was holy but we could not keep the Law because it condemned us.” I was placing myself in the context of Romans 7. That was wrong I realised many years later. We as Gentiles were NEVER REQUIRED to keep the Law. It was given to Israel, to the Jews. AND YET!! Commentators claim that Romans 7 is about the conflict of the new nature combatting the old nature in the life of the Christian. Rubbish! The man in Romans 7 is a defeated man. That is NOT a Christian who has victory.

(b). VERSE 8

Verse 8 connects with 7 where awareness of sin becomes the desire to adopt it and participate in it. This has become so evident in the pornography industry. 100 years ago not many followed pornography, but because of so many magazines and the Internet and the legalising of so much, then it became more accessible and people are rushing to it.