We continue our study of the Letter to the Romans.
Through the Apostle Paul, God spoke to the Christians in Rome 2000 years ago, but much of this letter is applicable to all Christians, especially for those of us here in America. Before reading our passage today, which is Romans 7:7–8:17, let us note the main topics of the letter.
Rom. 1: God has to judge man’s sin
Rom. 2: Jews thought they were better than anyone else
Rom. 3: God gives reasons for the Jews and the Law
Rom. 4: all are saved by faith (whether Jew or Gentile)
Rom. 5: Christians are called to fight the good fight of faith
Rom. 6: for Christians, Jesus is master not sin
Rom. 7-8: describes who Christians are
Rom. 9-11: discusses Israel, God’s people
Rom. 12-16: instructs Christians how to live
Let us continue to learn who we are as Christians. Please open your Bibles to Romans 7. But before reading, let us together pray our commitment to God’s Word......
Let us read first of all Romans 7:7-14……..
As we had noted from Romans Chapter 3, God gave His Laws, starting with the 10 Commandments, to tell us 3 major truths:
1. God’s Law tells us how Holy God is!
2. God’s Law tells us how sinful we are!
3. God’s Law leads us to Jesus Christ!
We are reminded of these truths in Romans 7:7-14.
But we can note another important truth in this passage.
Look again at Romans 7:14………
Now, it is interesting to look at other English translations of this verse.
The KJV reads
“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.”
The NASB, NRSV, and the ESV basically state “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.”
And so, the other major truth is, God’s Law is spiritual and those who are living, including Christians, are still of the flesh.
Now, some say that the Apostle Paul is talking about how he was before he became a Christian. Now, that may be true, but take a quick glance at Romans 8:12-13………
And so, no matter how one interprets Romans 7, we can note for sure that
Christians still have a sinful nature. Perhaps looking at our “Salvation Process Chart” can help us……
When we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we were saved from the eternal judgment of God. But as we are still living here on earth, we are still in our mortal bodies but we are being changed from within by the power of the Holy Spirit; this is called sanctification, being saved. But there will be a time when Jesus will take us to heaven and we will be completely changed with immortal bodies; this is called glorification; we will be completely saved because we will no longer have our sinful nature in heaven!
Read along with me now Romans 7:15 –25……
And so, while still living here on earth, there is an on-going battle within a Christian; the sinful nature versus the spiritual nature. One way to look at this is the reverse of what happened to Jesus. Jesus Christ was completely spiritual but became flesh to take on our sins. Christians were completely flesh but became spiritual when they accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your only Savior and God? If so, you are now being changed to be spiritual like Jesus Christ! And as we read from v24-25, Jesus Christ is rescuing us from our wretchedness; and He will complete it when He calls us home to heaven!
Let’s continue learning by reading Romans 8:1-11……..
We should all memorize the first part of Romans 8:1……..
And so, in spite of our struggles with sin here on earth as Believers of Christ, we are no longer condemned because of what Jesus did for us! As Christians living our lives on earth dealing with sin, we must keep Romans 8:1 always in mind! I also encourage you to remember Romans 8:11………..
Let us close by reading Romans 8:12-17…….
Who are Christians?
- Christians are saved, being saved, and will be saved!
- Christians on earth are indwelt by God the Holy Spirit but still has to deal with
the sinful nature.
- Christians are never condemned as they believe in Christ!
- Christians are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ!
If you truly believe in Jesus Christ as your only savior and God, then all of these are true for you!
And what should be our response to these truths?
We have an obligation not to live according to our sinful nature but live by the Holy Spirit!
We are to always cry out to God our Father, our Dad!
Is “obligation” too hard of a word for us?
Think of it this way: God is the source of everything good and has the riches to give us whatever we need! God tells us to be “obligated” to Him not because God needs us but because God loves us and knows what’s best for us! I think this truth is worth repeating: God tells us to be “obligated” to Him not because God needs us but because God loves us and knows what’s best for us!
Let us take a moment to quietly cry out to God and make a commitment to trust our loving Father. Take a moment to run to your Dad who is in heaven; let Him embrace you and talk to Him.
