Romans 7:12-25

What the Law can and can’t do

Welcome!

Would you open your Bibles to...

Rom. 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Rom. 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

Rom. 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Pray

Intro

√ I’ll be teaching this section from the J.B. Phillips translation

the King James Version and the New King James Version are not as clear.

Paul is speaking to the LEGALIST who is BLIND to his/her own sin.

The Law shows the sinfulness of sin (vs. 12-13)

Rom. 7:12 It can scarcely be doubted that the Law itself is holy, and the commandment is holy, fair and good.

Rom. 7:13 Can it be that something that is intrinsically good could mean death to me? No, what happened was this. Sin, at the touch of the Law, was forced to show itself as sin, and that meant death for me. The contact of the Law showed the utterly sinful nature of sin.

√ People, whether saved or unsaved recognize that is such a thing as sin.

Ex. With the exception of a lunatic, everyone would say that murder is sinful behavior. (intuitive knowledge that there is right/wrong)

But, what most people don’t realize is how sinful sin is!

That is, for the most part we really don’t understand how God sees our sins.

We like to excuse our sinful behavior with words like, “mistake”, “weakness”, “disease”, etc.

Ex. Foul language = "Freedom of Expression"

Fornication = "affair"

Death = "negative patient outcome"

Outbursts of Anger = "moody"

But to God every sin is an abomination and act of treason and rebellion against His Holiness.

God condemns all sin. Please understand that it only took one sin to bring death to the human race and one sin to put Jesus on the Cross!

Gen. 3:15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel."

That’s why it’s so important for us to recognize and admit our sinfulness. Without that understanding true repentance cannot take place.

We have to see our sin relative to PERFECT holiness; not compared to Charles Manson.

Thus the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:8 "And He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Ex. I really didn't see myself as a great sinner before Christ. When placed in the LIGHT of His Holiness, then my sin stood out!

2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Sorrow-the result of coming to grips with our sin.

If we don’t understand how sinful sin is, then we won’t really appreciate our need for a savior – thus, never come to Jesus! (The Legalist sees themselves compared to other men).

So, Paul demonstrates this truth in these two verses by arguing that:

Truth-the purpose of Law to point out sin

√ Law good

Vs. 12 – the Law is not sinful; rather, it is holy, just and good. (given by God)

√ Sin is bad

Vs. 13 - The problem then isn’t with the Law, rather, it is with the sin nature that we all have.

The Law simply brings out the sin within us.

Ex. Seed lying hidden and dormant in the soil – brought forth with the touch of water.

√ Sin is really sinful!

Paul’s conclusion is found at the end of vs. 13

“The contact of the Law showed the utterly sinful nature of sin.”

His point is that if something good like the Law can bring out the sin hidden within us – then sin is really bad!

Ap. If you haven’t yet recognized how bad sin is, then you probably haven’t yet asked Jesus to be your savior.

If you’re a Christian who still struggles with sinful behavior in your life, it may be because you’re making excuses for you sins by not calling them as God does.

Call it for what it is! There is power and deliverance for the person who agrees with God that your behavior is sin and that you need help to overcome it.

The inability of the Law to help sinners!

√ Now that Paul has told us what the Law is supposed to do – show us our sin…

…he spends the rest of chapter 7 explaining what the Law cannot do.

The Law cannot change your nature

The Law cannot give you power over sin

The Law cannot set you free from sin

Let’s look!

The Law cannot change you! (vs. 14)

Rom. 7:14 For we know that the Law itself is concerned with the spiritual--it is I who am carnal, and have sold my soul to sin.

√ The Law of God is revealed in the Bible to be…

Holy

Just

Good

Spiritual

That is because it was given to Moses by God Who is…

Holy

Just

Good

Spiritual

The problem is that we – humans – are by nature carnal (fleshly!) and not spiritual.

God created Man with a body, soul and spirit. However, when Adam sinned the spirit died and the body began to rule.

The same is true to this day. Each of us was born spiritually dead. Our body (the old nature – flesh) ruled us and dictated our thinking and behavior.

That explains why our old nature responds the way it does to the Law – the nature of the Law is spiritual – our nature is fleshly and wars against it.

Ex. Sodium and water

Ap. That’s why the Law and rules don’t work to change our nature.

Ex. Diet’s – how many fad diet’s have people tried with little or no success!? The problem isn’t necessarily with the diet – but with us. It can’t change the basic desire to EAT!

So, we find that the Law is powerless to change our nature.

It may be able to change the outward behavior, but it cannot touch the heart and change our nature and desire.

You're a moral "good" person but still a sinner.

The Law cannot give you power to do good (vs. 15-21)

Rom. 7:15 My own behavior baffles me. For I find myself doing what I really loathe but not doing what I really want to do.

Rom. 7:16 Yet surely if I do things that I really don’t want to do, I am admitting that I really agree that the Law is good.

Rom. 7:17 But it cannot be said that “I” am doing them at all--it must be sin that has made its home in my nature.

Rom. 7:18 And, indeed, I know from experience that the carnal side of my being can scarcely be called the home of good! I often find that I have the will to do good, but not the power.

Rom. 7:19 That is, I don’t accomplish the good I set out to do, and the evil I don’t really want to do I find I am always doing.

Rom. 7:20 Yet if I do things that I don’t really want to do then it is not, I repeats “I” who do them, but the sin which has made its home within me.

Rom. 7:21 My experience of the Law is that when I want to do good, only evil is within my reach.

√ First of all note that 3 times in this section Paul refers to…

sin living inside of us!

He is referring to the “old nature” which is still with us and daily wars against the Holy Spirit Who indwells us for control of our minds (soul).

Not an excuse to our own personal responsibility for our actions, rather a description of the war within between the flesh and spirit.

√ Second, notice that Paul uses the personal perfect present tense pronoun “I” over and over again.

32 times in fact!

The point that we don’t want to miss is that Paul is describing a problem he is having in the present as a Christian!!!

Yes, the great apostle Paul – called by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus – personally saw the Lord revealed in His glory – visions of heaven…

…this same Paul was still experiencing a war between his spirit (new nature) and his flesh (old nature)!

Ap. I find that encouraging! That Paul and the rest of the apostles were no different than you and I. The encouragement is that our experience is a NORMAL Christian experience!

The problem which Paul faced was a problem with self!

Please understand that the Christian doesn’t have a “split personality”!

Rather, what Paul reveals here is that a believers mind (soul) is controlled either by the old nature (our flesh), or by our new nature (our spirit).

Ap. Paul's point is that the believer has two serious problems:

· I cannot do the good I want to do!

· I do the evil I don't want to do!

This doesn't mean we don't have control over ourselves-

that we are unable to stop ourselves from sinning.

Rather that of his own Paul found he could not really obey God's Law.

Because even when he did what was right, he found that his motives/attitude were wrong!

Even when he did his best he found that it was tainted by sin.

Ex. "Boy howdy-I was hot today!" SELF always gets in these! Serving coffee at Innisfree

That's what Paul is driving at--to show the LEGALIST that even when he/she obeys God outwardly--the sin-nature spoils it! Therefore, we understand that the Law is powerless to enable us to do good.

The Law cannot set you free (vs. 22-25)

Rom. 7:22 For I am in hearty agreement with God’s Law so far as my inner self is concerned.

Rom. 7:23 But then I find another law in my bodily members, which is in continual conflict with the Law which my mind approves, and makes me a prisoner to the law of sin which is inherent in my mortal body.

Rom. 7:24 It is an agonizing situation, and who can set me free from the prison of this mortal body?

Rom. 7:25 I thank God there is a way out through Jesus Christ our Lord. For left to myself, I serve the Law of God with my mind, but in my unspiritual nature I serve the law of sin.

Ö The Christian recognizes the "old-nature" and desiring to get free says…

"I'll never do that again--really from this day forth…"

Then you exert all your willpower and energy and for a time finds success.

Then, when you're worn out and tired of fighting, you give up and fall again!

Why?

Because he/she tried to overcome the sin nature with the Law-the Law cannot deliver us from sin!

In fact, you're only making the old nature stronger!

I Cor. 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

Ex. Like trying to put a fire out with gas!

Instead of giving us power over sin, the Law is like a magnate that draws out all sorts of sin in us!

So, though your spirit may desire to do what is good, the old nature FLESH desires evil!

No wonder Paul says "wretched man" vs. 24 "wretched" is a person exhausted after a battle.

Ap. What could be more wretched? Trying with all your might to do good only to find that your "good" is never good enough!

Is there any HOPE! YES…JESUS CHRIST!

How? The Christian is DEAD to the law and is no longer under its authority.

Instead, the believer is ALIVE to Christ and can draw upon the POWER of the Holy Spirit (Chapter 8).

The secret of doing God's will is found in yielding to the HOLY SPIRIT.

It can be said, "The old nature knows no law, the NEW nature needs no law." LEGALISM will make a believer wretched because it grieves the NEW nature and aggravates the OLD!