Romans 7

Rom 7:1-6 NLT Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? (2) For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. (3) So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. (4) So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the One who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. (5) When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. (6) But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

  • The law only applies to those who are living under that law
    • if a husband dies, the widow can remarry without being an adulteress
    • when her husband died, she is freed from that law
  • We died with Jesus to the power of the law and are united with Jesus’ resurrection
    • Death to the law and resurrection with Christ frees us to do good deeds
    • The law aroused the evil desires of our sinful nature and produced sinful deeds and death
    • We have freedom to serve God by living in the Spirit rather than obeying the letter of the law
  • gramma (letter), neuma (spirit) grámma denotes the law in its written form whereby the relation of the law to the man whom it concerns is the more inviolably established (Rom_2:27; 2Co_3:7). It is the external, fixed, and governing law; whereas thepneúma, the spirit, is the inner, effective, energizing, and divine principle of life (Rom_7:6). (John 16:7-15)
  • Do these verses suggest that the Law no longer applies?
  • When does the law apply?
  • What is the “power of the law” in verse 4? (Romans 4:15, 5:20)
  • What doe sit mean to be “united with the One who was raised from the dead”? (Hos 2:19-20, Isa 54:4-6)
  • How does that produce good deeds and service to God?
  • How does that relate to “obeying the letter of the law” versus “living in the Spirit?”
  • What is the difference between dying with Christ and uniting with His resurrection?
    • What can a dead person do? How would a person who is living in Christ’s death look and act?
    • What can a person who is living in Christ’s resurrection life do?

Rom 7:7-14 NLT Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” (8) But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. (9) At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, (10) and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. (11) Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. (12) But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. (13) But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. (14) So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.

  • What is the relationship between the Law and sin? (James 1:14-15)
  • How does sin take advantage of the Law in your life?
  • How can the Law be holy and right and good if it gives sin power? (verse 8) (John 15:22-27)

Rom 7:15-25 NLT I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. (16) But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. (17) So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (18) And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. (19) I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. (20) But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (21) I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. (22) I love God’s law with all my heart. (23) But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. (24) Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (25) Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (Italics and bold mine)

  • What condition are we in if we do wrong but don’t know that we are doing wrong? (16)
  • How can it be that Paul says he is not the one doing wrong, but sin living in him? Isn’t that just an excuse? (17, 20) (Ecc 4:4, Gen 26:14, Gen 30:1, Gen 37:11, Psa 106:16, Psa 73:3)
  • What does Paul want to do? Why doesn’t he do it?
  • What is Paul focusing on in these verses (note italics)?
  • What part wants to do what is right and what part of Paul doesn’t?
  • Is Paul speaking of his nature before Jesus or after or both? (Romans 8 – stay tuned)

THEME

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

 
APPLICATION

References

Joh 16:7-15 NLT But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. (8) And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. (9) The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in Me. (10) Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no more. (11) Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. (12) “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. (13) When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. (14) He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives from Me. (15) All that belongs to the Father is Mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me.’

Hos 2:19-20 NLT I will make you My wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. (20) I will be faithful to you and make you Mine, and you will finally know Me as the LORD.

Isa 54:4-6 NLT “Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don\’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood. (5) For your Creator will be your husband; the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is His name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth. (6) For the LORD has called you back from your grief—as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband,” says your God.

Rom 4:15 NLT For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

Rom 5:20 NLT God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.

Jas 1:14-15 NLT Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. (15) These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Joh 15:22-27 NLT They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. (23) Anyone who hates Me also hates My Father. (24) If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate Me and My Father. (25) This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated Me without cause.’ (26) “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about Me. (27) And you must also testify about Me because you have been with Me from the beginning of My ministry.

Ecc 4:4 NLT Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Gen 26:14 NLT He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him.

Gen 30:1 NLT When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Gen 37:11 NLT But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.

Psa 106:16 The people in the camp were jealous of Moses and envious of Aaron, the LORD’s holy priest.

Psa 73:3 NLT For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.