Lesson 92
Romans Chapter 7
Freedom
from the Law's domination
or the total failure of the law to sanctify.
Review:
Last
week we saw the law as teacher in 7:7.
Also the
law as stimulator of sin in 7:8
Now in 7:9-11 we see the law as
the terminator, it brings separation
7:9 "Once alive apart from the law"
- this speaks of the
time in ones life before being confronted by God's law with all its
implications
- The contrast; but when the
commandment came, sin became alive, and I died;
- The result was that the indwelling Sin nature became alive; its presence and
power made itself known, it became a reality to him.
* What Paul is
saying here is this; there was a time when I felt secure, under no conviction
of sin.
But
everything changed when the commandment came, that is, when it was brought home
to me what the law was really saying, what it was really demanding of me.
(literal
translation ) I found/discovered with
ref to me the commandment [content or it] which (was) to result [eij] in life this [commandment] resulted in death.
- What about this "to
result in life"? What does
it refer to? How does law result in
life!
Clue as
to what this means in Lev. 18:5; Ezk 20:11
- The design and ideal of this commandment as well as the others was
to promote observance/obedience that would lead to blessing in life, and lead
to contentment in life! that's what these vs's in Lev/Ezk are referring to.
- sinful man cannot keep the commandments in
their entirety and therefore the result is death. James 2:10
-
Practical application:
For a
believer who attempts to live by rules and regulations they eventually should discover
that their legalistic system only arouses more sin and creates more problems
for them.
for sin,
taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed
me.
- Notice
the sequence!
1st sin
deceived me, led me astray; then it killed me!
- Where is the problem? With the law that is outside man or with what
is inside us, the sin nature?
And now
the law helps him? Not at all!
- In
fact it becomes the very means by which sin deceives him;
for sin taking opportunity
What's
Paul saying?
I'm ok,
I can handle things on my own; that in law - performance there is life, that
is, it results in blessing and contentment; that I was developing a
relationship with God and my Savior through law performance; and all the while I was really digging a
deeper hole for myself;
- For what does the law, the commandment do?
It promotes more transgressions, it stimulates sin, not at all what Paul
expected.
The 2nd
thing that sin did, is that it killed him! not physical; sin nature activated, always produces
death; temporal death; separation from relationship/fellowship
So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and
good.
The Law is holy, a[gioj, its set apart because of
its divine source.
The
commandment is also righteous and good.
- The Law is holy but it can't make me holy, it
can never sanctify!
- The Law is righteous/just
but it can never justify me! [
- The Law is good but it can
never make me good!
What is he saying?
There is no fault in the Law itself, the problem is elsewhere!
Is the law which is good the
culprit, dooming Paul and all the rest of us to death?
The law didn't originate sin
but it showed us sin in all of its ugliness, that is, when it is operative in
our life.
- Lit. in order
that sin might be revealed [its true character] by effecting [working towards a goal] my
death through [dia = means] the good
[the commandment]
* Paul’s
point is that it was the sin in me that produced death, the separation not the
commandment! The good, the commandment, is the stimulator of the sin nature!
- Lit. that [i[na] through the commandment [the] sin might become utterly sinful.
- Point Paul is making here
is that the commandment (law) is used to reveal to us the true nature, the
extent of the sinfulness of the sin nature and its progeny.
- We need to come to grips with the true nature of our Sin nature,
stop being deceived by it, so that we can grow and mature, so that
sanctification can become a reality in our lives.