Lesson 93
Romans Chapter 7
Freedom
from the Law's domination
or the total failure of the law to sanctify.
Review:
#1. The Law
cannot change you 7:14
#2. The Law
cannot enable you to do good/right. 7:15-21
#3. The Law
cannot set you free;
7:21-25
2 important
principles taught here:
- #1 The sin nature
cannot be overcome by human power and ability. v.14-17
- #2 The sin nature can produce nothing
good! v.18-21
Ø
Refresh our thinking as to what is our state as Believers!
1. Have 2 separate entities residing in every
believer.
- Sin
nature, flesh; that resides in us, in the flesh
- Indwelling
H/S; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor.
6:19
2. These 2 entities are separate; as separate as
they can be!
- Gal
3. There is no sharing of control! Its one or the
other!
4. All of our actions are the result of which
one is in dominion/rule at the moment!
#1. The Law cannot change you 7:14
- Paul's perspective changes at this point; he shifts to the present reality,
what's the ongoing spiritual reality in his life.
- But what he is saying is not just true of his situation but equally
true for any believer who falls into the same pattern of attempting to handle
their sin nature in their own power or by living under the law.
For we know [oida] that the
Law [M/L] is spiritual
- Source is from God, therefore spiritual; God is Spirit;
Its
precepts, its content are spiritual;
The Law
is a reflection of the standards and the character of God.
but I am of
flesh, sold into bondage to sin.
- This is my problem; the Law
is spiritual but I'm not, I'm fleshly; recognizes that he has present residing
in him the sin nature, its real and it can dominate my life!
- Note: Need to be careful in reading; of the flesh is not the same as in the flesh; Paul means something
totally different here.
Says
there is an element of my nature that is fleshly; but that is not the whole of
his nature; vs:22 there is also a different element -
a new nature;
For the believer there is a
pull in 2 directions:
propensity to sin X desire
relationship w/God
sold into bondage to sin.
- What Paul is saying is that he knows the reality of the domination
of the sin nature, being under its authority.
The
potentiality for what he describes occurring will always exist as long as your
in this body.
Observations:
1. Must recognize that the sin
nature is part and parcel of the believer's life because it is a part of every
cell of our body! Always there!
- 2 serious errors taught today;
#1 That it will leave
us if we work intently enough at it; if we beat up on it often enough;
#2 If we can't kill it
we can improve it!
2. The believer is potentially separated from
its power, not its presence!
3. Victory is made experientially a reality in
our lives by applying Rom 6; that is
knowing, considering, and presenting.
4. Freedom from Law is never to be freedom or license to sin!
5. Rem: the term instruments
We can think of the
believer's body as an armory of weapons available either to the indwelling H/S
or the Sin nature.