Lesson 95

Romans Chapter 7                             

Freedom from the Law's domination                

or the total failure of the law to sanctify.

 

7:20-21 Establishes the Principles in view!  

 

7:20   But if I [old nature] am doing the very thing I [new nature] do not wish, I [whole person] am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

 

-  What he is saying here is that at this point he is struggling with deliverance from the power of the indwelling sin nature;

 

 

7:21   I find then the principle [the law, to.n no,mon] that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.

 

- Paul says that he finds a principle, a law, at work within him that causes all his good intentions to end in failure!

 

 

-  When he wants to do what is right, he ends up producing from the Sin nature here referred to as "that evil" which keeps on being present in him.

 

 

7:22   For I joyfully concur [rejoice with] with the law of God in the inner man, [can only be said of a believer]

 

-  When he wants to do what is right, he ends up producing from the Sin nature here referred to as "that evil" which keeps on being present in him.

 

 

- the inner man = the new nature from which comes the capacity to relate to and to love the truth.       

     What's missing? 2 Cor 4:16; Eph 3:16   

 

-  This is synonymous with the I that desires to do good, and hates evil; 14-17,19;  and the mind of v.23, 25

 

 

 

7:23   but I see a different law  in the members of my  body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

 

- Different law [e[teron no,mon]  different in character from the law of God being written in the inner man, the new man;

 

- This different law is manifested through the members of my body, hands, eyes, ears, mouth, feet;  this law (sin nature) with all its desires is constantly waging war against the law of my mind;  the new nature;

 

- The word for mind, nou/j speaks of the faculty of intelligence, understanding; reflective intelligence; of the ability to take input, analyze it and draw conclusions;  therefore reason, insight.

 

 

* What is Paul describing??

1st it is retrospective of his own experience; and then it is reflective of each of our own experiences!

 

 

    1.  We have that Sin nature, that wants to keep us in bondage;

   

    2.  We respond to that conflict/pressure by saying to our selves;   I will get free from this sin;   through self-determination we conclude that we will not do this any longer!

 

 

    3.  Why will we not succeed but for the short haul? Why?

 

    4.  Though we delight in the law of God in the inner man,  new man;  it by itself gives us no power to handle the sin natures desires.

 

In fact, moving under the Law in an attempt to handle the Sin Nature, only makes the Sin Nature stronger; because "the strength of sin is the law"

 

 

You can no more overcome the strong desires of your sin nature by your own power any more than you can separate yourselves from your shadow!

 

 

 

 

Paul's great lament  7:24  cry of despair when the sin nature rules

 

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this  death?

 

- Wretched man that I am!  talai,pwroj  miserable, wretched, distressed;

implies exhaustion from hard labor; everything he's tried to do to combat the Sin nature has not worked

 

If a man was found guilty of a vicious crime, they would often chain him to a dead body that was decaying steadily, and leave him chained to it for a period of time.

 

- This vividly pictures how Paul feels about his own sin nature;

 

- His cry  here is a recognition that he must have help from an outside source.

 

 

Ø      7:25   Source of Deliverance!   Who is going to rescue us??

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

 

 

-  The answer to his question (vs:24), who shall deliver me is given here in a context of praise and thanksgiving;

*   It will be by the Holy Spirit that this deliverance is wrought in us; as we shall discover in ch-8.

 

Summary of Paul's great discoveries about this struggle in Chapter 7.

 

1.  That the sin nature dwelt within him even though he delighted in God's law.

 

2.  That his own will and self-effort, self determination was powerless to handle it.

 

3.  The sin nature dwells in you but it's not who you are totally, only a part!   Also have a new nature, being built up by the Word!

 

4.  That there was deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ!