II. DOCTRINAL (INPUTTED RIGHTEOUSNESS)--1:18-8:39
C. SANCTIFICATION--5:12-8:39 (Part II)
4. Powerless Sanctification--7:1-25
a. The shackles of the
saved soul--vv. 1-13
(I)
Dead to the Law--vv. 1-4
(A) The generalization--v. 1
(1) Knowers of the
Law--v. 1a
(a)
"Or, are you ignorant, brethren (for I speak to those knowing law), that
the law continue to
rule over a human as long as he
1ives?"--cpc
(b)
An alternative answer to the question in 6:15
((I)) First answer--6:16f'f.
((II)) Seen by the use of the word or which
in the Greek is a disjunctive and comparative
conjunction
(c)
These are Christians.
((I)) "Brethren"--common New Testament word for
believers
((II)) Undoubtedly Jewish Christians
((A)) Because of
parentheses
((B)) The question being answered
would be raised by the Jews
(d)
The word Law
((I)) Definite article left out
((II)) Thus, the principle of law is in view.
((III)) Two possibilities
((A)) Can refer to the expression
of God's will
((B)) Can refer to the Mosaic Law
((1))
Mosaic Law is the historical expression of God's will.
((2))
Jews being in view here would understand it to mean the Mosaic Law.
(2) Rulership of the
law--v. 1b
(a)
The word agnoeite, "you are ignorant," is a present tense and can
be rendered "continue
to be ignorant."
(b)
Here the word law has the definite article and undoubtedly refers
to the Mosaic Law.
(c)
"To rule over" is also a present tense and has the continuative idea.
(d)
The verb is qualified by the phrase, "as long as he lives."--Paul's argument
is that as long as
one lives the law rules him, but when one has died the
law no longer has a hold on a
person.
(e)
The statement here is general.
((I)) He uses the word anthropos which simply
means "man."
((II)) He does not use aner meaning
"male."
(B) The Illustration-vv. 2, .3
(1) Generalized--v. 2
(a)
Having stated that a human is ruled over by the law as long as that one lives,
the Apostle
Paul gives the illustration of the marriage relation.
He first gives the illustration in general
terms.
(b)
The "for" can be rendered. "for example"-- "For example, the married woman
has been
and still is fasten by law to her living husband, but
if the husband has died, she has been
and still is loosed from the law of her
husband."--cpc
(c)
The word married
((I)) Only occurrence in the New Testament
((II)) Literally means under or subject to a male
human
((III)) Greek is hupandros from huper,
under, and andros, male.
((IV)) Occurs in the LXX for the Hebrew word,
tabath’ish, under a male
(d)
The verb, "to tie" or "bind"
((I)) Perfect passive
((II)) Tense is appropriate here.
((A)) Perfect has the idea of a
completed action with existing result.
((B)) Marriage is just that--at
some past time the marriage was performed, but the
results
of that marriage ceremony still continue until "death does us part."
(e)
The condition of being loosed from the marriage is death, the husband's
in this case.
(f)
The word law again come into view.
((I)) The principle of law is here in view; article
is absent.
((II)) Paul may go beyond the Mosaic Law to God's universal
law concerning marriage.
(g)
The death of the husband looses the woman from the marriage law.
(h)
The verb dead is aorist, and the true import of the aorist can
be seen here--”But if the
husband be dead . . . ."
(i)
The verb loosed is perfect passive and rightly so, for it sets forth
the abiding results of being
loosed from the law binding her to
her husband.
(2) Particularized--v. 3
(a)
Now the apostle carries out the illustration further by showing how it works
in a particular
instance. He selects the particular case of a
woman marrying another man before her
first husband dies. Such a one is called an
adulteress.
(b)
Under law, one is an adulteress if joined to another man while the
first husband lives.
(c)
If husband dies, she is free even if joined to another, so that
no one can classify her as an
adulteress.
(d)
The word free means "free as regards restraint and obligation in
general."
(e)
Thus, it here signifies that she is free from the obligation of the
law--the law which calls her
an adulteress.
(f)
Paul is using this as an illustration and should not be used as an argument
concerning
divorce.
(C) The Application--v. 4
(1) Reiteration of the
believer's death--v. 4a
(a)
"Wherefore", or "Therefore".is an inference from his illustration.
(b)
The verb
((I)) Again aorist passive
((II)) It looks at this death as a completed thing done
once for all.
((III)) The passage further suggests that believers
themselves are not the ones who
engage the dying, but rather the
action of death has occurred to them from outside
themselves.
(c)
Through the body of Christ
((I)) This makes clear that the action is outside of
the believer.
((II)) Paul is saying that believers have died because
Christ died.
((III)) The word body undoubtedly refers to the
physical body of the Lord Jesus Christ
as He hung on that cross.
(d)
Died to the Law through Christ (This is the connection with vv.1-3.)
((I)) Paul has stated that the law rules as long as one
lives, but it ceases to rule when one
dies.
((II)) He then illustrates this by showing that a woman
is free from the law of the marriage
relation, i. e.,
in effect she has died to that law, when her husband dies.
((III)) Now Paul expertly applies it stating that believers
are dead to the law because of
Christ's death.
((IV)) That the Mosaic law is in view should be evident
by the context.
((A)) Verses 1-3
((B)) Romans 6
((C)) Cf. Galatians 3:11
((V)) Paul, however, may have in mind any law as a rule
of life.
((VI)) This does not in any sense teach lawlessness,
for consider the second half of verse
4.
(2) The reason for the
death
(a)
Joined to another
((I)) An infinitive clause which describes the purpose
((II)) The word is "become" as in v. 3.
(b)
"Another"--denotes something that is different in kind or quality
(c)
The clause, "to Him who has been raised from the dead"
((I)) In apposition to another
((II)) The person through whom believers died to the
law is in actuality the same person
who rose from the dead.
(d)
Paul thus states the reason for the believers' death to the law through Christ's
death, that
believers may be joined to Christ resurrected by the
principle of grace and not by the
principle of law.
(3) The result of their
death--v. 4c
(a)
"that"-- a word that generally introduces a purpose clause, but the context
seems to
indicate result.
(b)
As the result of a marriage is generally fruit, i. e.,
children, so also should the results of this
death and joining to the resurrected One is to be
fruit.
((I)) The verb--compound meaning to bear fruit
((II)) By implication from the context the fruit would
be spiritual children.
((III)) Cf. Galatians 5:22, 23
((A)) That passage also deals with
law versus grace.
((B)) That passage in context also
deals with the believer's death with Christ.
((C)) Romans and Galatians are
generally considered to have been written about the
same
time.
((D)) Therefore, the fruit may
will be the "fruit of the Spirit."
(II)
Serve in newness of life--vv. 5, 6
(A) Restatement of our condition in the flesh--v.
5
(1) For emphasis by means
of contrast
(2) Notice that it does not
say "in the body"; for all of us are that.
(3) "in the flesh" has moral
significance--the condition of the unsaved heart.
(4) Legal restraint intolerable
to our sinful natures--clearly seen in the statement "Passions of
sins,
which
were by the law"
(5) The word motions
is better rendered by our modern term, "passions."
(6) The verb is
energeo here has the meaning of were active.
(7) Activity is in our members
against which we are powerless to act apart from deliverance in
Christ--struggle is further explained in vv. 15-25.
(8) The seed of sin
inevitably results in spiritual death.
(B) The new life--v. 6
(1) "But now"--0h, what a
contrast to the former condition outside of Christ!
(2) "But now we have been
annulled from the Law."
(a)
Paul's old word meaning "put out of business"--cf. Romans. 6:6 (same
word)
(b)
The believer has "been put out of the Law's domain, out of the
place of business in
which the Law operated."--Newell, 258
(3) "Have died to the Law";
the Authorized Version has "that being dead" which some say
implies
the Law died. There is nothing wrong with this rendering, for if one
reads it carefully, it
shows
that Paul is stating again that the believer has died to the law which held
him (AGAIN,
THE
MOSAIC LAW IS IN VIEW.).
(4) Serve in a new Life
(a)
One of the wonderful paradoxes of the gospel
(b)
Service to God is now on a new plane.
((I)) Not the oldness of the letter--not on minute
particulars, of legal observances based
on tradition
((II)) In the Spirit gives a freedom of operation
for the Lord.
((III)) This is not to infer that anything goes; that
is the prevalent attitude today in many
churches, for many do not have
any standards or very few standards at all.
((IV)) Alford, 376--"'The law" was "only a collection
of precepts and prohibitions, but
the Gospel" is "a service of
freedom ruled by the Spirit whose presence is liberty.
(III) Is the law sin?-vv. 7-13
(A) The reason for this question
(1) In Chapter 6, Paul declared
that the believer died to sin.
(2) In 7:1-6, he declared
that the believer died to the Law.
(3) a = b; a = c; c = b;
therefore, some concluded the Law = sin.
(B) The first answer
(1) Verse 7b
(2) A direct denial--"Far
be the thought"
(C) The second answer--vv. 7c, 8
(1) Knowledge of sin
is by the Law.
(2) Paul's experience
(a)
Latter part of verse 7
(b)
Cf. Exodus 20:17
(3) Verse 8 further explains
Paul's experience.
(a)
Sin found the occasion--that is, sin was present, but the law gave the
occasion.
(b)
The verb is an intensive form of the word work, thus rendered
"achieved," "brought
about," or "worked out to the finish."
(c)
Sin, apart from the Law is dead; sin apart from the Law is dormant, inactive,
not
non-existent. (Sin was there but in an inactive state,
much like many disease germs in our
bodies.)
(D) The third answer--vv. 9-13
(1) Alive apart from the
Law--v. 9a
(a)
Refers to the unsaved state
((I)) Most outstanding commentators take this position.
((II)) Others say that this is contrary to plain New
Testament--cf. Ephesians 2:1b.
(b)
Refers to the first stage of the Christian life
((I)) Newell takes this position.
((II)) In accordance with other Scripture--cf. Ephesians
2:1a
((III)) "Apart from law" are exactly the same words as
in Romans 3:21.
((IV)) Thus, it would refer to the regenerate state.
(c)
The verb is an imperfect tense.
((I)) "The imperfect denotes an incomplete action, one
that is in its course, and is not yet
brought to its intended
accomplishment." (Dana, H. E. & Julius R. Mantey, A
Manuel Grammar of the Greek
New Testament. New York: The Macmillan
Company, 1949; page 187)
((II)) The imperfect can apply to either notion.
(d)
If the first were true, one has the problem of trying to decide
in what period of his life as a
pharisee, the law came causing death.
(e)
If the second is true, and this writer thinks it is, the problem is,
in what sense does the Law
cause a death in the believer?
(2) The coming of the
commandment
(a)
Note: came, not was enacted
(b)
A coming to the conscience
(c)
"Here is seen that crisis described by so many godly saints. It is
what some people call
'coming under conviction for holiness.' 'Ye
are yet carnal,' Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
Here he is discovering that state in himself."--Newell,
269
(d)
The commandments show us the sinfulness of the heart.
(3) Sin revived, and I
died.
(a)
Sin sprung to life as the result of the law being applied to the
conscience.
(b)
I died--"it is the death of all hopes in himself, in his flesh."-- Newell,
269
(c)
As will be seen, vv. 15ff. are a good commentary on this hopelessness of
the flesh living
the Christian life.
(4) The commandment which
was meant for life, I discovered (found by me) to tend to death.
(5) Sin's occasion through
the law
(a)
Note: sin beguiled Paul, not God.
(b)
The sinful nature, even in the believer, tries to obey the law or any law,
but always fails.
(c)
Through the command, sin slew Paul.
((I)) The slaying here is not spiritual death, but rather
the killing of all hope to do good in
one's flesh.
((II)) "We all know how endless 'resolutions' are formed
by earnest Christians--honest
resolutions to be 'better' Christians,
to 'quit' this or that sin or bad habit: and what
failure and despair is the result
of relying on our own wills!"--Newell, 269
(d)
As a Jew, Paul when born again expected the Law to help him. Does it?
((I)) NO!
((II)) "Indeed, it becomes the very means by which Sin
attacks him. And Sin slays him--
that is, all hope in himself lie
vanquished, dead." (Newell, 270)
(6) The holiness of the
Law--v. 12
(a)
Positive refutation of the charge of dishonor God's Law
(b)
Paul fully vindicated the Law even to the point of
self-condemnation.
(7) Further question--v.
13
(a)
The question--"Does the good become death to me?"
(b)
The answer
((I)) Direct denial
((II)) Indwelling sin became death to the believer.
((III)) Sin used the good law that it might be shown
to be sin.
((IV)) "The misuse and perversion of good is one
of the tests whereby the energy of evil
is detected; so that sin,
by its perversion of the (good) commandment into a cause
(evil) of death, was
shewn in its real character as sin."--Alford, 380-381
(c)
"that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful."
((I)) "The more fully and widely the Law resolved itself
in new and fresh commands to
Paul's soul, the more intense and
desperate became indwelling Sin's horrid
opposition to it. Thus was Sin's
hideous countenance seen in full!"--Newell, 270
((II)) Only a Christian can fully experience the hideousness
of sin.
((III)) Cf. Jeremiah 17:9
b. The struggle of the
saved soul--vv. 14-25
(I)
The contrast of law and self--v. 14
(A) This verse 14 belongs with this section rather than
the preceding section because of the switch
from the past tense
to the present tense.
(B) The Law is spiritual.
(1) Spirit-caused and
Spirit-given
(2) Requires of man
spiritual purity--cf. Leviticus 11:44 and 1 Peter 1:16
(C) But I am carnal.
(1) Present state
(2) The word
carnal
(a)
Not of the body as opposed to spiritual
(b)
But fleshy
(c)
Further proof that Paul as a believer is in view--cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14ff.
((I))
The unsaved are called in Scripture natural.
((II))
A believer is either spiritual or carnal.
((III))
A carnal Christian is one who is "not delivered from the power of the
flesh." --Newell,
272
((IV))
Cf. 1Corinthians 3:1
(3) "Now Paul, though his
spirit was quickened; and his inward desires, therefore, were toward
God's
Law; found to his horror his state by nature 'carnal,' fleshly, 'sold under
sin.'" (Newell,
272)
(4) It is precisely at this
point that most new Christians falter.
(a)
The new convert knows he is forgiven, justified, and has the joy of
salvation.
(b)
Soon, he discovers what Paul describes here, namely, that he is not rid of
his sinful nature,
but rather only the guilt of sin.
(c)
Paul, therefore, gives (in vv. 15-20) the struggle the new believer has when
he comes to
the realization that he is not able by himself to overcome
sin.
(II)
The Spiritual Civil War--vv. 15-20
(A) The war of the two natures--v. 15
(1) The I of the
old nature versus the I of the new
(2) "For that which I am
working out, I do not own as my choice: for not what I am wishing
this
am
I doing, but what I am hating, this I am practicing." (Newell, 272)
(3) Paul's new nature wants
to obey the law, or the Word, of God. but the old nature getting the
ascendancy
works out that which the new nature does not desire.
(B) The war leads to recognizing God's law as good--v.
16.
(C) The discovery of the mastery of indwelling
sin-v. 17
(1) "No longer I"
(a)
Not a time consequence but logical--could be rendered. "as the case stands"
(b)
The I here is the I of the new nature--"For it is not
my real self that is working out this evil,
but sin which dwelleth in me."
(c)
A NOTE OF CAUTION--This verse does not teach that we are not
responsible for
sinful acts.
(2) The indwelling sin nature
is responsible for our doing things that are oppose to God's Word
and
will.
(a)
Newell, 274--"Since I am doing what I am not wishing, there must be another
and evil
principle working within me."
(b)
That evil principle is sin.
(c)
This sin nature was crucified with Christ; we need to keep it there.
(D) The struggle further set forth--vv. 18-20
(1) The double lesson
(a)
No good thing in our old natures
(b)
We are unable to do the good we wish to do.
(2) The desire to do what
God wants is present in every believer, but the ability work out the good
is
not present.
(3) The words "I find not"
(a)
Some say that these words are not in the best manuscripts and should be
omitted.
(b)
Thus, it would read: "for to will is present with me but to perform
the good is not."
(c)
What is considered the best manuscripts? In general it is those that
the Westcott-Hort
theorists say are the best, namely, Aleph and Vatican,
which to some are corrupt texts
together with several others. The Textus Receptus
has many good manuscripts in support
of its text.
(d)
This writer can find little difference between "the good is not" and "the
good I find not"; the
former implies that the good doesn't exist in him, whereas
the latter states that Paul could
not find the good in him.
(e)
In either case Paul wanted to do good, but was unable in himself to do so.
(4) Verses 19, 20 reiterate
the truth of vv. 15-17.
(a)
Verse 19 is not normal Christian living, but it certainly describes the condition
of many
Christians.
(b)
Verse 20 reasserts the fact that indwelling sin is working out the life of
defeat.
(III) The Results of the struggle--vv. 21-25
(A) The conclusion --v. 21
(1)
The discovery of the principle that while desiring to practice
the right, evil is
present.
(2)
See how this verse strikes right at the heart of those teach sinless
perfection.
(B) A 3-D result--vv. 22, 23
(1)
Delight in the Law of God
(a) Delight is a very strong word.
(b) A stronger word than the consent of verse
16
(c) Literally--"To rejoice together"
(d) NOTE: This passage demonstrates that a saved person
is in view not
the unsaved; Newell, 276-278, gives
7 reasons why this is not an
unsaved.
(2)
Discernment of a struggle
(a) Verse 23a
(b) Sees another law--another of different kind
(c) Warring--rare verb meaning "to carry on a campaign
against"
(d) The law of my mind--the reflective intelligence--another
name for the
new nature
(3)
Defeat in battle
(a) Bringing me into captivity to the law of sin in my
members
(b) In ourselves there is neither strength or power win the
battle.
(c) We fail to win the battle because we rely on self, rather
than the Spirit.
(C) The cry of wretchedness--v.
24
(1)
The struggle leads to wretchedness.
(2)
An adjective which is derived from a verb meaning to do hard labor
(a) Distress, to bear a callus
(b) The wretchedness is produced by trying to live the Christian
life in
one's own strength.
(3)
Who shall deliver me?
(a) Not, "How shall I deliver myself?"
(b) Not, "How shall I be delivered?"
(c) But, WHO!
((I)) A Person outside of oneself
must deliver.
((II)) Paul puts the lie to any
so-called process by oneself.
(4)
The body of death
(a) Not, guilt--This shows that saved, not unsaved, is in
view.
(b) "The body whose subjection to the law of sin brings
about this state of
misery." (Alford, 384)
(c) Points up the necessity of a redeemed body--Cf. Romans
8:23
(D) The note of victory-v.
25
(1)
Found in Christ Jesus
(a) Who saved us from the penalty of sin?
(b) Who saves us from the power of sin?
(2)
The answer to the question of verse 24 is victory through identification
with
the crucified, risen Lord.
(a) The believer is delivered by what Christ does for him now,
but by
identification with Christ's
death.
(b) Christ delivers us from this struggle with the power of
sin by taking us
with Him to the cross to die with
Him--Romans 6.
(3)
The conclusion
(a) The text of Chapter 7
(b) The struggle of the two natures
((I)) Not purely a Jewish struggle
although the Law is involved
((II)) Not a Christian experience
though many go through it
((III)) Not a necessary Christian
experience
((A)) If
one wholly believes Romans 6, this struggle can be
avoided .
((B)) This
struggle reveals a lack of complete trust in Christ for
living the Christian life.