ROMANS 7 – OUR DELIVERANCE THROUGH CHRIST
In the book of Romans Paul is writing to Christians at Rome, many of whom are Jews. As we know, Jews typically had a difficult time letting go of their former religion even when they embraced Christ. Therefore, in this book Paul defines the Gospel system very intricately in order to help these brethren better understand God’s scheme of redemption.
Our focus this morning is upon what Paul deals with in chapter 7. Romans 7 is a somewhat unique chapter and it is important to note that Paul employs exaggeration and personification to emphasize some particular points.
(We will have to divide this study into two lessons. We will plan to complete our thoughts on chapter 7 next week.)
RELEASED FROM THE LAW (vv. 1-6)
In order to help the Jews understand the concept of being released from the law (the law of Moses), he uses an example. He employs the law of marriage to do so.
The argument hinges on the fact that the marriage covenant or law between a man and woman is a contract for life (there is no return policy). Individuals who marry are bound together for life. This was God’s design for marriage from the very beginning (see Gen. 2:24) and many make those very vows within the wedding ceremony today. However, in the event that a woman’s husband dies, that marriage contract, or covenant, comes to an end.
According to verse 3 “she is free from that law,” and she is free to remarry. Now, while this is taught elsewhere, and Jesus notes an exception in Matthew 19, the purpose here is one of illustration, designed to help the Jew in that day, and us today, to better understand our deliverance or severance from the OT law.
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Just as if a woman’s husband died, she was then released from the law of marriage, a Jew who became a Christian was released from the law of Moses when he died “through the body of Christ” (v. 4). This occurred when he was baptized into the death of Christ (see 6:3-4). Verse 6 then says, “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” They had died to the law of Moses. They were no longer subject to it. We never have been directly subject unto it.
THE LAW IS GOOD (vv. 7-12)
Now this concept would have been very difficult for a Jew in that day to swallow. It was a matter of a certain amount of pride and heritage for them. They must have thought in their mind’s: “Now it’s just gone, Paul? Are you saying that the law was evil? Was it sinful? Was there something wrong with it?”
Well, Paul answers this in verse 7 saying, “By no means!” In fact, he goes on to suggest that if it were not for the law he would not have known sin. The law was great at pointing out sin. For instance, Paul says it taught him what it meant to covet (v. 7). Now this is an intriguing part of the law, and really apples to any law. Paul indicates that his knowledge of this concept actually led him to sin. (Now, I do think that Paul is using exaggeration here, but yet there still is a point to be made.) Not only did Paul know what sin was because of the law, but he in a sense also committed sin because of the law. He came to understand what covetousness was and he also came to practice covetousness.
Let me illustrate this way. Imagine a mother leaving her two children at home while she runs down to the store for just a few a minutes. Before she leaves, she tells her children, “I’ll be back in 15 minutes. Don’t open up the desk drawer while I am gone.” And mother exits the home, then actually opens the door back up and says, “Remember, don’t open up that drawer.” Well, there was probably slim to no chance they would have opened up that drawer, but what are the chances now? 50%? 75%? I don’t know, but that is similar to what the law did. It defined sin. It pointed out sin. It convicted one of sin. But it also led to sin. Where there is a law there can be an infraction of the law.
Paul said back in Romans 4:15, “where there is no law there is no transgression.” It is impossible to break a law that does not exist, but the Law of Moses had hundreds of laws!
Was the law of Moses bad? Absolutely not! It was good. It was perfect for the purposes of God, but by itself it was incomplete for the needs of lost humanity. The Jews and the whole world needed “the rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey would say.
