Romans 7:1-8:4
Exposition
This is one of the most misunderstood sections in Romans. Paul’s just got done in Romans 6 telling us that Christ’s death and resurrection kills our old nature which was governed by sin, and gives us a new nature which follows God. He teaches this in response to this question: if God justifies people on the basis of Christ’s obedience, received through faith alone, will we go on living in sin?
The answer of course is ‘no’ – Christ’s death and resurrection not only takes care of God’s requirements that we be righteous, but also gives us a new heart that does righteous things.
Chapter 7 begins to answer another objection. What about the Law? Paul’s addressed the Law a little bit with reference to Jews – they thought they could be justified by trying to obey it. Paul’s response has largely been to say, ‘no, it just shows you’re a sinner and condemned because you don’t keep it.’ (See 3:19, 20.)
Paul begins chapter 7 by talking about the fact that we’re not judged under the Law in vv. 1-6, Paul shows that our severance from being judged by the Law results in actual fruit bearing for God. The reason that we need to be cut from it, is because if we’re judged by the Law, sin in us rebels against it and disobeys it (see v. 8).
He starts this section by talking about marriage. It ends when you die. That’s the point. Don’t get stuck in the details.
Christ died the punishment that the Law demanded for lawbreakers. So we no longer have to respond to an external code by works, but we respond directly to God. The Holy Spirit works holiness in us (v. 6). Thus, we bear fruit – or ‘have results’ – for God. Note that they’re for God.
In v. 7, Paul raises an objection – is the Law sin? If the presence of the Law means we’re going to rebel and God’s going to kill us, isn’t the Law a bad thing? Paul’s answer to this question takes him through v. 25 in the famous ‘I do what I don’t want and don’t do what I want’ passage. But the ‘I’ is not the main character of the section – the Law and sin are. To focus on the ‘I’ – whoever Paul is talking about – is to miss the point.
Besides, what we’ve just seen in Romans 6 is that a Christian can’t go on living in sin. So if one takes this section to be about Christian experience, one is really missing the point.
So the Law shows what sin is (v. 7). But sin, reacting against God’s commands, rebels. Thus, in v. 9, people, because of rebellion, die. Even though if we did obey God’s commands we’d enter his kingdom, sin in people rebels and earns us death (vv. 10, 11). So the conclusion – in v. 12 – the Law is good. (We’re not!) And we see the Law didn’t kill us, sin did – the law just shows that it is sin (v. 13).
In defense of this, Paul begins to talk about how sin and the Law interact. If the flesh owns humanity, it results in us doing what we know isn’t good (v. 16).
And what we see in the next verses is conflicting desires – to do what the law requires – but the inability to do it. One might really love the Law (v. 22) – but being owned by sin and trying to obey the Law results in mere captivity to sin.
And this is the punchline – if you try to obey the Law, you will necessarily fail. Anyone who is trying to look good before God on the basis of the Law – Christian or not – is going to be stuck in sinning. That is the opposite of 6:17-23 and 7:6. Those verses say that God gives us a new nature and the Spirit and causes us to act in a holy way.
So the point of this whole thing – you try to obey the Law to be good before God, you’ll fail.
And you resultantly cry out what Paul cries out in v. 24. A person trying to obey the law is incapable of doing it (wretched) – and in need of rescue from his own inability to obey.
Verse 25 tells us that God rescues people from that helplessness. And the conclusion is that anything we do under the reign of the flesh is going to be sin. This person is divided – but rescue is here in Jesus.
Romans 8:1-4 tells us how that happens – and how we’re rescued from the condemnation we’d incur if we were ruled by sin (and therefore breaking the Law). There are two kingdoms at work – the Spirit’s – and the flesh’s (the old, sinful kingdom). The Spirit freed us from the old world because Jesus died – and when he died, our old natures which were governed by the old world also died (v. 3).
And the result of this is in v. 4: the Holy Spirit causes us to walk in such a way that we begin to fulfill the Law.
The practical application of all this is this: God’s Law is good, but we need to be separated from being judged by it to produce holiness – because if we treat it like we’re going to be judged by it, we’ll rebel more. On the other hand, we need to know that the Holy Spirit has given us new life because of Jesus’ death and resurrection – and will cause us to walk with him – so depend on him and realize that judgment has been carried out on Jesus – it won’t be on us. Praise God!
Discussion Guide
-The first thing you’re going to have to do is recap chapters 1-5. Make absolutely sure that the students know how we are justified. You also need to recap the objection in ch. 6, telling them how Paul answers it.
-Read 6:17-7:6
-What was true about you from these verses before you decided to rely on Jesus for forgiveness and submitted to him as your King?
-What became true of you after you did turn to Jesus?
-(You may want to define the Law here and look at Romans 3:19, 20).
-How did Jesus accomplish this?
-How does the Law relate to all this?
-Read 7:7-24
-(You have to explain here that the ‘I’ is not the subject – the Law and sin are.)
-What do you see sin doing in these verses?
-What does the Law do?
-What’s going to be true of a person who’s trying to be on God’s good side by trying to obey all that the Law requires?
-Read 7:25-8:4
-What do you see God doing in these verses?
-What did Jesus’ death accomplish?
-Explain vv. 3-4 if necessary.
-How does this contrast with the person’s experience in vv. 7-24?
-So how do you obey God? What should we do? (You’re looking here for believe that God has changed our nature because of Jesus’ death and resurrection - and has declared us righteous by his works - and depend on the Holy Spirit to produce obedience to the Law in us.)
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