Rom 7:13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
Paul argues that the law of Moses is not evil but good. It can be said that the Jews attempts to obey God’s more than 600 laws made them into worse sinners than what they had started as.
God gave the law to Moses, so that sin would exhaustively complete the process of the death in the human, and end up becoming what it truly is, hyper sinfulness.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
The law of Moses, truly is spiritual and must be obeyed by the voice of the Holy Spirit.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
In verse 15, Paul commences his vast discussion on the law of sin and death which he concludes in the first verses of Romans eight.
After acknowledging that the law of Moses is spiritual and must be obeyed by the spirit, Paul confesses that he is naturally fleshly, being sold under sin.
As we discussed yesterday, it is a fact that the believer now dwells in the Spirit of God, by virtue of his new birth in Christ.
However, depending on how he chooses to obey the Lord, he can fluctuate from walking in the Spirit to walking according to the flesh. The believer is now IN the Spirit, but can walk ACCORDING TO the flesh.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk ( stoicheo) in the Spirit.
Stoicheo – following the military march of a soldier.
The spiritual man is the believer who directs his Christian life by the voice of the Holy Spirit. To walk in the Spirit, according to Paul, is a military march which the believer develops to keep in step with the Holy Spirit’s voice.
The believer who conducts his life by his own emotions or mental strategies, disconnected from the military march of the Holy Spirit’s voice, is called a “natural Christian”.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The Greek word for natural is “psuchicos, or psychological”. Paul defines the natural believer as one who lives in his soul realm, the realm of the psychological, or the realm of the mind alienated from the still small voice of God’s spirit.
There is nothing wrong with our mind. God gave it to us and it is of supreme importance. As a matter of fact, the Christian has the mind of Christ which must be progressively revealed through his faith.
Our mind must be renewed until it becomes submitted to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
The difficulty with “religion’ is that it keeps the mind at bay or detached from the voice of the Holy Spirit. The mind becomes the means to the end.
Heb 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern ( blueprint) shewed to thee in the mount.
God, is a God of blueprints or schematics. The revealed schematics of God are called wisdom. The success and anointing which God grants is commensurate to how close or far we accomplish our religious programs in tandem with his spiritual blueprints in wisdom.
1 Cor 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
These blueprints which dwell in mysteries in us are solely revealed by His Spirit. The more the revelation of these blueprints, and the more that we march in tandem to the instructions of God found in these blueprints; the greater will be our success in the Lord.
Now, let’s go back to Romans 7.
Rom 7: 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Verse 15 is a truly mysterious verse. In it, Paul, the mighty man of God talks about his personal struggle.
“ I am thoroughly working out, what I have no knowledge of. What I do not want to do, this is what is what is being worked out of my life as bad habits. What I hate, this is what I am doing.”
This now is our first glimpse into the law of sin and death also found in Romans 8:2
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
If you read re read my blog on Romans 6: “ What Kind of Engine do you Have?”, it is quite clear that the old man, the sinful nature, the engine which incessantly produced sin in us, was destroyed at the moment of our being born again with Jesus Christ.
Rom 7: 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
How can Paul then who wrote Romans six, describing the destruction of the sinful nature, now talks about sin housing or dwelling in him, in Romans seven? Pretty confusing, at least at first sight!
We will learn that Romans six talks about an entity, the sinful nature. Romans seven however talks about a law, that of sin and death.
In verse 18-21 Paul describes this law. This law is inherent in the bodily members of every human being alive on planet earth. Because we live in a fallen world gripped in the sway of the devil, sin is hugely alive and kicking and every one can be trapped to the law of sin in the world.
Paul says that in his flesh, dwells nothing good. As a matter of fact, his flesh is totally subjected to the law of sin and death. So though the Christian lives now IN the Spirit, he can walk ACCORDING TO the flesh, just as if he were still IN the flesh.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Ge 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
In Genesis 4, God tells Cain that sin is very much prowling in the murkiness of darkness waiting to jump on him or upon anyone who disobeys God. This is the law of sin and death in action.
This is also what it means that sin is alive to every human being.
For the sinner captured in the throes of the sinful nature, and living in a world where sin is alive to him, he has no choice but to sin. He is toast! Not only is sin alive to him, but he is also alive to sin.
The believer on the other hand is dead to sin, by virtue of having the sinful nature eradicated. Sin, however is still very much alive to him.
Romans 8;2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Here is the trick! As long as the believer conducts his life in a military march to the Holy Spirit, he remains dead to sin. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus keeps him detached or free from the law of sin and death which is in his members.
The reason why there is this law of sin and death simply is because sin remains alive and well in this world until Jesus comes back. Every human being has the ability to fall prey to its clutch by disobeying God. The unbeliever has no choice. He is already stuck dead and trapped in his sins.
2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
If the believer steps out the realm of the Spirit and seeks to please God by his flesh he will fall back prey to law of sin and death in his bodily members. Aha, thus here is the definition of organized religion which seeks to please God and legislate morality by the letter of the law and not by the Holy Spirit. It’s pretty devastating.
Rom 7: 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
In verse 22 we can notice another law, called the “law of God” which works in conjunction with the new man, Christ Jesus, in us.
We will discuss the “law of God” which is also the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus in the days to come.
The “law of God” works in conjunction with our renewed and submitted mind in tandem with the Holy Spirit, while the law of sin and death works in conjunction with the flesh.
Rom 7: 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
In verses 21-23 we now see these two opposing laws as well as in Romans 8:2
Romans 8;2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Once again to conclude for today’s blog; as long as the believer marches by the voice of the Holy Spirit, he keeps the law of sin and death which dwells in his bodily members, dormant, inactive, and asleep. The law of God in the inner man is stronger than the law of sin and death. If the believer goes back to becoming a psychological or a natural Christian, he awakens to life the law of sin and death. He now walks according to the flesh and the law of sin and death dormant in his members awakens, captures him and he falls.
