Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus
Romans 7:1-25
Key verse: Romans 7:25a
Good morning. In Roman mythology, there is a god named Janus. Her nickname is two-faced Janus because she has two faces, one looking forward, one looking backwards. She often represents as the god of good and evil: one body but dual conflicting characters. In Today’s passage, Paul was in the same dilemma between good and evil. In his mind, he loves God that he wants to offer himself to God. But at the same time, he found that he offered himself to sin against his mind. So he cried out, “what a wretched man I am!”. However, the hand of God was with him. He shouted also “thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ”. He praised God who saved him from the power of sin. He praised Jesus who gave him the victory. Like Paul, we want to please God, but we often offer ourselves to sin. Then, we are frustrated like Paul. But the same hand of God is with us also. Through this passage, I pray Paul’s praise can be our own confession today.
- Released from the law
In chapter 6, Paul talked about sin. Now in chapter 7, he talks about the law. Look at verse 1. Paul mentions how the law is working in general. The law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives. This is true. In verse 2 and 3, Paul used one example to support verse 1. There was young man and woman. Actually yesterday on campus, I saw one couple taking wedding photos. They looked so happy. Anyway, when a woman get married, by the marriage law, she is bound to her husband. For example, in America, not mandatory, but in general the married woman changes their last name after her husband’s family name. She also follows her husband wherever he goes. Ruth never thought about coming to America. But after marriage, she is bound to me, she came with me to the US. In verse 2b, Paul said when a husband dies, she is released from the law. So while her husband lives, if she has sexual relations with another man, she is called an adulterous. However, if her husband dies, she is not condemned as an adulterous if she marries another man.
From verse 4, Paul explained how the law, the words of God, works related to us. Let’s read verse 4 together. “So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” He said “we also died to the law through the body of Christ”. Last week, we learned we have died to sin. We understand dying to sin is good since sin is bad. But here we also died to the law. The law itself is good, in fact, in verse 12, Paul said “the law is holy”. Nevertheless, why did God make us dead to the law? There are three reasons in verse 4 and later in verse 6. First, as we died to the law, we are released from the law but bound to Jesus. In the past, we were bound to the law. In order to be blessed, in order to be saved, we had to do what the law commanded us. If the law said “do this”, we had to do that. Otherwise, we were punished by the law. But the law has no understanding, no forgiveness, and no mercy. Even if we did a good job in 99 times, but when we disobeyed the law even one time, the law always condemned us. However, God had mercy upon us. When Jesus died and rose again, in him, we died too. Since we died, we were released from the law. We are done with the law. Then, in verse 4, we can marry another man, Jesus who was raised from the dead. In another word, Jesus became our husband and we became his bride. We have a new marriage that we live now under the grace of Jesus .How does it look like having Jesus as the husband? Our new husband Jesus has mercy. He understands us as we are. He loves us so much that he even died for us. Also he is faithful that when we repent our sins, he forgives us.
Second, as we died to the law, we may bear fruit for God. People say couples resemble each other. Husband and wife look similar, they share the same food, the same room, the same value system, and the same life journey. In the past, when we were bound to the law, we became legalistic and in verse 5, most of all we bore fruit for death. However, as we are under grace now, we are able to bear fruit for God. In John 15:5, Jesus says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; “ We were not the branches originally. But Jesus drafted us into his vine that he can remain in us, we in him that we can bear much fruit. What kind of the fruit does Paul talk about here? Galatians 5:22,23 say “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” In our sinful nature, we cannot bear such good things. But when we are bound to Jesus 24/7, he blesses us to bear these kinds of fruit.
Third, as we died to the law, we can serve God in the new way of the Spirit. Can we read verse 6? “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” The written code means the law. Before Paul met Jesus, he served God in the way of the law. When the law says “do this”, he did. When the law says “do not do it”, he did not. But this kind of legal life made Paul really burdened out. It also made him even hypocritical. What God really wanted from him was to serve God from his heart. Deuteronomy 6:5 says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”. But now in Jesus, Paul began to serve God in the new way of the Spirit. Not only Paul but we also are able to serve God in the new way of the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to serve God in the way of the Spirit? We can get some hints from what the Holy Spirit is doing for us. The Spirit changes us from hardened heart to soft heart. He also changes our mind and our attitude toward God. He helps us to serve God out of thankfulness. He reminds us that we are not his slave but his precious children. Most of all he helps us offer every part of ourselves to God from our heart. So, we got to learn how to serve God in the way of the Spirit. We will learn more details in next chapter. Personally, I really want to learn this part: serve God in the way of the Spirit.
- The role of the law
So far, the law sounds bad. But Paul said “NO, the law is not sinful. It is actually good for us”. Can we read verse 7?”What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” In verse 7, we can see why God gave people the law. The law has three functions: convict people about what sin is, why they are sinners, and what kind of sin they commit. People do not know what sin is in general. They do not know that they are sinners. They do not know that what kind of sin they commit either. Paul was the same. In verse 7, he said he would not have known what sin was if the law did not exist. He did not know “coveting” was sin. But through the law “you shall not covet”, from the Ten commandment, he realized that coveting is sin. Let me ask you. Is coveting sin? Is not it natural that we envy something good in our neighbor’s’ house? We want better house, better car, better job, better tennis racket and so on? But the law says coveting is sin. Paul also found in verse 8, not just one coveting but every kind of coveting in him. The law convicted him that he sinned against God. The law condemned him that he is a sinner.
However, here is the real problem. Can we read verse 10? “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death” The law has a good intention. Through convicting people’s sin, the law was supposed to lead people to come to God’s mercy. But it does not go in that way. The very law intending to bring life actually brought death.
Why does this weird thing happen? Because of sin. Verse 5 says “For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death” Verse 8 says “But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting.“ Verse 11 says “For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.“
What does this mean? Sin is like a crouching tiger. When the law says “you shall not covet”, sin seizes the opportunity and tempts people to do more coveting. In Genesis 2, God said “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” Satan used the law to tempt Eve. He asked her “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”. Then, she was deceived by Satan. She knew the law says “you must not eat”, but when she saw the fruit of the tree, she wanted it so bad. And she ate it. This is how sin works through seizing every opportunity by the law in our daily life.
- What a wretched man I am
Paul really does not understand why he sins while he wants to obey the law? What is wrong with him? Can we read verse 15?” I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Personally I like Paul a lot because he is very honest. He is a great servant of God that he could hide his struggle. But he shared his struggle as it is, we can learn we are not the only one who struggles with sins. Anyway, back to verse 15, he does not understand why he does not do for what he wants to do, but he does for what he hates. Probably he prayed long for this confusion in tears. Then, God inspired him to find a great discovery in verse 17 and verse 20. Verse 17 says “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me”. Verse 20 says “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Paul does not mean that he excused his sin. Rather, he wanted to reveal what really caused him to sin: it is sin who is living in him. It is kind of confusing, The Bible says we have died to sin and now Paul said sin is living in us. Once again, we need to keep in mind that sin did not die. The law did not die. We died. But since we have our mortal body, as sin did to us in the past, sin comes and tries to reign in us once again. So even after we believe Jesus, it does not mean that we are sin-free. As long as we have our body and our sinful nature, sin is there. That is why we need the grace of God in our all life.
So Paul repeated his dilemma again verse 22 and 23. Can we read verse 22 and 23? “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me”. Paul, in his inner being, in his mind, he delights in God’s law. He loves God and wants to live for God. But at the same time, he sees another law working in him: make him enjoy worldly pleasure and live a me-centered life.
Finally, Paul cried out in verse 24. Can we read verse 24? “what a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body that leads to death?” Some of you might feel the same way like Paul. We want to please God but at the same time, we see the law of sin powerfully working in our body. We cry out “what a wretched man I am”. I think this is actually a good sign for our souls. We confess we are totally hopeless and helpless in front of sin. In the Bible, actually God wants this kind of heart. Psalm 51:16,17 says “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, isa broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” This is the grace of God. Having a broken heart before God. You know, the darkest time a day is just right before the sun set in the morning. The darkest time prepares for coming bright sun light.
Look at verse 25. There is an amazing turning point in Paul’s frustration. Can we read verse 25a? “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Paul gave thanks to God. He praised God. He praised Jesus. Because God delivered him through Christ Jesus. In 1 Corinthian 15:57 Paul also said “But thanks “be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Like him, in Christ Jesus, God delivers us through Jesus. Even if we may struggle ups and downs, he gives us the victory in Jesus.
As we know, Martin Luther found his victory over sin in Romans 1:17. “The righteous will live by faith”. When he read the Bible, he learned even one sin caused him to go to hell. So he tried to do his best not to sin against the law. He became a priest. He became a theology professor. He lived even in a monastery, remote monk house on a high mountain. Yet, he could not do anything about sin constantly arising in his heart. Sin seized every opportunity to have him slave to sin. Like Paul, he was totally hopeless. Then, the hand of God came upon when he read Romans 1:17. He was changed from a man of the law but a man of God’s grace.
In conclusion, today we learned the law is good since it helps us to recognize our sins. Also like Paul, even if we are saved, we do not live a sin-free life overnight. It is a continual battle: sin verse the Holy Spirit in us. Through ups and downs, we are growing in our new husband Jesus’ image because God gave us already the victory in Jesus. I pray that Paul’s confession “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” may be our confession this week.
25b Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord