EXPOSITORY SERMON: ROMANS 7: 1 - 25

I. INTRODUCTION

A. There are two extremes that creep into every religion over time. This includes Christianity.

1. "License" - If we are saved by grace, then we are free to do as we please."

2. "Legalism" - We are saved by grace but we must follow the law unerringly if we are to please God."

B. License was explained in Romans 6, when Paul exhorted his readers to stop doing wrong things.

C. Legalism is the topic of Romans 7, and Paul will describe how we are not to do good things.

1. Keeping the Law of Moses will neither justify us nor sanctify us.

2. The danger of a legalistic attitude in Christianity is that you begin to think that following the rules is all there is to it. The Pharisees had fallen into this pattern and even begin to make new rules that God had not bound on the Jews. Some Pharisees even expected the Jews to keep rules they themselves would not.

D. Our discussion will be divided into three areas: The authority of the Law, the ministry of the Law and the inability of the Law.

II. DISCUSSION

A. The Authority of the Law (1-6) - Paul continues a discussion he began in Rom. 6:15. While he used the master servant relationship to illustrate his point there, here he uses the marriage relationship. The Jews relationship to the Law was described as a marriage. A marriage ends when a spouse dies. There are two facts that explain the believer's relationship to the Law:

1. We died to the Law (4,5) - Paul applies his illustration unexpectedly. If we are married to the Law and the Law died (or was done away with); we would be free to marry Christ. This is not his application here!
a. We died, were freed from our marriage to the Law and were resurrected to marry Christ as a member of His bride, the church.
b. When we accepted the gospel, were buried with Christ in baptism, we died to ours sins (and for Jews to the Old Law) and arose to walk in newness of life.
c. "But I was not a Jew in the first place." Then you died to the law you were under. Needless to say it was not Christ's law.

2. We are delivered from the Law (6) - It has no authority over a dead person.
a. Why have we been delivered? So we can be independent and rebellious? Certainly not! To serve Christ. Paul was not teaching lawlessness, but Christian service.
b. What is different about Christian service as compared to the old life?
1) The Holy Spirit through God's word can now direct us.
2) God's word can now be written in our hearts. 2 Cor. 3:1-3 and,
3) We have risen to walk in newness of life (6:4)

B. The Ministry of the Law (7-13) - So what good is the Law if we do not need it any more? Does Paul's teaching turn the Law to sin?

1. The Law reveals sin (?) - (3:20; 4:15 Jms. 1:22-25) Paul chooses one of the Ten Commandments to illustrate.
a. Why covetousness? Because it is the only one that concerns itself with the inner man. It is the one sin that leads to the breaking of all the other commandments.
b. In Mk. 10:17-27 Jesus used the Law to reveal to the rich young ruler his sin.

2. The Law arouses sin (8,9) - Paul's rearing as a strict Pharisee where he sought to obey the Law in every minute point helps us to understand his point.
a. Something in us makes rebellious. Why is it when we are told not to do something it becomes the very thing we want to do? Because our wants and wishes are being directed by our outward passions. (8:9)
b. Legalism in the church causes similar problems. Can you think of examples brethren have tried to bind on brethren that have caused major problems? What about unnecessary rules we have applied to ourselves?

3. The Law kills (10,11) - Col. 3:21. The Law cannot give life, but only show the sinner guilty. Love is what will save him. Love and obedience to God's will.
a. Churches that split usually do so over a matter of legalism. We must be about the business of helping one another, not sitting in judgment and condemnation.
b. Legalism is the stronghold of the cults. You must follow their rules, regulations and interpretation of scripture.

4. The Law shows the sinfulness of sin (12,13)
a. Are you guilty of calling your sins "weaknesses or mistakes?" Until we realize how wicked sin is, we will never oppose it strongly enough.
b. Paul argues this way:
1) the Law is just holy and good.
2) but it reveals and arouses sin and uses sin to slay us.
3) Something is radically wrong here! What? If sin can even use the Law to its evil ends then indeed sin is exceedingly sinful.

C. The Inability of the Law (14-25)

1. The Law cannot change you (14).
a. The true appeal of the Law was to the inner man, Duet. 8:5,6.
b. Our old nature would have trouble responding to the spiritual side of the Law. We need Christ to bridge the gap for us. Only He can change us, not the Law.

2. The Law cannot enable you to do good (15-21)
a. The believers will, mind and body will either be controlled by his old nature or by Christ. That is, by the flesh or by the Spirit.
b. Before we believed, only our old nature could control us.
c. The Christ-less dilemma:
1) we cannot do the good that we want to do,
2) we do evil that we do not want to do.
d. Even believers can fall back into this pattern, if we do not allow Christ to help us control our old nature.

3. The Law cannot set you free (21-25) - only Christ can do that.

III. CONCLUSION

A. The strength of sin is in the Law, 1 Cot. 15:56. It acts as a magnet that indeed draws sin and corruption out of us.

B.While the inward man may delight in the Law of the Lord (Ps. 119:35)~ without Christ our old nature delights in breaking the Law.

C.As a believer I must realize that the struggle between flesh and Spirit continues:

1. Gal. 5:16-26

2. The works of the flesh are easily distinguished from the works of the Spirit.

3. The Holy Spirit liberates us from the Law (chapter 8).