• home
• about
  • Our Staff
  • Our Vision
  • Our Message
  • Our Finances
  • Our Building Fund
  • Contact Us
• services
• ministries
  • Home Groups
  • Pastoral Care
  • Kidz Church
  • Youth
  • Alpha
  • Simply Christianity
  • Mothertime
  • St Marks Preschool
  • Link Missionaries
  • PASWCA
• occasions
  • Infant Baptism
  • Thanksgiving
  • Weddings
  • Funerals
• resources
  • Sermons
  • Bible Studies
  • Short Articles
  • Links
  • Ministry workshops
• what's on
• blog
• rosters

Spiritual Life - Romans 7:1-8:17

Introduction

Once there was a beautiful young girl who was born into an arranged marriage. Even before she was born it had been decreed that she would marry one of the village elders. And as is the way with these marriages in some cultures, personal preferences, feelings of love or otherwise don't come into it. She was married at a young age and was thus irrevocably bound to her husband. If she was honest, she would have acknowledged that she found the other village boys much more interesting, more attractive, than her middle aged and overbearing husband. But she was bound to him and that was that.

Until one day her husband died. Dutifully, she donned the black clothes of mourning and went through funeral rituals of her people. But that evening, alone, in the safety of her lounge room, she quietly celebrated.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Struck with panic, and maybe a sense of guilt, she opened the door ajar to find a man dressed in fine clothes, a royal messenger. He says, "Madam, I bring you condolences from the young prince at the imperial palace,.. who wishes your presence at the palace tomorrow night for dinner…'

How do you reckon the young girl feels at that moment?

Well, that's exactly where our passage in Romans takes us today.

What God has done for us.

We are looking a fairly large passage today, from the beginning of Romans 7, and through chapter 8,most of which has to do with what God has done for us. Remember that God is displaying his righteousness now, apart from the OT law, by setting Jesus forward as a sacrifice that satisfies his justice1. Our response to this is put our faith in him. And because of this undeserved gift, we are declared right with God, we have peace with God, and we are reconciled to him. It's great news.

But the big issue in the minds of the Christians in Rome that Paul is writing to, especially the Jewish Christians, is 'what about the OT law?' Aren't we still supposed to obey the law—all of it, because the OT law is not the sort of thing that you can pick and choose which bits you like and which bits you think you'd rather not obey? So either the Christian is still stuck obeying the law— the 10 commandments and the bits about not associating with Gentiles, insisting on circumcision, Sabbaths, feast days and forgiving all debts every 7 years. So, 'what about the law?'

Our passage now is going to show how the Christian is no longer bound to the OT law and all its requirements, but instead now lives by the Spirit of God—a Spiritual life.

Rom 7:1-6 the death that sets us free

We see this first of all in verses 1-6 of chapter 7 where Paul argues that the Christian has died to the law 'in/with Christ' and therefore is no longer bound to it.

Paul's reasoning is simple. Under the law, if a woman leaves her husband to live with another man she comes under judgment. But, under the law, if her husband dies, she is free to marry whomever she wants. In effect, death sets a person free from the marriage law. And by analogy, that's exactly what has happened for the Christian. Through the death of Jesus, the Christian also died to the law and so it no longer has any claim on them. Have a look at verse 4 and following with me:

Rom. 7:4 So, my brothers, 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 to God.  5 For when we were in the flesh, (NIV:  "controlled by the sinful nature"), the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.  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.

Do you see it? There has been a death that sets us free—we are no longer bound to the law. We are like the young girl born into an arranged marriage, now set free, now being courted by the handsome prince.

So who is the first husband? In verse 5, the NIV calls it the, 'sinful nature'. Literally, we were in the 'sarx', in the flesh2. This is the spiritual condition3 of being 'in Adam' that Paul described in chapter 5. The person 'in the flesh', 'in Adam' is a slave to sin. They have no choice but to follow their base urges and instincts.

As Paul shows us in the second part of Romans 7, although this person might have genuinely good notions about living up to the standards of God's law, they might genuinely want to be right with God; they cannot escape. They are slaves to sin, they are married to sin and the law condemns them. In fact, the law provides an opportunity for sin to stimulate more sinfulness in the person who is controlled by the sinful nature. So life in the flesh (the sarx) is the fallen condition of Adam and his tribe, where slavery to sin rules.

Verse 6 is the turning point. 'But now…!' There is a distinct before and after. But now…there has been a death that sets us free. We were 'in Adam', but now we are 'in Christ'. We have died to the law 'in/with Christ', so that we might live in the way of the Spirit, not 'in the flesh'. From Romans 5 we know that you cannot be both: God sees you as either 'in Adam' or you are 'in Christ'. Although the Christian is fully human—and in that sense, like Adam— that person has been translated from the spiritual state of being 'in Adam' to the state of being 'in Christ'4; from being 'in the flesh' and under the law, to being 'of the Spirit' and freed from the law.

Romans 7:7-13 The law is good but was used by sin to bring death.

And it's really important to establish this so that we understand the rest of the passage.

If you have a look now at the sermon outline that you received in your bulletins, you can see the logic of what Paul now writes to the Romans. In 7:1-6 he describes the death that set us free. Then, in something of a diversion in verses 7-13, he explains that the OT law is good in itself, but was used by sin to bring death to those bound to the law.

Romans 7:14-25 The frustration of living under the law of sin and death

Next, in Romans 7:14-25 Paul talks about his experience of being bound to the law. It’s a very moving passage as he describes his frustration of living under the law of sin and death. Even though as a good Jew he wanted to live up the standard of God's law, in the spiritual state of being 'in the flesh', sin held him captive.

One of the difficulties we have with this part of Romans is that Paul writes in the present tense, as though that was his current experience when he was writing to the Romans, as though this was a description of the life of any and every Christian. It's so poignant, so real, so much like our own experience as Christians, we kind of feel still stuck in this same struggle5.

Rom 7:19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.

But as much as we as Christian people can identify with this kind of frustration, verses 14-25 actually describe the experience of a person who is not yet a Christian, someone just like Paul as a Pharisee under the law.

Let me show you why. Three times he describes his condition as being 'in the flesh'6. It is struggle with sin that is all alone, without the help of the Holy Spirit, under the power of sin (v14b)—a state from which Paul has just said the believer has been released. In fact, this is ultimately not a struggle with sin, it is a defeat by sin. A defeat from which only Jesus Christ can rescue a person. So it's pretty clear that Romans 7:14-25 is not a description of normal Christian life, but instead it is designed to dramatically highlight the frustration of the non-Christian living under the law.

Romans 8:1-11 The freedom of the law of the Spirit of life

And that's why chapter 8 comes as such a relief, such a triumphant piece of good news. Have a look at the first couple of verses with me:

Rom. 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

This is the part where the handsome prince comes knocking on the door. Not only are we set free from the law of sin and death but Jesus Christ comes to make his home with us, in the person of the Holy Spirit. Look at verses 9 and 11:

Rom. 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you… 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Unlike the frustration of living under the law that Paul described in chapter 7, this is ordinary life for the Christian. This is the freedom of the law of the Spirit of Life. And these things are true of every Christian. Even the reality that we are now, by the Spirit's indwelling, made into God's children, his adopted children. Have a look at verse 14ff:

Rom 8:14 …those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry,  “Abba, Father.”  16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 

I don't know about you, but this takes my breath away. God has done all this for us and freely gifted it us. We have not merely been saved, rescued by the skin of our teeth from some tragedy, some terrible fate…and then left to fend for ourselves. Instead, we have been filled with his personal powerful presence and adopted as his children. And if we are children, we are siblings for his true Son Jesus Christ, glorified with him and sharers with him of his great inheritance. Even though God knew exactly who we are and what we're like, he has lavished all this upon us.

Living in the realm of the Spirit (Spiritual Life) 8:12-17

As Paul writes this to the Christians in Rome, it's clear that he knows what some of their questions will be. The main one goes something like this, "OK Paul, if I'm not under the law anymore, does that mean that I can just go ahead and do whatever I like?" It's the same question many people ask today, as they come to grips with how generous God has been towards them. "If God does not judge me under the law, and its all by his grace,can't I just do whatever I want?"

Paul answers this in verses 12-13. This is how we live in the realm of the Spirit, how we live the Spiritual life. Have a look at it with me:

Rom. 8:12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.  13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,  14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

The first thing that stands out here in verse 12 is that the Christian lives under an obligation, literally, a debt. All that God has done for us means that we owe him a debt. A debt of gratitude, at very least, but more than that, we live under the obligation of being sons and daughters of the living God.

We used to be obligated to our flesh, our sinful nature. It dictated the way we lived. But now we are live in an entirely new way, the way of the Spirit. He wants to grow us in holiness—as we've seen in our last series on transformation.

And for mine, Romans is a book that shows us exactly how we participate in God's work of changing us. In verse 13, we're told to put to death the misdeeds of the body by the Spirit's work. That's it right there—with the help of God, we are to kill off our old ways.

Spiritual life—living by the Spirit— means that we say 'No' to the wrong things that our bodies crave. This is what Paul means by 'putting to death'. So often we hear people say, 'How can it be so wrong when it feels so right. I just wanted to do it. It feels so natural, as though I was made to do it—whatever it is. Contrary to this, Romans 8 says that's rubbish. Our human craving does not make it right. We can't trust our human nature—it's flawed. Instead we master our desires for sin. We are no longer slaves to sinful desires: instead we are free NOT to sin7.

Let me explain. Once there was a slave whose Master yelled at him every morning, demanding his breakfast, his slippers, his paper and his coffee. The Slave would jump to attention and obey his cranky Master. But, one day, the neighbour of the noisy Master called by and asked to purchase his slave. So tired of the yelling and abuse, he willingly paid the price and brought the slave home to his house.

The next morning, the slave was woken by the yelling and ranting of his former Master next door. Instinctively he jumped to his feet and began to make breakfast. But his new Master said, 'You are free from the tyrant's rule. You belong to me now. Let him scream and call all he wants but you're with me.'

The slave set free instinctively obeys the shouted commands of his former master, though he need not. He needs to get his head around his new reality. In the same way, we are commanded to use exercise our will and to train our minds to respond Christianly. This makes sense when we realise that the command to 'put to death the misdeeds of the body' in Romans 8:12-13 is built upon what Paul had to say back in chapter 6. Turn back a page and have a look at it with me:

Rom. 6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?...

Rom. 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.  14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Do you see where sin defeated? Romans 8:12-13, on the back of 6:12-14, is a command to the will: yield no longer to the passions of the body. Right here at the crux of our battle with sin, notice where we are directed: count yourselves dead to sin, reckon yourselves alive to God.

The Spirit empowers you to master sin. When you battle with entrenched sin, whatever it is, here is what God's word says.

I recognise that Romans may not be fashionable in today's religious and cultural climate but it's worth pointing out how many popular sin remedies Paul does not mention here. At the heart of Spiritual life, overcoming sin by the power of the Spirit, there is no mention of seeking a deeper experience of God, of self-emptying of our consciousness and just feeling. Paul does not advise renunciations or ceremonies or deliverance from demons. Instead, by faith, we are called to live the reality that God has given us. It is by counting ourselves dead to sin that we do let sin reign in our mortal bodies. The life of transformation into Christ-likeness is a life of training ourselves to live the truth of the gospel.

Yes we struggle along the pathway—Paul acknowledges that often enough8. We are like toddlers learning to ride a bike. There will be falls along the way. We need encouragement, we need good examples, careful discipline and the help of training wheels. The pathway of transformation is the pathway of sanctification. Training and discipline is involved. The Spiritual Disciplines are our training wheels. God changes us, trains us; and we engage in the process. The important thing is, when we fall, is to get back on the bike and start again. Getting back on the bike involves real repentance from sin; but then we move on. The righteous live by faith: trusting the reality that God has brought us into, and living accordingly.

So much of Romans 5-8 describes what God has done for us, in so much detail, so that the reader will actually live the reality of the salvation God has given . 'Count yourself dead to sin but alive to Christ' is not just convincing ourselves with positive thinking so that we don't sin: creating an artificial reality that we try to live within just long enough so that it becomes a habit.

Quite the opposite, it is an adjustment to living in the reality that exists now: it's adjusting our living to God's reality, not trying to achieve a new reality through some kind of wishful thinking.
God says that Sin has been dethroned. It's rule began in Adam and was ended by Christ. When Christ died, and we died in him, the power of sin to bring death was broken. We are now free.

We have the freedom not to sin, not to go blindly into the same old sins. We are debtors—but not to the flesh, the sinful nature. Instead we are debtors to God who redeemed us. We live our lives as an expression of gratitude to him. We live under the obligation of sonship. This changed life is not optional but it is an obligation.

We are debtors to the God who loves us, who saves us, who adopted as his children, and who promises us a share in the future glory of Jesus' rule over all creation, a renewed creation. AMEN.

---

 

 

©2008 St Marks Avalon & St Davids Palm Beach. All rights reserved.