Romans: New Law for Us

What we have studied so far in Romans:

In 2023, we looked at:

Chapter 1: Paul’s Intro and Call to Preach the Gospel as well as the Corrupted Heart of Man
Chapter 2: Man is Without Excuse
The Seven Ways God Justly Judges
Chapter 3: Paul’s False Arguments Debunked

In 2024, we are now looking at:

Chapter 4: Faith of Abraham
Chapter 5: Being Justified by Faith
Chapter 6: Newness of Life

This month we dive into Romans, Chapter 7, where we will look at Paul’s arguments about what I call the “new law of love” that we are to walk by in our new life in Christ. This month we will look at the first two subjects, and then next month, we will look at the last two subjects I have listed. They are:

Chapter 7: New Law for Us

- To Whom Are You Married? vs. 1-6
- How the Law Exposed Sin in Me: vs. 7-13
- The Sin Nature Still Remains: vs. 14-22
- I See Another Law in My Members: vs. 23-25

Few chapters in the Bible have been the subject of more decidedly different interpretations than this chapter. After all that has been written on it by the learned, it is still a matter of disagreement and deep discussion:

Whether the apostle refers in the main scope of the chapter to his own experience before he became a Christian
Or to the conflicts in the mind of Paul after he was saved
Or to not just Paul but to all people both before and after they are saved

Which is it? I believe that the principles discussed reflect on all of the above.

The main theme of the chapter is not very difficult to understand (although you can get a little lost in Paul’s ruminations). It is evidently to show the insufficiency of the law to produce peace of mind to a troubled sinner.

In the previous chapters, he had shown that the law is incapable of producing justification (Chapters 1-3).

He has shown the way in which men were justified by faith (Romans 3:21-31, 4:1-25).

He has shown how that God’s plan produces peace and counters the evils introduced by the fall of Adam (Romans 5).

He has shown that Christians were freed from the law as a matter of obligation (that is, we are no longer obligated to try and fulfill the law), and yet that freedom should not lead us into a licentious life (Romans 6).

He now proceeds to further illustrate the tendency of the law on a man both in a state of nature and of grace. To show that its uniform effect in the present condition of man whether impenitent and under conviction or in a state of grace under the gospel, far from promoting peace as the Jew maintained, was to excite the mind to conflict, anxiety, and distress.

Paul’s discussion is conducted without particular reference to himself either before or after salvation and, by extension, all mankind. It is rather designed to group together the actions of a man’s life whether in a state of conviction over sin or in a state of grace and to show that the effect of the law is everywhere substantially the same. It equally fails everywhere in producing peace and sanctification.

The argument of the Jew respecting the efficacy of the law and its sufficiency for the condition of man is thus overthrown by a succession of proofs relating to justification, pardon, peace, the evils of sin, and the agitated and conflicting moral elements in man’s bosom.

The effect is everywhere the same. The law is woefully deficient to save. But it does cause the conflict and exposure of man’s heart, and, thus, draws us to deliverance from all these evils via the gospel of Jesus Christ the Lord (Romans 7:23-25).

Walking in a New Marriage Relationship

Paul is going to compare some Old Testament legal advice on the marriage relationship and extend it to the new relationship we have in Christ. Not really out of place as we know that Christ is our groom, and we are His bride (Revelations, Chapter 21 and 22).

Romans 7:1-6:

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them to that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Verse 1 Notes: “Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?”

Paul can lump in all kinds of laws in this sentence. The biblical law, ordinances of man, our constitution, traffic laws, contracts, torts, safety laws, and let’s not forget the laws of nature – gravity, for example.

However, he specifically speaks directly to those who know the law, specifically Jews and, of course, Jewish law keepers.

He reminds them that such a man is subject to the law and its power and consequences when disobeyed. Some examples we can relate to include:

- Jumping off a building
- Breaking a contract clause and getting monetary penalties
- Speeding and getting caught
- Stealing, murder, and so on . . .

As long as man is breathing, he is subject to laws.

Verse 2 Notes: “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.”

Paul chooses to use the example of marriage for his illustration instead of the thousands of other examples he could have used. This is very interesting to me since in other places in Scripture our relationship to Christ is clearly described as a marriage relationship, and we are the bride and He is the groom. Take note of this parallel as we explore Paul’s writing here.

In Paul’s day, divorce was frowned upon. Women generally could not divorce their husbands in Judaism, but men could. So, it is natural that Paul refers to the woman in the marriage relationship who is subjected to the law that favored her husband. Of course, setting divorce aside, she only becomes free from the law of her husband as his death.

Verse 3 Notes: “So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.”

Any attempt to break the law of her husband (by leaving him and marrying another man) would be considered adultery. Whether married or not, if found with a man not her husband, she is in adultery.

If her husband is dead, she is free to remarry and, of course, is not an adulteress.

Why this example?

- Death of a marriage partner breaks that marriage, the marriage relationship, the power of that relationship, and frees the remaining spouse (in this case a woman) to join with another.

- This principle is well understood even in our day and allows for a firm basis to illustrate the principle Paul wishes to highlight.

- We were bound to sin before Christ as though sin was our husband. When we were saved, we became dead to sin, or reversing that, sin became dead to us. We are, therefore, free to embrace our new spouse, Christ.

- Note, when we go back to sin, it is as if we have decided to commit adultery! Let that impact you for a minute. When we choose to fall back into sinful habits, it is as if we had decided to commit adultery against our spouse, in our case, our Savior Jesus Christ.

- Another way to put it, two masters is like having two husbands! This should not be so – God forbid!

Verse 4 Notes: “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

When you were saved, you became dead to the law – your first husband.

You are now married to Christ – your new husband.

You can’t stay married to a dead husband!!! Imagine trying to do that! You prop up his rotting corpse on a chair in the living room, put his nicest clothes on him, and place a book in his lap. You sit next to him and attempt to carry on a conversation or watch a movie together. Or you try to get him to laugh at some good joke you heard. Perhaps you attempt to feed him a most delicious meal.

God wants you out of that unhealthy relationship and firmly embracing one with Him, and it should be so wonderful that it produces fruit unto God.

Paul reminds them Jesus is very much alive – even raised from the dead! Why hold onto an adulterous, dead, rotting corpse?

Verse 5-6 Notes: “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”

Sins, exposed by the law, brought forth rotten fruit (works) and the result, as always, is death.

We were wonderfully freed from the law, its bondage, its dominion and power where we were held as prisoners.

But now we have a new husband, Jesus Christ, and our relationship should inspire us to serve Him in and with the new spirit and life we have in Christ.

Paul, again speaking to his Jewish audience, tells them to walk in this new life and don’t go back to the old way of keeping of the law for it cannot save and only continually exposes rotten, dead fruit.

How the Law Exposed Sin in Me

Paul now turns to the sin that we all struggle with. First, he argues that the law, which has exposed sin in our lives, is not sin itself but just the agent God uses to expose sin in our members. Next month we will look at a new law in our members which I call, “the law of delight.”

Romans 7:7-13:

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just and good. 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.

Verse 7 Notes: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

In light of the law arguments Paul has given up to this point, he again assumes an objection that his Jewish readers will voice: if it causes sinful passions to surface, is the law not actually evil by itself?

Romans 7:5: “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”

The objection which he expects from the legalistic Jew is implied as: “Are we then to suppose that the holy law of God is not only insufficient to sanctify us, but that it is the mere occasion of increasing sin? Is its tendency to produce sinful passions and to make men worse than they were before?”

Remember that the Jew trusted the law to be the way to personal holiness, and that in keeping the law, they could work their way to a holy and sanctified life. But we know that the law does not do that because one must keep the whole of the law, and no one but Christ could do so.

To this objection, Paul replies by showing that the evil was not in the law but in man. That though these effects often followed, the law itself was good and pure.

Paul then uses an example of lust. He did not know that he lusted until the law pointed out that lust and coveting is sin. So his example basically says the law did not make him lust or make him covet; He was already doing that. The law, once understood, exposed the lust and covetous nature already in him and, thus, allowed him to see his lust and covetousness for what it was – sin.

Once again, we see the “God forbid” phrase the Paul has used to express his total distain for such as conclusion. In Romans, Paul will use this phrase ten times. This is the sixth time he has offered an opposing argument that a Jew might express and then gave the strongest Greek expression in the negative. “me genoito” (Strong’s G1096, G3361): MAY IT NOT BE!!

I understand that on the Autobahn in Germany there is no speed limit. Go as slow or as fast as you please. As you leave the Autobahn, you will immediately see speed signs, even on some of the exit ramps. That also goes for the other streets. Until I see the speed signs, I am not speeding. As soon as I see the signs, I know that I am either obeying the speed limit or not. The speed limit signs are not evil; they merely point out if my behavior is evil or not.

Verse 8 Notes: “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.”

There is a further point to be made here. Paul has pointed out that the law “wrought in me all manner of concupiscence”. A fancy Old English word that means desire, lust, and covet (American Dictionary of the English Language). In effect, Paul is saying that knowledge of the law has excited in him desires that he either did not have or did not recognize.

How can that be, and if true, why then is the law not evil if it has excited unlawful desires in me? Examined more closely, we see that Paul is saying that as I become more exposed to God’s holy law and standards, I become more unholy in my own sight. The closer to the light, the uglier my sin nature becomes as the light exposes it all the more clearly.

And then there is the fact that our sin nature hates the law. We don’t like to be told what to do. Just observe a young child and watch how often they push the limits set by their parents. It just seems that as soon as you tell them something they need to stop, that is the very thing they then start to do even more of.

Why is it that that which is forbidden is so desirous? Why does our sin nature delight in sinning? Rebellion? Self-rule? I want what I want when I want it – even if it is yours!

So Paul is simply stating that the law not only exposed sin in him (and us), but that the sin nature will rebel against the law by sinning even more in light of the law. Does that make the law evil? NO – God forbid! The law remains pure and right and has exposed in us the desperate condition of our old nature that was there all along.

But like the Autobahn, without speed limits, I can’t speed. Without the law, sin is dead, that is has no effect on us. But when the law is known (the speed limit signs start showing up), then I know I am sinning.

Verse 9 Notes: “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”

“For I was alive.” Paul is saying that he had a certain kind of peace. He deemed himself secure; he was free from the convictions of conscience and the agitations of alarm. Implying that he deemed himself to be righteous, depending on his own works, and esteeming himself to be blameless. Consider another Pauline statement in Philippians 3:4: “Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:” or Acts 23:1: “And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God unto this day.”

It means that he was, then, free from those agitations and alarms which he afterwards experienced when he was brought under conviction for sin. At that time though he had the law and was attempting to obey it, yet he was unacquainted with its spiritual and holy nature. He aimed at external conformity. Its claims on the heart were unfelt. This is the condition of every self-confident sinner and of every one who is unawakened.

But when the commandment came – that is when he became spiritually aware of its power by reason of salvation. The sin that was already in him was finally exposed for what it was, and the effect of that sin in his life was made evident.

“I died.” I believe that this is opposite the “I lived” statement. If correct, the “live” statement was in regards to a clear conscience and ignorance of sin, and the “I died” statement declares that that peace and clear conscience was now gone and in its place was guilt and misery before a holy God.

When I was witnessed to, I had the same experience. I was going along just fine until I was made aware of my sinful nature before God, and then the guilt and shame just overwhelmed me, and I cried out to God to save me out of my despair.

Ray Comfort is correct in his approach to the lost. Expose to them their sin by referring to the law, and only then do we hope they will see their need for a Savior.

Verse 10-11 Notes: “And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.”

In Paul’s case, he thought himself to be a law keeper and righteous by doing so. So, then, the law was to him his path to holiness and eternal life (ordained to life). But after seeing his true nature and how the law exposed that nature, and that the law was not sufficient to save oneself, and even excited him to more sin by seduction and deception, then the law became as death to him.

Keeping the law was a death spiral because only Christ was able to keep all the law – for to be saved by it, one must keep all the law.

Verse 12 Notes: “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”

Closing this section of arguments, Paul concludes with a wherefore that refers back to the first two questions: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin?” No, the law is not sin because it exposes sin in us. The law remains holy, and the individual commandments are holy. The law is just and good and provides us with guidance, truth, and light, and reveals to us the holiness and nature of God.

God’s law is just. It is righteous and meet for us as it bespeaks a holy standard that is not a respecter of persons. It is absolute in its standard for living.

It is good because it does expose sin in us and, thus, brings us to the end of ourselves so that we can see our true need for a Savior and cry out to him to save us.

Verse 13 Notes: “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.”

“Was then that which is good, etc.” This is another objection which Paul raises in anticipation of the question by the Jewish Romans that the apostle, then, also proceeds to answer.

The objection is this: “Can it be possible that that which is admitted to be good and pure should be changed into evil? Can that which tends to life cause death to a man?

Again, in answer to this, the apostle repeats that the fault was not in the law, but was in himself and in his sinful propensities. The law merely exposes our evil sin nature.

“That it might appear sin.” That it might develop its true nature and no longer be dormant in the mind. The law of God is often applied to a man’s conscience so that he may see how deep and desperate is his depravity. No man knows his own heart until the law crosses his path and shows him what he is.

“By the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.” In the original language, this is a very strong expression and is one of those used by Paul to express strong emphasis, or intensity, meaning exceeding to an extensive degree; to the utmost possible extent (Strong’s G1096, G2596, G5236).

The sense here is that by the giving of the command and its application to the mind, sin was completely developed. It was excited, inflamed, aggravated, and showed to be excessively malignant and deadly. It was not a dormant, slumbering principle; but it was exceedingly opposed to God and his law.

John Calvin (Commentary on Romans – Chapter 7 – Romans 7:13) has well expressed the sense: “[T]hat it was necessary for the atrocity of sin to be discovered by the law; for except sin had burst forth into outrageous, or, as they say, into enormous excess, it would not have been acknowledged as sin; and the more outrageous does its enormity appear, when it converts life unto death . . . .”

The sentiment is that the tendency of the law is to excite the dormant sin of the bosom into active existence and to reveal its true nature. It is desirable that this should be done, and as that is all that the law accomplishes, it is not adequate to sanctify the soul. To show that this was the design of the apostle, it is desirable that sin should be thus seen in its true nature, because:

Man should be acquainted with his true character. He should not deceive himself.
Because it is one part of God’s plan to illuminate the secret feelings of the heart and to show to all creatures what they are.
Because only by knowing this will the sinner be induced to take a remedy and strive to be saved. God often, thus, suffers men to plunge into sin, to act out their nature so they may see themselves and be alarmed at the consequences of their own crimes.

Beloved, how has your exposure to the holy nature of God and His holy law revealed your sin nature, and now what are you going to do about it?

So Christian, which husband will you live with? The flesh or Christ?

Beloved, we all have the same struggle, but it seems some gain victory while others live in defeat. Why? Could it be that the commitment we have to our Lord Jesus Christ is less than it ought to be?

Re-examine the “God forbid” phrases in Chapters 3, 6, and 7 (and 11 when we get there) and notice how forceful Paul is trying to let us know that sin need not rule in our lives anymore but grace instead. Walk in the light. Don’t be a shadow Christian!

Maranatha!

Bro. Joe

References

Calvin, J. John Calvin’s Commentaries. Wordsearch. (2004). Wordsearch Bible. [computer software] . Nashville, TN: LifeWay Christian Resources. (Original work published 1890).

Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)

Webster, Noah. Noah Webster’s First Edition of an American Dictionary of the English Language Facsimile Fifth Edition. San Francisco, CA now at Chesapeake Bay, VA: The Foundation for American Christian Education. 1987. (Original work published 1828)

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