100 likes | 109 Views
Christians and the Law. Romans 7 Chapter 6. License: “Since we are saved by grace, we are free to live as we please” Answer in Romans 6 Legalism: We are saved by grace, to be sure, but we must live under the law if we are to please God. Answer in Romans 7 Law is used 23 times in Romans 7
E N D
Christians and the Law Romans 7 Chapter 6
License: “Since we are saved by grace, we are free to live as we please” • Answer in Romans 6 • Legalism: We are saved by grace, to be sure, but we must live under the law if we are to please God. • Answer in Romans 7 • Law is used 23 times in Romans 7 • In Romans 6 Paul explained how to stop bad things while in Romans 7 he explained how not to do things not to do good things
“You are not justified by the law and sanctified by the law” • Legalism is a belief that I can become holy and please God by obeying the law • Legalism is measuring spirituality by by a list of do’s and don’ts • Legalism sees sins, not sin (the root of all the troubles) • Legalism judges the outward, not the inward • Legalist fails to understand the purpose of the law and relationship between the law and grace
Legalist pretends or suffers complete collapse and abandons his desire for godly living • Legalists: critical, unloving, unforgiving • The Authority of the law (7:1-6) • Illustration of husband and wife • Broken by death [& unfaithfulness (Matt 5: 31-34; 19:1-12)] • We died to the law (4-5) • The law didn’t die, but we died to the law • In Christ we arose from the dead and are married to Christ to walk in the newness of life • “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit
In old life fruit unto death; in new lifefruit unto God • “Dead unto the lae means motivation and dynamic of our life comes from grace, not law • We are delivered from law (6) • Death means deliverance • Law can’t exercise authority over a dead person • Death to the law that we might be “married” to Christ • Delivered that we might serve • Holy Spirit energy us to obey Christ • Under the law no enablement • Walk in newness of life (6:4) & serve in newness of the Spirit (spirit) (7:6) • Ministry of the Law (7:7-13)
The law reveals sin • “By law is the knowledge of sin” (3:20) • “Where no law is, there is no transgression (4:15) • Mirror of the inner man (James 1:22-25) • Coveting, inner attitude; leading to the breaking of other commandments • Rich ruler in Mark 10: 17-27 • The law arouses sin (8-9) • “The strength of the law is sin” (I Cor15:56) • Example of “Do Not Touch” • “Because the carnal mind id the enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (8:7)
Legalism makes people more sinful, not spiritual • The law kills (10-11) • Law cannot give life • Law shows he is guilty and condemned • Results: church fight & split • Philosophies of Christian life • Spirit enlightens and enables us • The law show sinfulness of sin (12-13) • Unsaved people: no such thing as sin • Christians not realizes the true nature of sin • Mistakes or weaknesses • The problem is not with the law; it’s with my sinful nature
The Inability of the Law (7:14-25) • The law cannot change you (14) • The law is good, holy, just, and spiritual • The spiritual deals with the inner man, the spiritual part of man as well as with the outer actions • Deuteronomy: inner quality of the law as it relates to man’s heart; repetition of “love” • The believer who lives by the law only activate the old nature (sin), not eradicate it • The law cannot not enable you to do good (15-21) • 3 times: sin dwells in us (187, 16, 20) • Holy Spirit dwells in us (Rom 8)
Believer’s mind, will, and body can be controlled by old nature or new nature (flesh or Holy Spirit) • He cannot do the good he wants to do • He does the evil he does not want to do • Rom 7:21 – So I found this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right here with me (NIV) • Rom 6 deals with how I can stop doing bad things • Rom 7 deals with how can I ever do anything good? • The law cannot set you free (21-25) • Old nature wants to keep the believers in bondage • The law is a magnet • The inward man may delight in the law of God (Ps 119:35) • Old nature delights in breaking the law of God
“Wretched” : exhausted after the battle • Deliverance through Jesus Christ • Dead unto the law, but alive unto God & able to draw on the power of the Holy Spirit • Struggle between flesh & Spirit (Gal 5: 16-18) • Mind – the inward man (22) • The old nature is negative • No good thing (7:18) • Profit nothing (John 6:63) • No confidence in the flesh (Phil 3:3) • He cannot please God or do anything good if we depend on the energy of the flesh • Yielding to the Holy Spirit we have the power needed to obey the law • Secret of doing good is to yield to the Holy Spirit • Old nature knows no law & the new nature needs no law