Category Archives: Bible passages

Bible passages, Current Series, Growth Group tips, Romans

Romans 7:14-25 love for the law is not enough

Friends, sorry that the blog for Romans 7:1-13 did not make it out in a timely manner (ie, not at all). I’d like to offer you a focus in Romans 7:14-25 with reference to the whole chapter this week. Let’s follow a slightly different format this week called the COMA method of bible study (this doesn’t mean that it puts us to sleep!).

C.O.M.A. – CONTEXT, OBSERVATION, MEANING and APPLICATION

C is for CONTEXT
What have we covered so far in Romans that is relevant to this chapter?

Paul is writing to a Christian audience in a very friendly style. He has never met this church but loves their reputation. His aim is not to rebuke but to outline exactly what this gospel that he is not ashamed of. It is the power of God that bring salvation by faith alone.

Without God, we are all sinners. All have turned away from God regardless of their knowledge of the law or not. No one is righteous and yet it is only the righteous who will be safe on judeny day (I have not placed bible references hear bit I hope that this is all filial ground and you might even remember where these lessons are coming from).

It is not our works or attempts to be good that can save us but only faith like Abraham – who believed God and that act of belief or faith was credited to him as righteousness. We couldn’t save ourselves but God could and while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Grace has saved all who have faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ.

What good then is the law? That’s the context and question of chapters 6 and 7. Romans 6:1 proposes: let’s sin! sin! sin! so that God can be praised so much more for his grace. What an amazing grace! Romans 6:15 asks: if grace is so good, we have no motivation to stop sinning. Romans 7:7 asks: is the law to blame for our sin and guilt? Romans 7:13 asks: did the law become like poison to me? Each of these questions are aimed at understanding where the law fits in to this teaching about Grace and each question is followed by a resounding NO!!!

The point? Sin and judgement exists prior to the written law but only when the law became known was sin both recognised and fanned into flame. We would struggle to understand the grace of God without first hearing what it means to be in rebellion against him.

The context of chapter 7 is working out who the enemy is: the law or sin? What is their relationship? Should we hate the law?

Verse 7 asks ‘is the law sinful?’ Is God’s commandments the bad guy? The answer in short comes in verse 12… the law is holy, righteous and good. After all, it came from God. Verse 6 tells us that we are living in the spirit now and not struggling under the written code or law but this does not mean that the law was useless. Verse 13 concludes for us that without the law, sin would not have been identified and understood as sin.

NB: Paul uses the word ‘law’ quite a lot without a clear definition and he doesn’t always mean the same thing. Mostly, what he refers to is the written down laws of the Old Testament. This includes everything that describes how God’s people ought to live as the people of God. Sometimes, as in chapter 2 and in 7:1-3, he refers to the law of the land – the laws that we live under in our society. Context is needed to work out what he means in each case.

O is for OBSERVATION
What can you see in the text that helps your understanding of it? What do you notice? What is the structure? This is an information gathering moment and a bit of initial comprehension.

Here is a thought on the structure of verses 14-25

  1. vv14-17 ‘I know’ that the law is spiritual but I am unspiritual.
  2. vv18-20 ‘I know’ that good itself does not dwell in me.
  3. vv21-23 So ‘I know’ this: I want to obey the law but sin is what is at work in me
  4. vv24-25 this seems impossible but thank God for Jesus!
  5. Verse 25b a recap of what he is attempting to say

This structure follows a logical argument from Paul, namely, the Law is from God but sin is my constant enemy and I cannot do what the law commands even though I try – God is my only help.

  • Verse 14 it is surprising to hear Paul describe the law as spiritual. This has two effects, firstly that it aligns the law of God immediately with a category that we’ve seen is good, that is, the way of the Spirit (v6). Secondly, it alludes to the fact that the law has it’s origins with God and that it ultimately embodies knowledge and revelation of God (see 2:18-20; 3:1, 21).
  • Paul discusses the concept of dwelling in the ‘sinful nature’. He contrasts the new life of the Spirit introduced in the first half of the chapter with the life of the natural person – living captive to sin – Note verse 15 stating that ‘I do not know understand what I do.’
  • “Total depravity” is a theological term used to describe the condition of humanity outside of Christ. Chapter 1 of Romans pictured the human race as out of control in the opposite direction from God. Here in chapter 7, Paul describes the battle that humans face. Total depravity encaptures a concept that means even becoming a Christian and rejecting sin is an act of mercy and grace from God. This is captured in the way that Paul finishes the chapter.
  • v24 highlights a problem that many discuss in this chapter: who does Paul mean when he says “I”? Does he mean himself? If so, is he describing what it was like before he became a Christian? Isn’t he already saved? Or is he pretending to be any human on the planet? Perhaps he is pretending to be all of Israel who received the law and were stuck with the problem of being unable to keep it? Does the answer to these questions matter?

M is for MEANING
What is the overall meaning of the text. Try and state the point of this section in 10 words or less.

Here’s my attempt – you might be able to capture it better…

“I am, by nature, incapable of good – God help me!”

OR

“Love for the law is not enough. We need Jesus.”

OR

“The Law is from God – sin is my enemy.”

Now, does that sound right? Does that first one sound too harsh? Does that sound like what Paul is saying? If I am wrong, prove it. If I am right, how does this affect your view on people, the world and society in general?

A is for APPLICATION
Having looked at the CONTEXT, OBSERVATIONS of the text and then the MEANING, what are we to do about it? How should we respond? Does the passage tell us? Is there an obvious implication? Here’s some ideas…

  • By default, we are not basically good and make mistakes at times. This is a radically different view from our culture’s view.
  • The law, given by God and revealing the mind of God, uncovers the savageness of sin. Without it, sin kills us without us even being aware that we are dying. With the law on our minds, we can only conclude that we need God’s help.
  • Let us have a high view of the LAW and a low view on sin. Let’s be absolutely suspicious of our motivations and ability to do good and very affirming of the origin of the law and the reason for the law.
  • Stop and consider why the law was given. Without our knowledge of the corrosion and demolition of sin, we would not conclude that we need a Saviour.
  • Rejoice that God is good.
  • Rejoice that he has delivered us through Jesus Christ!
  • Lean on God for help to deal with sin. Keep in mind that we need his Spirit to battle while we are still in the body.

That’s it from me. I know that this was a long post – perhaps they all are – but chapter 7 can be tricky to handle. Consider also, using the COMA method laid out in this post – I plan to use it in my groups this week.

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK?
Father God, we praise you for your goodness and kindness to us in sending your Son. Save us, we pray, from the power of sin in our lives. Thank you for your grace and mercy, for your word of truth and for the Holy Spirit. Keep us safe in your care we pray. Amen

Bible passages, Current Series, Romans

Romans 6:15-23 – What grace gives us

Just as Paul has taken his readers through a look at how unrighteous we are in chapters 1-3, he is now taking us through a journey of what impact grace should have on our lives in chapters 6-8 and beyond. He asked the question in 6:1, if sinning brings out the grace of God then more sinning should bring out more grace shouldn’t it? That is, let’s make God look really gracious!

Romans 6:15 asks a similar question but from a different perspective: if we are only saved by the righteousness of Jesus and not our own, then there is really no point even trying to be righteous. The point is something like: working at being good is hard work that we can’t succeed in anyway, so let’s just relax and let Jesus’ righteousness be ours by faith.

In isolation, verses 15-23 appear to be Paul preaching a pursuit of holiness in order to receive eternal life: obedience leads to righteousness which leads to eternal life! But context, context context is so important! Not only does verse 23 tell us or remind us that eternal life is a free gift, as opposed to being wages earned – but verse 22 reminds us that we have been set free from sin. Also, we cannot forget the previous 5 chapters which teach us that it is not by our works that we are saved but by the grace of God.

So, what is this passage saying if it is not about works righteousness? Verse 17 gives us a good capture of what the message is. Let me try and paraphrase that verse…

“Once upon a time it was sin and impurity and lawlessness that claimed your heart – but now, by the grace and mercy of God, you have fallen in love with His way of life.”

Now, Paul contrasts the difference between life under sin and life under God.

Life under sin which may feel like having a free spirit contains these elements: it leads to death (v16, 21, 23), makes you a slave to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness (v19), and yet free from the control of righteousness (v20).

Life under God which is described as being slaves to obedience contains these elements: it leads to righteousness (v16), it has claimed the Christians allegiance (v17), sets us free from sin (v18,22), makes us slaves to righteousness (18, 19), leads to holiness (v19, 22), makes us aware and ashamed of the life of sin (v21), results in eternal life (v22), which is a free gift (v23).

So, the positive argument is that a life of sin leads to death. And the life of someone serving God is a life with eternity in mind and with eternity as the promise.

Is there a negative? Being under sin is described in verse 20 as freedom and the life of obedience is described as slavery to righteousness (v18, 19). Well, notice that these are also both flipped around so that what appears to be freedom at first is actually also slavery to sin – so that sin has it’s rule over you. And that this righteousness that is described as slavery is actually an appealing state to someone who has died to Christ (6:4, 21). The burden of righteousness becomes the gift of freedom from sin! Where sin no longer has control over us.

What does it mean to have sin rule over us and therefore that humans are slaves to sin? Compare verse 17 and verse 19 – prior to coming to Christ, pleasing the flesh (our human desire and passions and cravings) was normal and the enjoyment of it leads to more and more sin. But once Christ has stolen your heart and your allegiance, you are free to learn what it means to live a righteous life – experiencing the liberty of holy living. See verse 21 how it describes the rejection of that past life? A vegetarian friend of mine described what it was like to give up eating meat – at first it was hard to walk past burger shops and smell what used to be so lovely to them but after a time of abstaining from meat, their bodies stopped wanting it. A single bite of a piece of flesh could be almost felt going all the way through their body. This may be the same with all foods and habits that we want to get rid of.

To those who are outside of Christ, the problem is not that they need to reform their immoral lives, the issue is that they need to hear the good news of Jesus – that his righteousness imparted to us provides more than just an eternal inheritance, it sets us free from being slaves to sin. To the outsider, being a Christian means being a good person. But to the Christian, being in Christ means experiencing the joy of obeying God, not because we need his approval, but because he has our heart and our allegiance.

The last but not least important point of the passage is the one that Paul puts plainly: which master will pay you the best results at the end of the day? Will sin? No, that leads to death. Will listening to God and responding to his word through Christ? Yes, because by grace he has set us free from the bondage of sin and death!

I am a slave to Christ. Whose slave are you?

Bible passages, Current Series, Faith, Romans

Romans 4 – Faith like Abraham

We are studying a whole chapter this week which may seem or feel like a big chunk compared to our previous weeks. We had slowed down to consider the weight of sin and the evidence of our unrighteousness. Now we look at Paul’s scriptural evidence why it is and always has been a matter of faith that we are saved. God hasn’t changed the rules at all! In Christ, he is being completely consistent with all that he has said and promised in the Old Testament. Although it is a whole chapter, Paul’s message is simple: it has always been a matter of trust.

Before I continue I’d like to put a cheap plug in for the God’s Big Picture Plus course. If you have anyone in your growth group who is doing that course on a Sunday arvo, it would be great to ask them to share with the group how they have found it. I will run the course again, God willing, later this year or early next year. I highly recommend it. I’m confident that it is helpful to everyone who seeks to know God better and to understand righteousness given by faith in Christ.

THE THEME

The gospel is not a New Testament phenomenon but is the same message that God has always been committed to. Are you fully persuaded of God’s power to redeem you.

TOPICS COVERED IN THE TEXT

  • The full story of scripture – how the whole bible fits together.
  • What faith delivers vs what the law or works delivers.
  • What faith is.

 

OBSERVATIONS OF THE TEXT

V1 Paul turns now to Abraham, the father of all the Jews, to testify that righteousness is given by faith. God called Abraham, one man out of all the human race, to make promises to. Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-6; 17:3-8. These are the promises which began the Jewish race (sons of Judah) and the promises which precede the law received by Moses.

V2 Paul picks up the language of boasting again which he brought up in 3:27. It is also in line with Paul’s aim which is to elevate the gospel of faith over the law of works as he put it in Romans 1:16 ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God’. Abraham was not labelled as righteous because of his works but because of his faith in trusting God who promised he would be the father of many.
NB: to be justified by works is not to outweigh the bad with the good but it is to always do good. One wrong makes us guilty.

V3 – ‘what does scripture say?’ Paul’s theology of salvation is not brand new. It is not a new message from the spirit but an understood message from the Old Testament scriptures. Our faith must be the same – based on a correct and intelligent reading from the word of God. Reading the bible for all it’s worth and being trained to read it better is of eternal value – not only to yourself but for those who you disciple. To teach others based on our own shallow knowledge will lead us and others astray from the truth.

‘Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness’ – here is Paul’s bible text which he will use to teach his message – that faith stands apart from the law and this is the basis of salvation. NB: James uses the same text of scripture to talk about faith in James 2. Many would believe that James teaches that we must have faith and follow through with works. I strongly suggest that James is simply giving a strong definition of faith since having faith will affect the way we live and make decisions. Abraham’s faith meant that he would do whatever God asked of him – even if it meant the death of his one and only son. His actions didn’t make him righteous – his absolute trust in God made him righteous.

Vv6-8 – Paul now turns briefly to David and quotes psalm 32. How does psalm 32 make sense without Christ? Isn’t it because God has always demanded faith as the basis of forgiveness and righteousness? The difference that Jesus makes is that we now know how this gift of righteousness is made possible and that God remain just. Jesus said to Thomas: blessed are you because you have seen and believe. How much more for those who have not seen and yet believe’ in 20 paraphrase. This is true of us today who have not seen the risen Lord and even truer for the saints who believed prior to Jesus’ incarnation.

Vv9-12 – whether circumcised or not, righteousness is received on the basis of faith alone. Not faith plus works or religious ceremony but faith from first to last (rom 1:17).

V13 – faith brings righteousness

V15 – law brings wrath … And an awareness of sin.

V17 – notice the details of this verse : that we believe in the God who gives life to the dead. God made Abraham the father of many nations – this is his promise and gift – calling into being something that was not!

Vv18-21 – hope beyond hope. The parallel between what Abraham was asked to believe and what we Christians have been asked to believe is clear: Abraham was promised life coming out of a dead womb. We are promised life out of a dead heart.

V21 – here is the definition of faith: being fully persuaded that God has power to do what he has promised! This is where assurance of salvation becomes clear: do you believe and are you fully persuaded that God can credi you as righteous through Jesus Christ?

V24 – the gospel is not simply believing in Jesus. It is believing in the power of God to justify sinners – the same God who raised Jesus from the dead.

V25 – read this verse. Do you believe it? Every word of it? Do you believe he did that for you?! Now read Romans 10:9.