ROMANS 7

Jeff LeBlanc brought the challenging question, "Who are you married to?" as we began delving into Romans chapter 7. Death must occur before we can wed Another!

Mrs. C. brought some salt to the trough as she hit highlight thots of the chapter. MUST be reading, searching, listening, and discerning as you the student 'reach in for the treasures' that Paul has for us in chapters 6, 7, 8.

Class lesson notes follow this handout copy that was distributed in class:
ROMANS 7
For you to ponder as you are studying Romans 6 – 7 – 8: [Consider the terms and definitions…]
Power of sin – (when not referring to regular form of sins) Satan’s counterpart of the Holy Spirit 5:12 This power dwells in the spirit of lost man; it dwells in the body of saved man. The ‘power of sin’ operated through the flesh (old patterns in the brain) to try to deceive and thus control the personality 6:12-13
Dead spirit/sin nature/old nature/Adamic nature/lower nature/old man/unregenerate nature/old self – synonyms, are present only in an unsaved person. The saved person sins, yes, but it is not the result of the ‘old sin nature taking over.’ It is the result of ‘walking after the flesh.’ The ‘power of sin ‘ deceives the Christian into thinking the sinful thoughts are the believer’s idea by feeding them into the mind via the old patterns in the brain (flesh). The believer’s emotions are then aroused by dwelling on the thoughts. Being thus motivated, the deceived believer often chooses to convert the thoughts into behavior. 7:15-20
Self/self-life/walking after the flesh – When speaking in the spiritual, the term self does not refer to saved man’s personality or basic identity. It refers to the personality of the believer under the control of the ‘power of sin’ through the old patterns. It is, therefore, a condition, not an entity or being. These terms are all synonyms referring to this condition into which the believer can slip. He is then sinning.
Flesh/old habit patterns/old memory traces – Flesh in Scripture may mean skin and bones, the patterns for walking after the old way of life prior to salvation, the patterns for walking after the deceptions of the ‘power of sin’ or the ways of the world. These patterns have been programmed into the brain during the earth walk.
HYPOCRITE: (The devil’s definition) – acting differently than you FEEL! …………………..God’s Truth – pretending to be what I am not! Phil 3:9

KNOW - RECKON - YIELD! Count so what is not so that it may be so because God said so!

LESSON NOTES: Paul deals with the extremes: “Since we are saved by grace – we are free to live as we please = license
“We cannot ignore God’s Law…we are saved by grace, to be sure; but we must live under Law if we are to please God” = legalism.

Legalism is the belief that I can become holy and please God by obeying laws. Measuring spirituality by a list of do’s and don’ts. Legalism sees sins (plural) but not sin (the root of the trouble. The Law only reveals and arouses sin, showing how sinful it is.

If we depend on the energy of the flesh, we cannot serve God, please God or do any good thing. But if we yield to the Holy Spirit, then we have the power needed to obey His will. The old nature (which is dead) knew no law and the new nature needs no law.

Paul dealt with the extreme of license in Chapter 6: “Since we are saved by grace,” “we are free to live as we please!”
He dealt with the extreme of legalism in Chapter 7: “But we cannot ignore God’s Law,” “We are saved by grace, to be sure; but we must live under Law if we are to please God.”

Legalism is that belief that I can become holy and please God by obeying laws. It is measuring spirituality by a list of do’s and don’ts. The weakness of legalism is that it sees sins (plural) but not Sin (the root of the trouble). Paul deals with legalism by explaining 1. The Authority of the Law 7:1-6 In the illustration of the husband and wife, Paul shows how death has broken the marriage relationship and the wife is set free to remarry.
We died to the Law 7:4. The Law did not die…we did. When we trusted Christ, we died to the Law; but IN Christ, we arose from the dead and now are MARRIED to Christ to live a new kind of life. We are not lawless, we are united to Christ sharing His life and thus walking ‘in newness of life’. It simply means that the motivation and dynamic of our lives does not come from the Law; it comes from God’s grace through our union with Christ. GRACE = The desire and power to do what we ought/He directs.
We are delivered from Law 7:6 The Law cannot exercise authority over a dead person. Death means deliverance. The Christian life is not one of independence and rebellion. We died to the Law that we might be married to Christ. Under Law no enablement was given. God’s commandments were written on stones and read to the people. But under Grace, God’s Word is written in our hearts.
The ministry of the Law…*reveals sin 7:7, reveals covetousness…the last of the 10 Commandments and it differs from the other 9 in that it is an inward attitude, not an outward action. Covetousness leads to the breaking of the other commandments! God’s Law reveals. *arouses sin v.8-9 … since a lost person has a sinful nature, the Law is bound to arouse that nature the way a magnet draws steel. (don’t touch the wet paint sign) *the Law kills 10-11 The Law cannot give life; it can only show the sinner that he is guilty and condemned. A church living by the Law needs to remember that the Law kills…Few things are more dead than an orthodox church that is proud of its “high standards” and tries to live up to them in its own energy. The Spirit enlightens us and enable us. *the Law shows the sinfulness of sin 12-13 excuse sins with ‘mistakes’, or weaknesses’ but God condemns sins…
Paul has shown that Law is not sinful – it is holy, just good, but the Law reveals sin, arouses sin, and then uses sin to slay us; CONCLUSION – see how sinful sin is when it can use something good like the Law to produce such tragic results.

AMP. Bible: Romans 7:17-18 However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me and has possession of me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh….

THE INABILITY OF THE Law 14-25
The Law cannot change you. v.14 the Law shows us our condition
The Law cannot enable you to do good. It indicates what is controlling in your life…the flesh or the Spirit. Paul makes his declaration that he could not be good on his own.
The Law cannot set you free 21-24 The flesh says “I will free myself from these old sins! I determine here and now that I will not do this any longer.” He exerts all his willpower and energy and for a time he may succeed. But then he falls again! Why? He tried to overcome the flesh with the Law and the Law cannot deliver us from the flesh. (Gal. 5:15-18)
The old nature (which is dead for the saint) knew no law and the new nature needs no law. Legalism makes a believer wretched because it grieves the new nature and aggravates the flesh. The legalist becomes a Pharisee whose outward actions are acceptable, but whose inward attitudes are despicable.
Paul admonishes the saints to KNOW the Truth, RECKON (count it so), and YIELD.