Romans 7

Vs 1 "Know you not brethren, for I speak to them that know the law." Yes these Jews knew the old commandments, as Paul, who was raised at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), a doctor of the law. The law states ‘the wife is bound by the law of her husband until his death’. After the death of the husband the wife is then free to marry another. Likewise the law speak about adultery; that if she leaves the husband to marry another while the husband is yet living she is called an adulteress (Jr 3:8). Paul uses this to teach these Jews concerning their relationship to the law of their husband, Jehovah: for we are told in 2 Cor 5:19 that God, Jehovah ‘was in Christ reconciling the world to himself’. The man Jesus, as a man, though without sin, was not deity and therefore could not satisfy the eternal debt owed by the fallen race of Adam. God (Jehovah) incarnated in the (fit) man (Lv 16:21) Jesus, as the anointed one, being verily God, provided himself as the scapegoat (Lv 16:22), carrying the sins of all of his children into the land inhabited (Gen 22:8). We must be careful for deity is eternal and cannot cease to exist. Therefore the death under consideration here is the separation of the soul, which we are told in Ps 16:10 and Acts 2:27 that God ‘would not leave his soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One (the man Jesus) to see corruption.’ The forth day is defined as when one began to corrupt (Jh 11:39).

Vs 4 Therefore, my brethren (Jews), ye also are become dead to the law (of your husband, Jehovah) by the body of Christ (the anointed deity), that you should be married to another, even to him (Jesus the man) who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." To understand this separation, look at 1 Cor 15:27 'The Father hath put all things under the man Jesus’ feet. But when the Father saith, all things are put under Jesus the man, it is manifest that the Father is excepted, which did put all things under Jesus. And when all things shall be subdued unto Jesus, then shall the son of man (Jesus) also himself be subject unto the Father that put all things under the son, that God The Father may be all in all.' Therefore the lesson is that the testator (Heb 9:16) the Father, had died being the husband of Israel/Judah (Gen 49:10; Jer 31:32): Thus leaving Judah, now having been washed in the Passover blood of her suffering husband Jesus, free to marry another, even him who is risen from the dead. Why should we be married to Jesus? 'That we should bring forth fruit unto God the Father.’ (Gal 4:26; 1 Cor 7:14)

Vs 5 "For when we were in the flesh (Gal 4:23) the motions of sins, which were by the flesh (law, will worship), did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." Paul verily knew the position these Jewish brethren were in, for he too thought himself to be righteous in keeping the law (Phil 3:6). The more he tried to keep the law the more he brought forth the fruits which separated him from his Lord. Acts 9:5 ‘Who art thou Lord.’ The more he attempted to do the thing contained in the law, which was after the flesh, (Gal 4:23) the more he was kicked against the pricks of his conscience.

Vs 6 "But now are we delivered from the law, that bringeth death wherein we were held (in bondage Heb 2:15); that we should serve in the newness of the spirit and not in the letter." Those that are attempting to hold to the letter are dead to the things of the spirit, for the letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive. If anyone is trying to perform any condition, whereby they can be in Christ, then they are still attempting to keep the letter of some law. It matters not what it is, if it is by the action of sinful man, then it will kill them to the freedom which comes with the knowledge that the sin debt was paid in full on the cross, without the action of man.

Vs 7 "Is the law sin?" God forbid. Paul would not have known what was sinful, except the law had defined it. He says, in reality the law was causing me to be full of concupiscence (self- righteousness). Now without the new commandment he realized he was dead (Rm 11:15), being held captive by the notions of sin (self-righteousness), which the law genders. Paul then in verse nine states that he verily thought he was alive before the new commandment came, when in reality he was dead to the things that pertained to holiness; but when the Holy Ghost circumcised his heart (Mt 19:28), opening it to see himself a depraved sinner, sin revived and he died to those things he once thought was to life (Jh 5:39). One cannot see himself, as he really is, a totally depraved sinner, without an understanding of a thrice holy God. This understanding came when the dealt faith revealed it to him. Why? Because he is depending on some condition, taking credit unto himself, thus taking away from the honor, glory, and praise that is due to God for what he has already done for us. In Mal 1:10 we find that God has no pleasure in the works of our hands, that is, trying to establish our righteousness before him by those things which we have done. If we say by our own volution, efforts, we have faith (Eph 2:8-10) in Christ, we then have something to boast about, having taken the glory away from God who has dealt to us the measure of faith (Rom 12:3). We being therefore ignorant of the righteousness, which established who God is, and going about to 'establish our own righteousness, not submitting unto the righteousness of God', which is found in the engrafted word (Jm 1:21), dealt faith (Rm 12:3)of the new covenant.

Vs 10 "The commandment (I thought) was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." Death to the fellowship of Jesus, to whom Paul was now betrothed unto, for the Holy Ghost having now administered the new covenant unto him (Ac 9:3). The sin of self righteousness, brought on by the old covenant, had deceived him into thinking if he could keep it, he would be declared righteous, but instead was designed only to show him his depravity (Hb 10:3). Have been brought to realize this (Ac 9:18) it slew him.

Vs 12 Paul acknowledges herein that it was not the law, which was at fault, but rather his own misconception of it. What was the problem then? If not the law, then it was his sin nature that caused him to be self-righteous. Paul then declares that the purpose of the law was to define sin (Hb 10:3), and not only so, but to express the magnitude of the sinfulness of fallen man, stating that it is exceeding sinful. Tit 3:3 'We ourselves were foolish, disobedient, serving the lust of the flesh, envious, hateful, until the love of God toward us appeared.' He then tells us the change did not come by some action on our part, but rather it was because of the love God had for us before the world began (Ep 1:4), and in time he bestowed his mercy upon us. God brought this about by the washing of regeneration (Mt 19:28, Tit 3:5), and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. That is, by the circumcision of the heart as the Holy Ghost administered the engrafted word (Jm 1:23) of the the new covenant faith (Ep 2:8, Rm 12:3, 1 Jh 5:4). Peter (1:5) puts it this way; 'He hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection from the dead.'

In verse fourteen we find that the new commandment is spiritual, but this flesh of ours is carnal, sold under sin. I must jump to verse 25 here 'I think God through Jesus Christ our Lord. With the spiritual mind I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.' Between these two verses he gives us the duel nature that every child of grace must contend with. We have the desire, from the motivation of the inner man to do those things, which are pleasing to our husband, but the natural, outer man is always present with its own selfish desires. If we are to enjoy the fellowship of our husband, Jesus, we must crucify the deeds of the flesh which is best done by presenting our bodies a living sacrifice. Paul then tells us this is only a reasonable service. Knowing the magnitude of our own sin nature, and the extent to which God, through his Son has suffered for us, ought we not be more than willing to do those things which gives him all of the honor, glory, and praise, while we sojourn here in this time world? Amen. Paul closes out the chapter by the recognition that without the inner man, Christ, he is lost and without hope, but thanks be unto God, he understands he has been given, through the new covenant, the ability to properly serve his God. Allen Cook 9/21/07