Look at the Book

Romans 7:22–8:2: No Condemnation

In your Bible reading, an author will often compare two things. It’s important to stop and study everything you learn about how those two things are similar and different. In this lab, Pastor John looks at our slavery to sin and freedom in Christ.

Duration:: 13m
Broadcast on:: 09 Oct 2014
Audio Format:: other

as we begin this series of episodes on Romans 8 it's important that we begin back at verse 22 of chapter 7 so we start here this is Romans 8 down here and the reason it's important to start with the preceding verses is because we read it therefore here which means this is an inference from something that's gone before and because we see this term law of sin the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and that occurs right here in chapter 7 and right here again in chapter 7 and so to know what it's referring to here we're going to need to look at these verses so let's pray Father as we begin this amazing chapter grant us amazing light from your Holy Spirit we need to have the eyes of our hearts open to see these wonderful things so we ask for your help again in Jesus name amen so let's get the picture before us in this preceding set of verses I delight in the law of God in my inner being but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and I'm going to suggest those refer to the same thing making me captive to the law of sin I think this other law is the law of sin that dwells in my members wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this the body of death thanks here's his answer to that question thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord so I myself serve the law of God here it is again with my mind and with my flesh I serve the law of sin so law of God law of my mind law of God other law law of sin the law of sin these two laws are warring against each other waging waging war against each other in Paul now notice where they're where they're taking their strongest effect I delight in the law of God in my inner being my inner man but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members so this law of sin is having its effect by taking charge of and wielding the members and these members here referring to our arms and legs and eyes and tongue and sexual organs the law of sin takes its power and exerts it through our members and so he's crying out that he's being made the battlefield of the law of God which he in himself I myself is serving but in his flesh which I think refers to these members here I know that flesh in Paul ordinarily is bigger and it probably is bigger here than body but not smaller than body I serve the law of sin so there's this battle going on in Paul between these two forces love God and this force or this principle or this authority of sin that is or the law of sin that is rooting itself in his members and causing him to to do things he doesn't want to do so law of sin here is a reference to this power to cause us to sin by working in our in our members now let's ask a couple of questions that relate to Romans 8 what is the therefore what are we supposed to make of this therefore why what in these preceding verses causes him to say therefore actually this therefore probably goes back to the whole first eight chapters for seven chapters but let's see what is here and it surely is in thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ so in spite of this warfare that's going on between the law of sin and the law of God a great victory has been wrought by God through Jesus Christ so that so Paul really himself this emphasis I was really myself serve the law of God I delight that word up here I delight in the law of God in my inner being this is a great work of God and therefore giving evidence that Paul is in Jesus Christ he is not in the flesh he is in Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ that there is therefore no condemnation because of this great victory that has been wrought and we're gonna see more specifically what that is in a moment here's one other question we need to ask when this says that he has been set free the law of the spirit of life has set you free set Paul free us free Christians free from the law of sin how in the world does that relate then to this service he says with my flesh I serve the law of sin and now he says the spirit of life has freed me from the law of sin freedom and service slavery seem to be the opposites indeed they they are opposites now the solution to that is handled in two dramatically different ways one group of scholars and interpreters say well this experience in Romans 7 and this experience in Romans 8 cannot be the same person this is the pre regenerate Paul or symbolically people of Israel trying to measure up but not really the real apostle in his present regenerate state and this this is that apostle he walks in freedom from this kind of battle and this kind of service here that's one solution that's not my solution and I give you the reasons why I'm not able to able to to track with that that solution number one when I read chapter seven in these words for example I see I and I and I my very self I in my inner being that just sounds to me like Paul talking so on the face of it it looks like Paul is talking about himself that's reason number one the reason number two is this word delight here I delight in the law of God in my inner being you might say there's a kind of superficial delight in the law of God from unregenerate people but Paul is stressing this delight is in his inner being and when he gets here he says I myself serve the law of God this is this is a stress on his real self so the second argument for why I think this is real Christian experience the real Paul not in contradiction with Romans eight is that only a regenerate person can be described that way and my third reason for thinking this is really Christian experience is because when you get to the victory here thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord that's where the chapter should end if the victory takes you beyond the warfare of law of sin and law of God but amazingly Paul says at the end of the chapter not oh good now I'm above and beyond the warfare of these two laws he says so I myself serve the law of God with my mind so my deep self my true self is serving the law of God but in my flesh I still fall prey to the power of sin and commit sins with my members and thus serves in because he commits in as a servant of sin and that's what he's been describing I do what I don't want to do I don't do what I do what I what I don't do what I ought to do so when you get to chapter eight here and you ask okay what then is he talking about when he says for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ from the law of sin and my answer is it has decisively set you free the decisive battle against this monster has been wrought in the cross it has finally set you free it is going to happen just like he says later in chapter eight we have been glorified and what he means is it so certain that it's going to come that you can talk of it is coming just like this freedom and it is progressively setting us free so there is real meaning to this word you are set free from the law of sin decisively finally progressively but but not now fully and that's why there is this ongoing battle with my flesh I serve the law of sin I think that's the way he talks back in chapter six when he says we have died to sin and yet he goes on to say now reckon yourself dead and don't hand your members over to unrighteousness so two observations therefore there is now no condemnation and that becomes all the more precious because this law of God that we serve in measure now will condemn us because this whole battle here is not good enough you you can't measure up to this law with this kind of of embattled existence and so condemnation is going to come but therefore because of this great victory here that Jesus has wrought God has wrought through Jesus something has happened we're going to see what it is that there is no condemnation even though we from the flesh serve the law of sin from time to time that's the first observation and the last one is this law of sin and this freedom here is decisive and final and progressive but not now full oh so much more to see as we move forward in chapter eight you (gentle music) [BLANK_AUDIO]