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Previous Lesson -- Next Lesson ROMANS - The Lord is our Righteousness
Studies in the Letter of Paul to the Romans
PART 1 - The Righteousness of God Condemns all Sinners and Justifies and Sanctifies all Believers in Christ (Romans 1:18 - 8:39)
D - The Power of God Delivers us from the Power of Sin (Romans 6:1 - 8:27)
4. The Law Prompts the Sinner to Sin (Romans 7:7-13)ROMANS 7:8 Paul heard in his spirit the objection of his enemies: “If you have delivered us from the holy, greatest revelation, do you consider the law imperfect, weak, or wrong?” The apostle summed up all their arguments, and asked exaggeratingly: Is the law sin? And he immediately answered: “Do not let this by any means be supposed, for it is impossible that the commandments of God can be evil, since they show us the way to life. The expression translated, “on the contrary” means more properly “but”; and this would have more correctly expressed the sense, "I deny that the law is sin. My doctrine does not lead to that; nor do I affirm that it is evil. I strongly repel the charge; BUT, notwithstanding this, I still maintain that it had an effect in exciting sins. Without the law I lived indifferently in sin, as a child who unconsciously ate forbidden fruits from his neighbor’s garden. Sin looks beautiful and pleasant in the beginning, and this is the devious condition of our sins, that we consider the devious, evil thing ordinary and good, while the good seems to us strange and harmful. ROMANS 7:9-11 Where we raise a commandment, we cause disobedience in the heart of man; and the desire to transgression increases at all times. Paul refers to himself from verse 7 on using “I”, because he experienced in himself that man, without the knowledge of the law, thinks he is in a very good condition, very secure and confident of the goodness of his state, as if he were sinless, and evil had died in his body. But when the commandment of God came into his live, he became conscious and aware of his sins, and heard in his mind the command to deny sin and die to it, for the law means God’s attack against the human ego, since our self is nothing but desire and curiosity. Every meeting with the word and commandments of God means dying to self. Once again the apostle explains to us that there is no other solution for our corruption but dying to ourself. This spiritual dying reveals the strange truth that the law shows us the way to life, but it leads us to death. Furthermore, it leads us to self-denial and to God’s condemnation against us to death and destruction. Paul explains that sin appeared sweet like sugar in the beginning, but it led him to disobedience against the holiness of God and his natural laws. Dressed in fine clothing it led him directly to hell. This is the lie of Satan, and the hypocrisy of him who was a murderer from the beginning. With sugarcoated words and deceitful facilities he invites us to death. ROMANS 7:12-13 Paul, the expert of the law and former Pharisee, stood fearfully before the truth that the holy revelation of God in the old covenant did not do good to man, but instead it hardened his heart and excited him to do evil. Thus being so since prohibition creates objection, and what is admitted to be good and pure leads to death. Paul cried out: “No. This analysis is wrong. The good reveals the evil, and induces the sinner to search for a healing and strive to be saved. So God often allows people to plunge into sin; to act out their nature, so that they may see themselves and be alarmed at the consequences of their own crimes. PRAYER: O Lord, in your holiness and perfection my corruption and uncleanness appear. Forgive me my superficiality in godliness, and remove from our faces, with the sharpness of your law, every mask made by our hypocrisy that we may know and confess that there is no other way for us but to accept your death on your cross, and continue in this death forever, because your law condemns us and produces in us obdurate disobedience. O Lord, I submit myself to you that you may heal me, save me, and keep me in death to ego, and in life with you. QUESTION:
God, be merciful to me a sinner! |