Romans 7:1-13

Romans 7:1-13Senior Pastor Alex KennedyPaul begins this portion by relating the Christian and the Law with an illustration about marriage. In marriage, once a husband dies, the wife is free to re-marry because she is no longer under that law. In Romans 7:4, Paul says, " Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ." Paul is saying that just as a wife is no longer married to her husband when he dies, a Christian is no longer under the law because of Jesus' death on the cross.
In other words, we didn't get better at keeping the law. We died to it. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can belong to Him instead of the law because becoming a Christian is a complete change in relationship and allegiance. We are not "under law" anymore because we don't obey the law out of fear of rejection.
Verse 6 shows us that now believers do not live by the "oldness" of the Law but by the "newness" of a regenerated spirit. So, instead of ignoring the law, we now look at it as an expression of God's desires. We use the law to please the One who saved us. The law is no longer a burden, but it motivates us to obey out of a love to the One that we became attached ("married") to in Jesus.
In Romans 7:7, Paul introduces another question: "Is the law sin?"
Short answer - "By no means!"Long answer - "Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin."
First - The law clarifies sin - Paul gives the example, "For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'"
Second - The law reveals sin in us - Paul is saying that the law cannot save us. Unless the law does its work, we will not look to Christ. We need the law to convict us of sin before we can see our need for, or have a desire for, the grace of God in Christ.
Third - the law provokes (arouses) sin in us - We have a deep desire to be in charge of the world and of our lives. Every law that God lays down is an infringement on our absolute sovereignty. It reminds us that we are not God, and prevents us from being sovereign to live as we wish. Sin is a force that hates any such infringement. It desires to be God (Gen 3:4) The more we are exposed to the law of God, the more that sinful force will be aggravated into reaction.
Sin uses the law to deceive us either into pride or despair. These results are both signs that we are focused on the law more than being focused on Christ-centered living.
The commandments were given for a reason, and following them is good for you and for the world. The Law was never meant to be a cure or a fix. It was always put there to be a mirror that reveals who we are, our motivations, and our need for a Savior.
Questions to Consider:

1. Why do you think knowing a rule can sometimes make us want to break it even more?
2. How does this passage show us that the problem isn’t God’s rules, but something inside us?
3. How is living for Jesus different from just trying really hard to follow rules?
4. How does Jesus help us do what’s right when rules feel hard?
5. Read Romans 7:15-25 to prepare for next week!

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