Wednesday: The Man of Romans 7
“If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me” (Rom. 7:16-17). What struggle is presented here?
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Using the law as a mirror, the Holy Spirit convicts a person that he or she is displeasing God by not fulfilling the requirements of the law. Through efforts to meet those requirements, the sinner shows that he or she agrees that the law is good.
What points that Paul had already made did he repeat for emphasis? Rom. 7:18-20.
To impress upon a person his or her need of Christ, the Holy Spirit often leads the person through an “old covenant” type of experience. Ellen G. White describes Israel’s experience as follows: “The people did not realize the sinfulness of their own hearts, and that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God’s law; and they readily entered into covenant with God. Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, they declared, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.’ Exodus 24:7. . . . Only a few weeks passed before they broke their covenant with God, and bowed down to worship a graven image. They could not hope for the favor of God through a covenant which they had broken; and now, seeing their sinfulness and their need of pardon, they were brought to feel their need of the Saviour revealed in the Abrahamic covenant.” – Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 371, 372.
Unfortunately, by failing to renew their dedication to Christ daily, many Christians are, in effect, serving sin, however loath they may be to admit it. They rationalize that, in reality, they are undergoing the normal experience of sanctification and that they simply still have a long way to go. Thus, instead of taking known sins to Christ and asking Him for victory over them, they hide behind Romans 7, which tells them, they think, that it is impossible to do right. In reality, this chapter is saying that it is impossible to do right when a person is enslaved to sin, but victory is possible in Jesus Christ.
| Are you having the victories over self and sin that Christ promises us? If not, why not? What wrong choices are you, and you alone, making? |
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Everyone is different. Thus, the relationship with what is a moral value may also be different. We must pray to God so by accepting His Son as Savior, we receive His Spirit to awake in us the moral values of the Law. By the conciousness that as humans it is impossible for us to meet them, we can truly cling on Jesus daily, because of His mercy and love!
Good day, I have been confronted with this question and need help to respond, can someone please help me understand the relationship of "Matthew 22:34-40" to our current topic. "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shall love the lord thy God with all thy heart,and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets".
Is it that in keeping these two we will be full filling all?
Andrew
If you look closely at the 10 commandments, you will see that the first four commandments deal with us individually and our relationship with God. And of course the last six deal with us individually and our, everyone of them, our neighbors. But if you look even deeper at the first four, you will see that from one to four, there is an order of more importance, that makes the next one easier to fulfill. It's as if God knew that to attack it from the bottom up would be like putting the horse ahead of the cart. He wanted us to be more focused on Him
and not on our work, to please Him. So love the Lord thy God with all the heart, with all the soul and with all thy mind. Do you see how putting it all in at first, the loving God with our all, makes the rest a piece of cake? And when you give your all to God, spreading that onto, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self, becomes a little more feasible.
Andrew,
Looking at the commandments, the first 4 deals with our relationship to God and the last 6 deals with our relationship to man. Loving God and loving our neighbor is the fulfillment and all 10 hang on them. Jesus pretty much paraphrased the commandments, but didn't leave any out.
Benjamin
Andrew, the answer is simply, yes. There is no law against loving God and your fellow man. This is simple doing right by them as you would have them do to you. That sounds familiar. I always told my kids to keep it simple and that everything God asks of us is wrapped in one verse in the Bible, Micah 6:8,"Oh man, what does the Lord require of you, to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God". That is it.
Well, Jesus was just simply indicating to that lawyer that essentially the first four Commandments of the 10 are for showing our love to God Himself and the last six commandments of the 10 show our love to our fellow men. That was why God had Moses put all of them in TWO tablets of stone, one tablet had the first four and the other tablet had the last six. Jesus just narrowed both set of laws to TWO GREAT ONES of LOVE TOWARDS GOD and LOVE TOWARDS MAN. But no we still need God's GRACE and our Faith in Jesus to help us keep both of those TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS.
The man of Romans 7 is talked about twice, it must have weighed heavy on Pauls heart. I believe he could see that it was the core of the problem many Christians would have through the ages which he felt need to be brought home to us. Sister white felt that burden to warn us also so many times. Here is just one. "There are some who seem to be always seeking for the heavenly pearl(Christ). But they do not make an entire surrender of their wrong habits. They do not die to self that Christ may live in them. Therefore they do not find the precious pearl(Christ). They have not overcome unholy ambition and their love for worldly attractions. They do not take up the cross and follow Christ in the path of self-denial and sacrifice. Almost Christians, yet not fully Christians, they seem near the kingdom of heaven, but they cannot enter there. Almost but not wholly saved, means to be not almost but wholly lost." COL page 118.1.
Yes I have been the man of Romans 7 thank God through Jesus Christ I am saved, by faith, through grace og my Lord Jesus Christ. I die daily to Christ.
I discern the value of the precious pearl(Christ), and with the apostle Paul I say, “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:7-8.
But EGW also says in other places like in the very middle chapter of Steps To Christ entitled, (The Test Of Descipleship,) she says, "There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who truly desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit." she then goes on to encourage such to not give up or even be discouraged and she even INCLUDES herself as being such a one by further saying, "WE shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes." Can you imagine saying those words about herself too right in the very middle of that little book "steps to Christ," and in the chapter entitled "The Test of Descipleship," there as being also one of those who "...often have to bow down and weep the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes?" I think that here EGW was just simply seconding the words of the Apostle Paul that WE ALL as Christians have that same struggle in Romans 7:16-17.
Amen brother, her warnings and encouragements touch many, encluding me. None contradict the Bible, just illuminate it, and point us to it.
Happy Sabbath.
"Using the law as a mirror, the Holy Spirit convicts a person that he or she is displeasing God by not fulfilling the requirements of the law" I'm convinced that statements such as this alone, need to be gotten rid of. For it does not tell us, and those who are not like us, the whole story. Sure God is displeased when we sin. But that is not the whole of the story. God is displeased when we sin, because He hates sin. And He hates sin, because of the destruction, misery, suffering and death that it brings. Thus He gave us His law to minimize the effects of sin in our lives today and in the world.
Gerald,
I agree that it is not the whole story, but it sure is a very important part of it. I don't believe we were given His law to "minimize" sin, we were given His law to eradicate sin from our lives.
You're right, that is why God hates sin, so why would He want to minimize it? To be half-saved is to be fully lost. I don't believe we should limit God's grace and His faithfulness to "cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."
Benjamin
From above...
"They rationalize that, in reality, they are undergoing the normal experience of sanctification and that they simply still have a long way to go. Thus, instead of taking known sins to Christ and asking Him for victory over them, they hide behind Romans 7, which tells them, they think, that it is impossible to do right."
Or that they are taught in church that it is impossible to stop sinning.
If one does not hide behind Romans 7, they can still fall back on what is written in Sabbath's section of this week's lesson.
"Bible students differ on whether Romans 7 was Paul’s experience before or after his conversion. Whatever position one takes, what’s important is that Jesus’ righteousness covers us and that in His righteousness we stand perfect before God......"
How do both of these excuses for sin approaches impact ones consecration, incentive, motivation to allow the grace of God to perfect one's character?
Jim Bob,
Well in today's lesson and in Sabbath's lesson, it's the righteousness of Christ that covers us and we must have faith in Him. There is no excuse for sin, just a choice for sin.
There isn't much excuse for false doctrine preached in the Church, if one is personally studying and eating from the Word themselves and not taking someone else word for truth, whether pastor, parent, etc. but acting like the Bereans in Acts, we shouldn't depend on man for what we can acquire ourselves.
Focusing on "taking known sins to God" may not be the best way to victory. Rather than focusing on specific sins, which is much like plucking leaves off a tree, the way to victory is to submit our whole being to the lordship of Jesus Christ and then focus on our relationship with Him who only can save us. Rather than focusing on specific sins, let us strive to have the mind of Jesus in us. Phil 2:5 In other words, let the old tree die and let Christ plant a new tree with new leaves. We need to die to self daily. See Gal 2:20.
I have come to the conclusion that arguing over whether Paul was writing of his pre-conversion or post-conversion experience is missing the point. And that "what’s important is that Jesus’ righteousness covers us and that in His righteousness we stand perfect before God......" The same Christ who justifies us also sanctifies us. It is by grace through faith that we can have victory. We can take no credit. Eph 2:8-9
Why not take known sins to God, Inge Anderson? We are encouraged by God's word via His Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 1:18 to, "Come and let us reason together..." What are we supposed to reason with God about if not also our known sins? God then goes on in that very same verse that "...though your (our known,) sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." And it is because of what God promises to do with those sins and make them white as snow and like wool that we should take them and reason with Him about them so that we will then receive from Him the "whitening," of those sins for us.
Pete, I do not have anything against "taking known sins to God." We must do that to seek forgiveness. However, suggest that focusing on overcoming individual sins "is not the best path to victory." The focus is too narrow and lends itself to attempting salvation by overcoming sin.
There is no salvation except which is found in Christ who is our justification and works out our sanctification in us. He is both the Author and the Finisher of our faith.
To have victory over sin means we need a mind transplant. We need to have the mind of Jesus. Phil 2:5 He called it a "new birth" which requires a death to self. After our initial conversion we tend to forget that we need to "die daily" as Paul did. (Gal 2:20)
Rather than focusing on overcoming individual sins, I see the way to victory as submitting our whole being to the lordship of Jesus Christ and then continue focus on our relationship with Him who only can save us. He who has begun a good work in us will also finish it. Phil 1:6
Thank you Gerald, Benjamin and the whole team, you have opened my mind a lot more on this issue. I will continue my study on this. I am enjoying your comments and will continue to follow daily.
For all that expressed an opinion, I have several questions. As we are told, the law is used to identify sin. This law that Paul struggles with in Romans 7:7 and 16-20,Paul struggles with two different wills, or desires. What is good verse 16 and what is not good, verse 17,that which is evil. In applying this struggle to our lives, do we determine what and how our sins are identified? Paul says the law is how he new what sin is by looking at the law. Do we know our own specifics? If so then the second question is in Romans 8:3. It says that God the father sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. That thought has never occurred to me. A dichotomy. A perfect righteous God that appeared to be a sinful human being. In thinking about the temptations that the Holy Spirit led Jesus to confront Satan in order to be tempted. Do we have the same tempter to expose our sinful life? If so, we have an enormous supply of possible temptations.
Yes, we have the same tempter, we also as Christ did, have all the power of heaven at our disposal to overcome temptation. Through Christ I count those temptations as rubbish. When you study the Bible, listen to many sermons, and let the Holy Spirit guide(through prayer and meditation), I do believe you will see the reason God put Christ on this earth as flesh like. It was so that Christ could be tempted as fully as we are. If He didn't do as Romans 8:3 says, then we could't say. Christ could have sined, but He didn't. Previous sentence was factual. Shame on you for getting ahead of the lesson, wink. I went out of the blog and leafed through the pages to Nov. 27. One passage the author said regarding Romans 8:3 is: "As a result of what God has done in sending Christ, it is now possible for us to meet the righteous requirement of the law; that is, to do the right things that the law requires. “Under the law” (Rom. 6:14), this was impossible; “in Christ” it is now possible."
Happy Sabbath.
Paul, remember that Christ told us that if we look upon a woman to lust, that we have sinned. The letter of the law, is what we tend to make the most important. If we don't do it outwardly then I'm more or less ok. But Christ has dispelled this false walk with Him. He knows that if He is not reigning completely, then He is not reigning at all. So to get past the letter of the law, we must use Jesus as the ultimate example and the magnifying glass to see deeper into what it means to be like Christ