Notes from a message preached on Romans Chapter 7 - The Battle for Holiness
by Dr J Stewart Gillespie
There are 3 great enemies of the believer (James 3:15):
1.The World
2.The Flesh
3.The Devil
Romans 6 the apostle speaks on the subject of consecration, of a life given over wholly to the service of God, particularly 6:12-20.
As the apostle turns to look at impediments to that consecration in chap 7 it is to the flesh that he devouts this section to!
The Devil may well be a smarter enemy
The world may well be a bigger enemy but
The flesh is the weakest enemy and paradoxically therefore perhaps the most significant!
The flesh provides the final common pathway for the attack of the other two:
1.If it were possible to remove the flesh then the Devil would be unable to gain a foothold in my life? Is that correct? Consider: “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” (Joh 14:30)
2.If it were possible to remove the world then the Devil would be unable to gain a foothold in my life? Is that correct? Consider: “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life...” (1Jo2:16)
3.If it were possible to remove the flesh then sin would be unable to gain a foothold in my life? Is that correct? Consider Rom 7:5, 23.
The flesh then is the final common pathway of the world, sin and the Devil.
A hit on the flesh scuppers the effects of all 3!
One of the greatest discoveries, practically in the Christian life is that the battle to be fought is primarily internal rather than external.
There is within my person – 2 distinct pulls:
1.Flesh – pulls to the physical, the material, the sensual, ties me to earth, self ward
2.Spirit – pulls to the spiritual, ties me to heaven, God centred
The pursuit of the one is the persecution of the other
Very practical, I need to sit down and analyse my behaviour and ask does this pursuit / behaviour promote the one or the other (6:13)
That will empower me with a level of discernment beyond mere rules or 'what's the harm in it?'
Gods desire for you is not simply to preserve you from committing gross evil but it is the active pursuit of holiness: 6:19,22.
This appreciation of the battle is critical in the pursuit of holiness.
The High Priest dressed in garments of glory and beauty had:
(1)Written on his heart – on the breastplate, the names of the 12 children of Israel. Consider his sympathy.
(2)Written on his shoulders – on 2 stones, the names of the 12 children of Israel. Consider his support.
(3)Written on his head, upon his miter – holiness to the Lord. Here is the highest calling and ambition of the High Priest: Holiness.
To miss that goal is to miss the point to our salvation!
Not service, not sacrifice but sanctification!
Romans 7 then is the front line in the battle for holiness
That front line is internal and not external
If I view my spiritual battle as primarily external then I will pursue / be dominated by certain ideas:
1.Separatism – because – you are the problem, you are the hindrance to my spiritual growth – this is rarely the case. Often behind schism lies pride! You're my problem! Usually I'm my problem!
2.Monasticism – because – it is the problem – the world is the hindrance to my spiritual growth.
3.Exclusivism – because that teaching is the hindrance to my spiritual growth.
4.Mysticim – because the Devil and his emissaries are the hindrance to my spiritual growth.
5.If the problem is my flesh then what is the solution? Consecration to the Spirit (8:1). The world and the Devil, find a friend in the flesh. All the time you are trying to battle the flesh is selling you out, double dealing behind your back with the enemy! I need to start here!
Depending upon how you view the battle determines how you go about the fight!
If I view the battle as primarily external what I need is another meeting!
If I view the battle as primarily internal what I need is to put into practice the things I heard at the last meeting.
If I view the battle as external; I may be heard to say: 'great preacher, great meeting.'
If I view the battle as internal; I am more likely to say: 'challenging message.'
If I view the battle as external; I will be looking for the perfect church!
If I view the battle as internal; I will be looking for a closer walk with Christ!
In chapter 7 we move from:
Death and sin in chapter 6 - death frees us from sin to
Death and law in 7:1-4 - death frees us from law
3 sections in chapter 7:
1.Death and Law - Freedom (7:1-4)
2.Law and Flesh - Failure (7:5-13)
3.Flesh and Will - Frustration (7:14-25)
Death and Law - Freedom (7:1-4)
i.The Rule of Law (v1)
"The law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth" - the principle stated
The rule or dominion of law extends only to death, as does sin (Rom5:12)
In eternity there is no sin and can be no sin for there is no law either!
On the surface, a point that is straight forward enough!
But the apostle seems to chose a very complex parable as the means of conveying this truth. So complex that some would suggest that Paul has bitten off more than he can chew! That he has mad a bit of a mess of the illustration!
In the chapter the believer is freed (7:4), just like the woman but it isn't the woman who dies it is her husband!
But the parable illustrates something more than just the basic truth!
So some have said the parable is a bit mixed up! A kind of mixed metaphor! Maybe Paul has overstretched himself!
Others holding to the inspiration of the Word of God wouldn't maybe just go as far as saying that but would perhaps tacitly acknowledge it by saying, 'don't look too deeply into the parable,' or perhaps that the parable is only meant to illustrate the basic truth, perhaps indicating that underneath the surface the whole illustration is a bit of a mess!
But this is the inspired Word of God and "not one jot or title shall pass away"
"the Word of God is living and powerful..."
Interestingly there are plenty of simple examples that Paul could have used to illustrate his point that the rule of law extends only to death and then law has no more demands upon us:
a)Ahithophel - was he ever called to account for betraying the Lord's anointed? No he wasn't! Why? He hung himself!
b)Naomi's two sons were they ever dealt with by the law and put out of the congregation of Israel for marrying Moabite girls? No! Why? They both died in Moab!
c)Eli's two sons Hophni and Phinehas were they ever broad before the law for fornication? No! Why? They both died in battle!
d)Samson and his fornication and adultery?
But he doesn't chose a simple illustration, for as we shall see a simple example of this principle just would not have done, it would have been critically lacking in at least 2 perhaps 3 key areas.
Pauls example illustrates at least 4 key principles:
i.The Rule of law
ii.The Release from Law
iii.The Role of Relationship in the release from Law
iv.The Result of Release from Law
The Rule of Law (v1)
"The law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth" - the principle states
The rule or dominion of law extends only to death, as does sin (Rom5:12)
The principle stated is simple enough
The Release from Law (v2,4)
Death releases me from the rule of law
In the parable however the death is not my death, the death of the woman, but the death of another!
Has Paul got mixed up?
Actually this point is quite consistent with the context of Romans so far
In chp 3+4 we came into blessing; the blessing of justification by faith, through death, the death of another!
In chp 5 Divine Grace was poured out, through the death of another.
In chp 6 our consecration to God was made possible because of our identification with Christ in His death – the death of another.
Not only is it the case that death frees from the law but that death is significantly the death of another!
Notice how that release by death occurs.
Our simple illustrations would again be inadequate here.
This is not release from the law in the same way that perhaps Hophni and Phinehas, Ahithophel, Naomis sons or Samson were released from the law.
This is not the release of a guilty party because of the weakness of the law, unable to pursue the sinner beyond death.
In our parable, significantly, it is the release of a guiltless individual who is now regarded as having fulfilled all legal obligations and death has now brought the claims of law to an end.
This is the release of the righteous rather than the unrighteous!
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2Co 5:21)
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Rom 3:28)
The Role of Relationship in the release from the law:
My relationship with another who is dead to the law in certain exceptional circumstances can affect my status before the law too!
The death of another to the law can release me!
I think in the context of Roms 4 to 6 this is highly significant!
The nature of that relationship is also very interesting: marriage relationship!
Right the way through the NT scriptures the relationship between Christ and His church is consistently viewed as a marriage relationship: (Eph 5:24ff; Rev21).
In verse 4 we are "dead to the law" but it is by the "body of Christ" - the death of another!
Notice the logic of verse 4: “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God”
Notice that nothing less than the “body of Christ” is needed to break me free from the demands of the law!
The theme of redemption in scripture: the person of Christ, the work of Calvary, the sacrifice of the lamb, the sufferings of Christ (Ps22; Ps69; Isa53) all of this mighty work and sacrifice impacts upon my life at this point! To release me from that which binds me that I might be free to “bring forth fruit unto God.” What is this fruit?
“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Rom 6:22)
Holiness is no add on to Christianity
Holiness is no after thought on Gods part to Christian experience
Holiness is the very essence of Christian experience!
Holiness is the impression of Calvary upon my being!
The Result of Release from the Law:
In this complex parable of death releasing us from the law we see illustrated a point that could not be illustrated by a simple example of the death of the accused releasing him from the rule of law:
(a)Ahithophel - what happened next? - Nothing he's dead.
(b)Naomis' two sons - what happened next, after they were released from the law? Nothing - they were dead!
(c)Eli's two sons - what happened to them next after they had been released from the law? Nothing - they were dead.
But in the parable of Romans 7 after the release from the law there is a 'what happened next...'
The woman released from the law is ready to move on and be married to another (7:4)
And in our case: "that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (7:4)
So this death is not simply an end but a beginning!
Only because of the complex nature of this illustration is this point possible!
Some take 7:1-4 to indicate that divorce and remarriage effectively exclude people from assembly fellowship (7:3)
That interpretation sheds more light on the thinking of those who teach it than it does on the teaching of scripture on divorce and remarriage!
The teaching in this section relative to the woman marrying another is whilst she is "bound by the law."
There is no provision in the law for operation of Divine Grace. Those who draw their teaching on divorce and remarriage from this section likewise draw no provision from Divine Grace.
The conclusion of this section brings us to our true standing today of being "dead to the law" (7:4) and in our dealings with men and women we must likewise recognise that there is likewise "therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus."
There is good indication elsewhere that people from a background of divorce and remarriage were received into assembly fellowship: 1 Tim2; 1 Co7, John 4.
Salvation isn't the end it is the beginning!
Once you are save, you haven't 'done it' but rather God has 'begun it.'
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