In Rom 7:14-25 we found it impossible to write off this section as 'pre-conversion' and as not applying today in our struggle against the flesh.
There are certainly some parts of the section that fit best with the pre-conversion life:
Condition: “sold under sin” (7:14)
Character: “carnal” (7:14)
Captivity (7:23)
Connection with 7:8-13
There are parts of 7:14-25 which refuse to fit into the pre-conversion experience, no matter how hard we try and knock them into the square holes they are round pegs:
The Despair / Frustration with sin , which is not found with the sinners of chp1 – Depraved Conscience (1:32); chp 2 – Distracted Conscience (2:1-4) and chp 3 – Deceived Conscience (2:17)
Delight in the law of God (7:22) cf. Psalm 1
Deliverance (7:25) – this is not a deliverance out of the struggle but a deliverance in the struggle and over the struggle.
That all sounds like cold comfort!
You are really just committing us to a life of constant defeat!
I think I'll go and join the charismatics or buy that new book from America!
7:14-25 doesn't commit us to a life of constant defeat but rather to a life of constant dependence on Christ!
Who can help me? On whom am I dependant?
Person of Christ:
“in Christ Jesus” (8:1)
“in Christ Jesus” (8:2)
“Spirit of Christ” (8:9)
“Christ be in you” (8:10)
“Jesus...” (8:11)
The Spirit of God:
“after the Spirit” (8:1)
“Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (8:2)
“after the Spirit” (8:4)
“the Spirit” (8:5)
“in the Spirit” (8:9)
“Spirit of God” (8:9)
“the Spirit of Christ” (8:9)
“the Spirit of life” (8:10)
“the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead” (8:11)
“by His Spirit” (8:11)
“if ye through the Spirit...” (8:13)
“Spirit of God...” (8:14)
“Spirit of adoption...” (8:15)
“the Spirit...” (8:16)
Consider also: God the Father in v11 and v15.
This is a thoroughly trinitarian section of the Word of God.
This is also a section which assumes and teaches the Deity of Christ:
The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ (8:9)
Again “The Spirit is life because of righteousness” (8:10) and The Spirit of God is the Spirit who “quickens” (8:11) – is this a separate Spirit form the Spirit of Christ? The “law of the Spirit of Life” (8:2) is “in Christ Jesus” (8:2).
So then the Christ who saves (8:1) is the Christ who sanctifies (8:1ff)
The Christ who delivers from sin is the Christ whom I depend upon daily.
In what ways do I depend upon Him?
In getting messages for preaching? In overcoming particularly bad sins? Seeing souls saved? At times of particular stress or crises?
I think we have a practical break down in this chapter of the kind of dependance God has in mind:
8:1-4 – The Dependent Walk – The Spirit Led Walk
8:5-8 – The Dependent Mind – The Spirit Filled Mind
8:9-13 – The Dependent Body – The Spirit filled Body
8:14-17 – The Dependent Relationship – The Spirit Liberated Spirit
Total dependence!
8:1-4 – The Dependent Walk – The Spirit Led Walk
Marked by righteousness (8:4)
8:5-8 – The Dependent Mind – The Spirit Filled Mind
Marked by peace (8:6)
8:9-13 – The Dependent Body – The Spirit filled Body
Marked by the life of Christ
8:14-17 – The Dependent Relationship – The Spirit Liberated Spirit
Marked by prayer to God
Marked by communication / testimony from God
What is the point / purpose of all of this?
Draws me to Christ, to a deeper relationship with God.
8:1-4 – The Dependent Walk – The Spirit Led Walk
“there is therefore now no condemnation...” (8:1)
But is this the issue?
I thought the issue was power over the flesh?
Victory in the struggle?
Is it not the case that I need to move forward from a flesh dominated life?
So what is with the : “no condemnation” (8:1)?
To be able to move forward I need freedom from the past.
For Peter to move forward in John 21 he needed freedom from the past
For Paul to move forward in Acts 9 he needed freedom from the past.
Unless there is “no condemnation” there is little point in trying to move forward because we have already blown it!
Like the man with lung cancer who now decides to stop smoking!
If God worked like that: once we have the cancer of sin we've blown it!
If God worked like that there would be no point in striving over the flesh!
So long as we have life under His Grace we need not ever have blown it!
Does this encourage us to go on in the fight?
Does this remove any secret excuse: 'O well I've gone too far this time.'
There was a future for:
Abraham: after that incident with Sarah and Pharaoh, and after the mess with Hagar: he was yet to reach the pinnacle of Mt. Moriah
Moses: after he struck the rock twice, he was yet to reach the pinnacle of Mt. Nebo
Elijah: after his despair and despondency and unbelief, he was yet to reach the pinnacle of Horeb.
David: after the incident with Bathsheba and after numbering the people he would again worship and that on the altar of the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and claim territory for Gods temple!
Praise God that “there is therefore now no condemnation...”
For it is the only way we can leave the past behind us and press on to new heights for God!
Rom8:1 allows us to move forward, but to move forward we need freedom from the past.
Romans 8:1 gives me freedom from the sins of the past
Romans 8:1 gives liberty to live in the present (eg 8:15)
“there is therefore now no condemnation...” has a reason:
The work of Christ for me at Calvary: Roms 3 + 4 – propitiation: man Justified, God satisfied by Christ crucified
The work of Christ in me (8:1-4; 9-10)! The picture painted in Romans 8 is not the salvation of the sinner, followed by the constant and repeated forgiveness of continual sin but rather of salvation followed by a transformed and Spirit filled life!
Both of these aspects of the work of Christ are brought together in verse 3:
“for sin” - to deal with sin by dieing for sin, ie propitiation (Rom 3)
“condemned sin in the flesh” - to deal with sin by living without sin! Christ broke the link between sinning and being 'only human.' Christ was truly human but He did no sin! What difference does that make to me? I am indwelt by His Spirit (8:10)!
There is “therefore now no condemnation...” because:
Christ is able to forgive sins (Rom 3; 8:3).
Christ is able to change lives (8:1-2,4).
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (8:2)
This “law” operates in us!
Driving us forward in righteousness (7:21,22).
Consider the “law of the Spirit of life” in the scriptures :
Genesis 1 : Gods Spirit moves in the creation of life
Genesis 6: God moves in preserving Noah and his family
Genesis 19: The angel of God moves in preserving Lot
Exodus 12: God moves in removing His people from the judgement upon Egypt
1 Kings 17: God preserves the life of Elijah and the widow and her son
The resurrections of scripture
The resurrection of Christ from the grave!
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