Understanding Romans Chapter 7
Romans chapter 7 teaches us the weakness of the law. the law is considered weak, because it has no power to change the heart. The laws, only condemn us because we can’t stop breaking them! Trying to get to heaven by good works, or strict adherence to the laws, is called self-righteousness. Or salvation by works. It will not happen, because works of righteousness in obeying the law, cannot change the heart!
Romans 7:1-6
Mankind was married to the religious laws of do’s and don’ts, in his attempt to get to heaven. but those laws could not save him.
Romans 7:7-13
The laws God gave in the Old Testament to live by, proved how sinful man really was, because man could not keep them.
It was the same law that said I should not do something, that condemned me. Because I was not supposed to do it, but did it anyway . So, I was found guilty of breaking Gods laws. Before I knew about the law, there was nothing to convict me of. I could not break a law that did not exist. By way of ignorance, my conscience was silent.
The law was not the problem, I was. God gave us the laws to teach us righteousness. But knowing the law, is not the same as not wanting to break them. Because I wanted to do my own thing. but my thing according to God, was sinning!
Romans 7:14-23
God knew that sin was a spiritual thing that came from the fall of man, back in the garden of Edon.
But I wasn’t there and I didn’t do it, or even know about it.
Meanwhile I’m doing my thing, but was under the penalty of sin, dying, and going to hell, because of it.
The desires of my heart were against God and everything he stood for. Those desire were a direct result of spiritual sin.
I wasn’t thinking of spiritual things, I was thinking of physical things. God call physical things Carnal.
And those carnal things were in complete control of me.
There were times I wanted to be good, or do better, but that lasted about 5 minutes and I was back to the dark side.
So, I got this roller coaster ride going on inside of me. I was addicted to sin, and it was addicted to me. we liked each other.
Life was getting very unhappy for me. no matter what I did. There were times I wanted out.
Romans 7:24
I am really messed up! I don’t know that even God wants me with this mess I’m in! this spiritual sin thing has me trapped!
Romans 7:25
I heard about Jesus and how he came to set people free from themselves and their sin. He had the power to break power of spiritual sin! So I prayed to Jesus and asked him to forgive me of all my sins! And he did! I felt it inside somehow. I feel so different. So much happier, so much lighter! I have peace! I can obey the righteousness of the laws, I used to break!
I can do it now! I don’t have to go back to doing things that are sin any more, because they don’t control me! and I refuse to go back to that lifestyle anymore!
I still live in this world. And I still have to deal with physical things. Physical things like cars, food, houses, money, people, pets etc. BUT I will never allow some temptation, to take control of me, and I start using physical things to take me back into sin.
Physical things like alcohol, tobacco, drugs,
emotional things like hate, anger bitterness, fear.
mental things that God calls sin! like Dark knowledge. Things I Look at. Listen to, sing about, read, think about that’s sin.
spiritual things like doubt, pride, selfishness, lust, unforgiveness
I have a physical body. That body is under the law of a fallen humanity. I will get old, sick, weak, forgetful, maybe even senile. Someday I will die. All of those things are a result of the laws of sin, that came from the fall of adam and eve.
I can’t do anything about the laws of sin, as far as aging is conserved. But I can stop sinning, because Jesus delivered me from the power of sin, that was in my heart!
Leave a Reply