”Life under the Law” (Romans 7:13-25)

“Life under the Law” (Romans 7:13–25)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, November 26, 2017

Romans 7:13–25 (NIV)

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

 

Who is this passage referring to and what does it mean?

The two dominant views of the passage are that it is either referring to a mature believer in their struggle with sin (Paul in his present status as a mature believer) or to an unbeliever in their moral struggle to do right in an unregenerate state (Paul in his pre-conversion life).

I believe the passage is best understood as referring to a person’s struggle with sin under the law of Moses. Thus, it refers to Paul’s or Israel’s struggle to obey God’s law in the power of the flesh without the aid of the indwelling Holy Spirit. So, the debate is not properly framed around whether the person in question is a believer; the debate is better framed around the question of whether the person is operating under the administration of the old covenant (under law) or under the administration of the new covenant (in the Spirit). Chapter 7:7–25 describes the life of a person struggling to obey God under the old administration of the Mosaic law without the help of the indwelling Spirit who is the gift of God to those under the new covenant.

Below are some arguments put forward for the two different views:

1. Arguments for Romans 7 describing the experience of a believer in Christ (including a mature believer, such as Paul in his present experience).

a. The “I” is autobiographical and most naturally refers to Paul.

i. Response: the “I” does refer to Paul but not just to Paul. It also includes the experience of any Israelite under law and even to some degree the experience of Adam in the Garden of Eden when confronted with God’s good commandment.

b. The verb tenses shift in verse 14 to the present tense. While verses 7–12 are primarily in the past tense, the verbs from v. 14 on are in the present tense. Therefore, a transition must have occurred beginning in v. 14. In verses 7–12 Paul must be describing his past experience before conversion, and after v. 13 is describing his present experience as a believer.

i. Response: The switch to the present tense is not in itself conclusive. It is common in narrative descriptions to use a present tense verb to describe the scene from the perspective of the narrator. If Paul is employing a narrative framework to describe the personal struggle of someone (including himself) under the law of Moses, it would not be out of place to employ a present tense verb. It makes the description vivid and personal. So, the present tense can be understood in a literary, narrative way that fits in the passage with Paul’s purpose, but it does not necessarily prove that Paul is referring to his present state as a believer in Christ. The present tense of the verbs needs to be subservient to Paul’s overriding concern in the passage, and this concern is to show the powerlessness of the flesh to obey God while under the reign of the law of Moses.

c. The very positive comments of the “I” in describing his desire to do good or obey the law seems to point to a regenerated person. It is hard to imagine an unbeliever saying that he delights in God’s law.

i. So, we have statements like this:

1. The law is holy, righteous, and good (12).
2. The law is spiritual (14).
3. What I want to do (obey the law) (15).
4. I agree that the law is good (16).
5. I have the desire to do what is good (17).
6. I don’t do the good that I want to do (want to obey the law) (19).
7. I want to do good (21).
8. In my inner being, I delight in God’s law (22).
9. Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ (24).
10. In my mind, I am a slave to God’s law (25).

ii. However, we also have seemingly contrary statements that do not fit the perspective of a believer:

1. Sin sprang to life and I died (9).
2. I am unspiritual (14).
3. I am sold as a slave to sin (14). Compare with Romans 6:6–7, which says that we have been set free from sin and are no longer slaves to sin.
4. What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do – describes a conflicted, double-minded person (15).
5. Good itself does not dwell in me, in my flesh (18).
6. The good that I want to do I cannot carry it out (can’t do good) (18).
7. Another law at work in my mind is making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work in me (23). Compare with Romans 8:2, which says that believers are set free from the law of sin and death.
8. In my flesh a slave to the law of sin (see 8:2).

iii. Response: The debate cannot be solved by comparing these statements, because they are in conflict. The good statements do not fit an unbeliever, but the bad statements do not fit a believer’s perspective either. The answer must come from the context and purpose of what Paul is doing. If we understand that Romans 7 is from the perspective of the law, then the positive statements can be understood as coming not from any unbeliever but from a God-fearing Jew under the law. Paul, the Pharisee, could agree with all of the positive statements about God’s law in chapter 7, but he did not have the power to carry it out in his flesh without the aid of the Holy Spirit. So, the struggle is chapter 7 is not descriptive of an unbeliever per se, but the struggle of someone under the law of Moses who has a desire to obey it but does not have the ability.

d. The passage seems to fit our personal experience as believers in our struggle against sin and the flesh.

i. Response: We want to be careful to not interpret Scripture in light of our own experience or our own perceived experience. We want to interpret the text with an understanding of the historical and literary contexts and then reading and interpreting the words themselves (lexical, grammatical) in a way that Paul and his original readers could agree with. Christians do have an ongoing battle with sin and our desires. Christians are not perfect, and diligent effort must be applied to grow in holiness. Paul himself said in Romans 6 that since we are free from the power and reign of sin we must offer our bodies to God and righteousness. This is an imperative that flows from the indicative reality of our new life in Christ. We find numerous exhortations in the Scriptures for believers to pursue diligently with great effort a life of holiness in the power of Christ through the Spirit. I agree that there is a struggle with sin in chapter 7, but it is a struggle that is being fought under law, and the law has been coopted by sin to multiply sin and transgressions to leave the sinner condemned to death. Chapter 7 describes a struggle with sin that cannot be won. The struggle is the flesh vs. sin under the reign of law, which is why the passage ends in defeat and despair (v. 24). The Christian’s struggle is vastly different. It is not a struggle that ends in despair and defeat. Why? Because it is a pursuit of righteousness away from sin in the power of the Holy Spirit not in the old way of the written code.

2. Arguments for Chapter 7 referring to Israel’s/Paul’s experience under the law of Moses.

a. The earlier references to the law in Romans:

i. The righteousness of God comes to believers apart from law (3:21).
ii. A person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law (3:28).
iii. The law brings wrath (4:15).
iv. The law actually increases transgressions (5:20)
v. The believer is no longer under the law, but under grace. Therefore, sin can no longer be the master of a believer (6:14).
vi. Believers have died to the law and now belong to Christ (7:4).
vii. Under the law, our sinful passions bore fruit for death (7:5).
viii. Believers have been released from the law and now serve in the new way of the Spirit (7:6).

b. The structure of Romans.

i. Romans 6 and 7 are extended “asides” to deal with potential objections to Paul’s argument that we are no longer under law but under grace (5:20).
ii. 7:7–25 is a defense against possible misunderstanding after Paul’s definitive statement in 7:1-6 that we are no longer married to the law and are now married to Christ.
iii. 7:5–6 are key to understanding 7:7–8:17.
iv. 7:5 is life under law – unregenerate experience described (7:5).
v. 7:6 is life in the Spirit – regenerate experience described (7:6).
vi. 7:7–25 is an elaboration of 7:5.
vii. 8:1–17 is an elaboration of 7:6.

c. The contrast between 7:14–25 and 8:1–17 is so dramatic that it is difficult to believe that the experience described is that of a Christian in both cases.
d. Nowhere does 7:14–25 mention life in Christ or life in the Spirit. It is always in reference to law. Chapter 8 refers to the Holy Spirit 19 times. The “I” that attempts to but fails to keep God’s law lacks the resources of the Holy Spirit. This is vastly different than the experience of the believer with the Spirit in ch. 8.
e. The description of the person in chapter 7 who delights in God’s law is not a believer in Christ in the Spirit, but a devout Jew or moral person who desires to do what is right but who lacks the resources to do it. Verse 22 – in my inner being I delight in God’s law – is the description of a pious/God-fearing Jew under law. So, the portrait in 7:14–25 is not true of all unbelievers; it depicts a person who delights in God’s law but cannot keep it. (Paul as a Pharisee; David; etc.).
f. But doesn’t Paul say that he was blameless with regards to God’s law (Philippians 3)? Yes, but surely Paul didn’t consider himself as sinless. In terms of exterior performance, he was blameless in the eyes of other people. But they cannot see his coveting, which he describes in 7:7–12. Remember the rich man who came to Jesus who said that he had obeyed all the commands of God since his youth, but he could not part with his wealth. He was guilty of coveting just as Paul describes his coveting in ch. 7. Coveting is the perfect example command, because in many ways it encapsulates the whole law. A covetous person is not worshiping God and God alone with no other gods before him. Also, a person coveting is not truly obeying the commands to not steal, commit adultery, etc. So, coveting is a disobedience of the two great commands to love God and neighbor. Life in the flesh under the law without the Spirit is powerless to transform the heart and cure it of coveting and thus of breaking God’s law.
g. The whole argument of the larger section of Romans is that Christians are no longer under law; we have been married to another (Christ). Thus, 7:7–25 cannot be describing a person in Christ in the Spirit because everything said is in relationship to law. But the NT believer in Christ has been set free from the law. The burden of this whole section is to show how believers are not under law but under grace, while at the same time not disparaging God’s good law. God’s law is good, but we are not. The problem is that we are powerless to obey it. This powerlessness leads to the desperate lament at the end of the passage (7:24). Our only hope from this desperate situation is Jesus Christ and his life-giving Spirit.

Main Idea: If you try to justify yourself by keeping the law, you will fail. If you try to sanctify yourself as a believer by keeping the law, you will fail. The only hope that we wretched, dead, miserable human beings have is the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ who justifies us through faith and then gives us the indwelling Holy Spirit who makes us righteous in a way that the law could never achieve.