Ep. 216 - PODCAST - Romans 7 and the Struggle with Sin w/ Brandon Johnson

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Website: Maryland FCA

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Romans 7 is not primarily about a believer’s struggle with sin, but about an unregenerate person’s futile attempt to gain righteousness through the Law. Paul uses this example to show that although the Law is good and holy, it cannot save. Instead, the Law exposes sin and leads the person to recognize their need for Christ.

 

Key Points:

➡️ Romans 7 describes a person who delights in God’s law but remains enslaved to sin—revealing the Law’s inability to save.

➡️ This person is not yet in Christ; their cry of wretchedness leads them to Jesus, the only true remedy.

➡️ Paul’s focus is on the goodness of the Law, not the struggle of a Christian with sin.

➡️ Therefore, Romans 7 is not the best passage to use when addressing sin struggles in believers.

 

Better Texts for Encouragement in Struggle:

📖 1 Corinthians 10:13 – God provides a way out of every temptation.

📖 Ephesians 6:10–20 – Be strong in the Lord, put on the armor of God to stand against spiritual warfare.

📖 Romans 8 & Galatians 5 – These speak more directly to the battle between flesh and Spirit in the believer.

 

Theological Consensus: Many early and modern scholars (Origen, Chrysostom, Augustine, Moo, Bird) support the view that Romans 7 depicts an unregenerate person.

 

Martin Lloyd-Jones offers a slightly different view, yet still aligns with the notion that the person is not yet living in the Spirit.

 

Gospel Implication: Trying to be saved by the Law leads only to sin and death. True freedom and salvation come only through Christ. As believers, we are not sinners who occasionally overcome—but overcomers who occasionally sin.

 

Instead of using Romans 7 to justify ongoing sin struggles, we should use it to point to the insufficiency of the Law and the all-sufficiency of Jesus. For Christian encouragement amid struggle, turn to Spirit-empowered passages like Romans 8, Galatians 5, and Ephesians 6.

 

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