notes

Main point summary

The Law does not produce sin but reveals the sinfulness within.

Arc

editing

NT

Romans 7:7-12

esv

mine

What then shall we say?

What should we conclude?

That the law is sin?

Is the law sinful?

ideaexplanation

By no means!

It can never be!

Yet if it had not been for the law,

Nevertheless, If not for the law

o I would not have known sin.

Then I would not have known my sin

conditional

concessive

For I would not have known what it is to covet

I would not know covetousness

if p the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

If the law did not say you shall not covet

But sin,

But my sinful nature

q seizing an opportunity through the commandment,

Take advantage of The command not to covet

produced in me all kinds of covetousness.

Produced in me all kinds of covetouesness

actionresult

alternative

r For apart from the law,

Therefore, apart from the law

sin lies dead.

Sin lies dead

I was once alive apart from the law,

For I was well and good before the law

but when the commandment came,

But when the command came,

sin came alive and I died.

Sin came alive and I died

situationresponse

The very commandment s that promised life

The very law of God that promised life

proved to be death to me.

Resulted to death in me.

inference

For sin,

For my sinful nature

t seizing an opportunity through the commandment,

Taking advantage of the commandment

u deceived me and through it killed me.

Decieved me and through it killed me.

ground

bilateral

So v the law is holy,

The law of God is Holy

and the commandment is holy

That is His commandments is Holy

and righteous

Right

and good.

And good

progression

The Law does not cause sin but it exposes sin that is already there.

The law is good, man is not

Is the law the cause of sin?

discourse

Lecture 2

Title: God's good law and man's evil condition Scripture: Romans 7 Main point: God's law exposes our fallen condition so that we flee to Christ. Intro: Recently my wife, discovered that we have assembled our electric fan the wrong way. For the longest time it was making loud noses, we just surrendered to the fact that it was broken already because it was old it turns our we have assembled it the wrong way. When we fixed it, the fan was quiet as if it was new. Have you ever been wrong about something and only realize it recently? Similarly the Jews had gotten their understanding of the purpose of God's law wrong all their lives and Paul was showing them this painful reality. In Romans 6, has made an astounding statement. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14 ESV For a Jew, the law (the ten commandments) was the greatest revelation of God. Among all the nations in the world only they were given the law. Unfortunately, they started to believe that keeping it was God's way of salvation. So Paul confronted that mindset by saying we are not under the law. What that means is we not not under than law as a covenant of works but rather we are under Christ in the covenant of grace. The law under the covenant of works, demanded that we keep the whole law 100%, failure to do so will incur a penalty. The wages of sin is death Rom 6:23 Unfortunately, No one is able to keep the law of God 100% and everyone is guilty of breaking it. Instead of leaving us in our sins, God sent Christ to keep the law on our behalf and to pay its penalty in our place. Christ lived the life we should live but cant, and died the death we deserved. The law then functions as a tool of God to expose our fallen condition so that we flee to Christ. Before Christ, the law convict us of our sin. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. Romans 7:9-10 ESV Note: As unbelievers, the shows how far we have fallen short of God's standard. Paul always had the law, as a Pharisee he was a teacher of the law. But when he saw that the law is not concerned merely of externals (covetousness) when he realized that the law was concerned with what was happening in his heart. "he died" he lost all hope in being able to earn his righteousness. Psalm 51:6 God "desires the truth in the in most being" Paul knew as an unbeliever what goes inside his mind and his heart. And that was enough to condemn him. Point: The law of GOD can never save us, it can only show us that we need saving. So the law is not a to do list. 17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mark 10:17-22 ESV Christ used the law to expose the heart of the rich ruler that in reality he loved his possessions more than he loved others and more than he loved God. Challenge: Look at yourself in light of God's prefect law. We are always quick to compare ourselves by other people that are doing worse than us. Compare yourself to the law of God, compare yourself to Christ. As Christians, the law reminds us of our remaining corruption Note: Believers have two natures that are at war with each other. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Romans 7:14-15 ESV 6 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do ... Galatians 5:16-17 ESV As believers we are made alive by the Spirit of God, He dwells in us. He gives us new desires, a new hunger, a new joy. But at the same time there is still the remaining corruption in our flesh. So there is this reality of this conflict. We can all relate to what Paul says in v19 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing ... Romans 7:19 ESV Isn't it encouraging that the great Apostle Paul, the theologian/evangelist at this point in his life still struggles with sin? Point: God has saved us from the penalty of sin, but while in this flesh we will still experience the presence of sin. How should we respond? We should continually fight to put to death the remaining corruption in us. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5 ESV but when we fall, our hope is not on our ability to keep the law of God but on Christ's finished work. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Romans 7:24-25 ESV Challenge: Fight sin and trust the finished work of Christ! I also saw... that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. - John Bunyan Conclusion: God's law exposes and reminds us of our sin so that we come to Christ for salvation and sanctification.