"Not under Law, but under Grace" (Romans 7:13-25)

“Not under Law, but under Grace” (Romans 7:13–25)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, January 7, 2018

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.

1. In Romans 7:13–25, Paul is describing the frustrating experience of a God-fearing Jew seeking to obey God’s Law in the power of the flesh.

2. But Christians are no longer under the Law, but under Grace. Therefore, we do not seek to obey God in the power of the flesh but in the power of the Spirit (6:14; 7:4–6).

3. So, what is the New Covenant Christian’s relationship to the Law of Moses then?

a. All of Scripture, including the Law of Moses, is God’s Word and is useful for the instruction of the believer (2 Tim 3:16–17).
b. Our relationship to the Law, however, is different under the New Covenant. Something has changed. This is a new era.
c. The primary authority for Christians in this age is not the Law of Moses, but it is the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.
d. This does not mean that Christians have no written revelation to guide our moral decisions. The NT and the “law of Christ” provide certain commands that Christians are to obey.
e. What do we do with OT commands?

i. It is not as simple as dividing up the Law of Moses into moral, ceremonial, and civic laws. The OT never makes this distinction. The Law is viewed as a unity.
ii. The Law of Moses also included the penalties and judgments for breaking the written laws.
iii. The primary lens through which to view the Law of Moses and the entire Old Testament is through the Lens of Christ and the Gospel.

1. Anything having to do with the tabernacle/temple; priesthood; sacrifices has been fulfilled in Christ’s cross work.
2. Anything intended to keep the Israelites set apart from the nations as a distinct people has been set aside because the Gospel is inclusive of all peoples, and we are all one in Christ.
3. Anything specifically reaffirmed in the New Testament from the Old is still binding on the Christian’s conscience (such as most of the 10 commandments).
4. Specific Laws that have been set aside in the NT (such as circumcision or the food laws) are no longer binding on the Christian’s conscience.
5. Other laws that are not specifically addressed in the NT are to be read through the lens of Christ’s cross work and the inclusion of all peoples into one people of God.

iv. The Old Testament is still of great profit to the Christian.

1. It provides the foundation for understanding the New Testament.
2. It serves as a prophetic witness to the coming of Christ and his fulfillment of the Old Testament (Matt 5:17).
3. Many of the specific Old Testament laws can serve as case studies in how to apply New Covenant morality.

a. For example, the laws regarding personal injury in Exodus 21, provide useful guidance on how to continue to apply the law of love of neighbor.
b. For example, the specific laws regarding sexual immorality in the OT fill out the NT’s general prescriptions against sexual immorality.