Romans 7

1. I am talking now to my Jewish brothers who know the law. Do you not know that the law rules over a man only as long as he lives?

The law rules over a man because it demands a penalty for sin. 1 Corinthians 15:56

2. It is like a married woman whose husband died. After he died, his legal rights also died.

He is using this particular example out of the law to show that the law has power over a person as long as they are living. We are joined to Christ because this other “husband” died.

3 – 4

If this woman had given herself to another man while her husband was alive she would be committing adultery. But if she marries someone else after her husband's death no one would say that she was committing adultery because she is no longer joined to that marriage. So my brothers, the death of Christ on the cross has made you dead to the claims of the law and you are free to be married to Christ and bear fruit for God.

As a Christian, being joined to Christ is not something that we try to make happen, it has already happened.

5 – 6

While we were living in the flesh the law spoke about our secret passions and caused us to bear fruit for death! But now we are set free from the law, because we died to that which we were serving and are now free to serve God through His Spirit and not by the letter of the law.

Men have taken God's law and twisted it to say that it does not apply to their situation. They made the law say, “If I do something that you are not doing, then I am closer to God than you are.”

If keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no reason for Christ to die. Galatians 2:21

7. So can somebody say that sin and the law are the same thing? Never! Because I would have never seen sinful things in myself unless the law showed them to me. For example, I would not have seen some ways that I have been greedy if the law had not said, “You shall not be greedy.”

When Paul was a Pharisee. He thought that it was only sin. If you actually did what you were thinking about. Now he sees that thinking about it in wishing you could do it in your heart is also sin.

8. But the sin in me used the commandment against me and got me thinking about ways to become greedy. See you see, without the law sin is not made clear in this way.

Paul says, "I did not know I had cancer until the “doctor” of the Law told me about it.”

9. As long as I was without the law I was alive. When the law showed me these things my sins came to life and I died.

If we would take the time to carefully read God's Word it can show us the secret things that are in our hearts.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two–edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and plans of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

10. So the law which was supposed to show me how to live I found was a death sentence.

Every time we go against what God has said, we are saying, "I do not need God to tell me what to do." The penalty for this is death. Spiritual death in this life and eternal death in the next life.

11 – 12

The sin in me used the law to deceive me, and it killed me. Of course, the law is pure and good.

It wasn't the law that killed me but my sin that killed me.

13. How can it be that something that is good could bring death to me? It can never be! Here is what happened: sin was revealed by the law and showed itself clearly, and that is what meant death for me. So the law showed me very clearly how evil sin is.

The law shows us what we are capable of. It stirs the water to show that there is mud on the bottom.

14. The law is speaking about spiritual things, but I live in a body and have sometimes sold my soul to evil.

Maybe you have stopped doing some kind of sin. Why did you stop? Was it because you hate this sin or was it because you know that God will punish you if you keep doing it?

15. Sometimes I do not understand what I am doing, because sometimes I am not doing what I really want to do, and sometimes I am doing the very thing which I hate.

David said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue.” I tried to keep my mouth shut while the wicked were near me I held my peace, but it did not help, and my anger got worse. My heart became hot inside me. As I kept thinking about it, the fire burned; then I said things that I should not have said. Psalm 39:1 – 4

16. So if I do the very thing that I hate, then I am agreeing that the law was correct when it showed me these things.

I do not want to be someone who hates what I am doing.

17. But it cannot be that I am doing these things, it must be sin that has made its home in me.

If I do not want to do these things that it must be something else that wants to do them.

18. I know from experience that my body is not the home of things that are good, because I see that when I want to do what is right –I do not have the power.

Luther called this dirt covered by snow
19. I do not end up doing the good things that I want to do, but I end up doing the very things that I did not plan to do.

I cannot stand it but I cannot stop doing it.

20. If I do things that I do not really want to do then it is not me who is doing them, but sin that has found a home inside of me.

If a servant only works for his boss because he is afraid of him, it is easy for the devil to turn him against his boss.

21. So I see there is a law inside of me that when I want to do good, then evil is always standing there with me.

There are times when we know we are doing wrong and we say, "Forgive me, Lord, but I am going to do it anyway." These are sins which we do on purpose. David said, “Rescue me from the sins I am doing on purpose." Psalm 19:13

22 – 23

I agree with God's law in my heart but I find this other law in my body (which is always at war with God's law). Sometimes my mind agrees with this other law and makes me a prisoner.

Just before we do something that is against God's ways, we first allow some bad thoughts against God to come into in our mind.

24. What a miserable man I am! Who can set me free from the prison of this body?

The devil accused Joshua the priest of not being worthy. He wanted to make a list of all the stupid things that Joshua had done. God told Satan to stop these accusations because he had pity on Joshua and pulled him out of the fire. Zechariah 3:8

So we can see that being pulled out of the fire is not something we can do for ourselves. Some stupid concerts tell people to count to 10 when their angry. If these self–help ideas worked then we can become proud of how we have solved our problems without needing God's help.

This means waiting for God's help even if it costs you and things get worse! You do not care what it takes because you cannot live this way anymore.

O taste [try] and see that the LORD is good; how happy is the man who hides himself in Him! Psalm 34:8

25. I thank God there is a way out through Jesus Christ our Lord!

In the same way that a close friend warns you when danger is coming, the Lord is our close friend, and He warns us when there is danger coming from the enemy or if there is danger coming from inside of us.

The thing that we forget is that life is a war between God and the devil. We cannot fight that kind of war. If we cry out to God, He will fight this war for us.

The LORD himself will fight for you and you only have to be silent.”. Exodus 14:14

Your words are a warning to your servant. Psalm 19:11