Romans 7:14-25, “The Spiritual Nature of the Law.”

Bible Text: Romans 7:14-25 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Romans

See Romans 7:14… The law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave, i.e., a servant, to sin.
John 3:3, Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” 6 “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
John 6:63, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”
John 8:34, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

So, there is spirit, and there is flesh and blood, spirit can inhabit flesh and blood, but flesh and blood cannot inhabit spirit.

Before coming to Christ, i.e., repenting of our sins, believing in Him as Savior, and confessing Him as Lord, we were slaves to sin, i.e., to the desires of the flesh. Romans 6:16, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which
leads to righteousness?”

But through Christ we are born of, and able to live by, the Spirit of God, no longer slaves to the flesh (see John 1:12-13; 3:3, 6; 14:16-17, 25-26). Romans 5:12-13, “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned– for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.”

We all are accountable to the law of God, at the very least, to the Ten Commandments. What does it mean, “sin is not taken into account when there is no law”?
Romans 8:2, “through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

We don’t have to be slaves to the sinful nature, but instead through the Spirit of God, we are to live as slaves of Christ, through the Spirit of God.
Galatians 5:16-18, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”

See Romans 7:15-17… Paul is basically trying to sort this out, saying, I don’t understand why I do what I don’t want to do; in fact, at times I do what I hate! What is this all about?

By doing what I don’t want to do, i.e., by disobeying God’s law, I must agree that the law is good. For I know I shouldn’t break it, but I do anyway. What causes me to do what I know I shouldn’t do? It is sin living in me!

See Romans 7:18-20… There is nothing good in my sinful nature, in fact, there are no redeeming qualities in my natural man, in comparison to the incomprehensible holiness of God.

Ephesians 2:1-3, “you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”

Paul says (v. 18) he has good intentions to do what is right. Isn’t the road to hell paved with good intentions? The truth is, even when we know what should be done, and even if we want to do it, we seem to be incapable at times in following through with it.

Instead of doing what we know is right and good, we actually go against our own consciences at times, doing things we know are wrong; we seem to be incapable, at times, of doing what we know we should do.
Genesis 3:22, And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.”

Romans 2:13-15, “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)”

Do you see the spiritual nature of the law? Remember what we read in John 6:63? Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” When we obey God, we show that we are His slaves, living by His Spirit; when we disobey God we act like those who have been taken captive in their minds and hearts to do what they ought not to do, even the things they know and agree are wrong, for the works of sin are evil.
Verses 21-23… Paul has deeply thought about this, and he has experienced it repeatedly: in his mind and heart he really wants to do that which pleases God, that which aligns with God’s law, but his fleshly self-centeredness drives him to do what feels good (like us), instead of what is good, to do what is easiest, instead of what is right.

Many times we sense a battle going on in their emotions and in our minds, at times we feel as if we have been taken captive, or at the very least rendered inoperative to do what is right and good and true.
Verses 24-25… Sometimes it is like standing by and watching a horrible accident happen, we could have helped to prevent it, but we seem not to be able to do anything about it. The truth is, we are in the accident, and we can’t seem to help ourselves; without help, the outcome is potentially fatal. That is why Christ came, to save us (Luke 19:10), “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

The Book of Romans is so clear: (3:23) we are all sinners, and (6:23) the penalty for sin is death; but (5:8), Jesus took our punishment upon Himself, on the cross, and therefore (8:1) we are saved, acquitted from all our sins, and therefore, without condemnation.

Paul exclaims (v. 25), “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” 2Peter 1:3-4, “His (God’s) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you (and I) may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Through Christ, we are able to experience God’s forgiveness, and new life from God (2Corinthians 5:17), this happens when we repent and believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Even so, until we are given new glorified bodies (our heaven suits) and brought into the presence of the Lord, our spirit, which has been made alive in Christ, will be in conflict with our flesh, which is inflamed by sin.
2Corinthians 5:1-5, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
1Corinthians 15:53-58, “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the
Lord is not in vain.”

The law is spiritual (2Timothy 3:16-17), but we are unspiritual (dead in our sins), until we repent, believe, and follow Jesus, for He alone grants us new life (spiritual and eternal life) from God, and we are no longer slaves to sin, for we have been made servants of God.

As Paul exclaims (2Corinthians 9:15), “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! [God’s Son, Jesus Christ, Creator, Sustainer, Lord, Savior and Judge over all has freed us from the law of sin and death].”

Pastor Mike