Another look at living as Stewards
Romans 7
Released from the Law
Or do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.
The Law and Sin
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 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.
This is very encouraging, that Paul would write about his struggles! We are going to struggle to walk on the path less traveled, to follow Jesus Christ.
Paul says that we were in essence married to sin, we were bound to it. But Christ died to set us free from sin. Now we are bound to Him, as His followers. He released us from the written law which Paul say can only bring death because we become aware of sin through it. The Law itself is from God and is righteous, but sin seizing opportunity through the law brings death. Vs. 6 "But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit."
In vs 14-20 Paul talks about the two natures at battle within him. The good and the evil fight for dominance, but the evil is not who he truly is. Vs. 22 "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being," Yet he still falls to temptation, vs 23 "but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members."
But here is the best part, vs 24-25 "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 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."
It is an all out war! Who are we going to serve? Jesus said no one can serve two masters! Are we going to give into the flesh and live in sin? Or, do we choose to live in the Spirit? (Topic for Monday!!!)
Christ has set us free from sin, choose to live for Him!!!
In Christ,
Dave
Released from the Law
Or do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.
The Law and Sin
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 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.
This is very encouraging, that Paul would write about his struggles! We are going to struggle to walk on the path less traveled, to follow Jesus Christ.
Paul says that we were in essence married to sin, we were bound to it. But Christ died to set us free from sin. Now we are bound to Him, as His followers. He released us from the written law which Paul say can only bring death because we become aware of sin through it. The Law itself is from God and is righteous, but sin seizing opportunity through the law brings death. Vs. 6 "But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit."
In vs 14-20 Paul talks about the two natures at battle within him. The good and the evil fight for dominance, but the evil is not who he truly is. Vs. 22 "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being," Yet he still falls to temptation, vs 23 "but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members."
But here is the best part, vs 24-25 "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 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."
It is an all out war! Who are we going to serve? Jesus said no one can serve two masters! Are we going to give into the flesh and live in sin? Or, do we choose to live in the Spirit? (Topic for Monday!!!)
Christ has set us free from sin, choose to live for Him!!!
In Christ,
Dave
posted by Mark 1:17 at 3:45 PM
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