Romans 7: 13-25

(Romans 7: 13-25)

『 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 』

 

Why did the apostle Paul say "O wretched man that I am!" He said he realized that he could not achieve righteousness on his own. That's why the self is to die with Jesus. To die is to believe what is dead by the law. In Chapter 7 verse 4『 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 』 Those who are in Jesus Christ are made dead by the law. So, for those who are in Jesus Christ, the law is broken. In Ephesians 2:15, "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 』, Colossians 2:14 also says, 『Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 』The law applies to all people, but only those who died by the law with Jesus are not the law. Because it was to redeem those who were under the law.

 

The result of death by the law is found in Galatians 6:14, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 』 There are two types of people living in this world. Those who are subject to the law and those who deviate from the law. Those who are subject to the law are those who love the world. But those who deviate from the law say that they are also crucified to the world. In Romans 7:13, "Was then that which is good made death unto me?" God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 』

 

The Bible said that the law is good because it convicts people of sin. The law is good, but why should it be abolished? The law convicts of sin and indicates that sin led to death. Sinners were insensitive to sin, and sin was revealed through the law. Sin is sin that leaves God. The word "convict sin" is to realize that you have left God. The principle of realizing that people have left God is when they realize that the sinner (spirit) is a human being in the body.

 

To put on the body means to come to this world from God and to become a being who lives as a stranger. In 2 Corinthians 5:2 the Apostle Paul said, "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:" Those who realize sin are those who realize this fact. It means that realizing that people have sinned in the world is not convicting of sin. The realizer knows that the spirit is dead because he is physically in this world. This is what the law tells us.

 

In Romans 7:14, ``For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. "All the Israelites thought that righteousness could be achieved if they obey the law, but those who belong to the flesh cannot do it." Because there is an idol of greed in the flesh, it is impossible to keep the law perfectly.

 

Even today, how many stupid people around the world believe they can become divine beings! Humans commit the wrong of trying to get rid of greed in their hearts. They are sinners to God because they have greed, but they want to be like God by removing greed themselves. The apostle Paul says, "I am of the flesh and have been sold under sin." He is saying that he has left God and is confined in the flesh and thus he is under sin.

 

By the way, the Bible says: If you realize that through the law it is impossible, and find the Christ of the promise hidden in the law, it is a blessing. In Galatians 3:23-24, 『But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 'The law is a teacher who leads to Christ (true life) to those who understand. Those who do not understand are still trapped in the net of greed. In other words, if you still try to keep the law, you become a person who has nothing to do with Christ.

 

Humans try to achieve righteousness by doing something themselves, but humans do not know what they do. By the way, in terms of the results of actions, people are not doing what they are doing to achieve righteousness, but doing what the body wants. In Romans 7:15-16, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 』

 

When people do evil, they know that the law is good because the law tells them not to do it. The Israelites thought that the law was good, and that righteousness could be achieved by acting as it taught. By the way, because of the sinful nature of greed, there is no one who does what the law says perfectly. Before the apostle Paul also met Jesus, he thought that he had become a righteous man by obeying the law. However, when I met Jesus, I clearly realized the greed of the heart and realized that it was impossible to get rid of greed by myself.

 

Today, those who believe in Jesus and say that they have been saved are still under the law, looking to see if they sin or not in the light of the law. The way out of the law is to be dead to the law only with Jesus. Today, most people do not die to the law, they sin every day, repent (reflection), and seek forgiveness of sins. It does not solve the problem of fundamental greed and is doing the same thing as a temporary measure.

 

Those who are in Christ are not those who believe in Jesus, but are dead with Jesus to the law. The price of sin is death. So, God judges sinners by the law, and those who are in Christ were sinners before, but died with Jesus. God makes the dead with Jesus live a new life. This is the new covenant. In Romans 6:4, 『Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 』

 

 It is not a new life for the world, but a new life for God. This means becoming one with God, and in order to become one with God, believers become ones who do God's work. God's work is to make you believe in His Son. Believing in Jesus means believing to die with Jesus and to be resurrected with Jesus. This is fruitful to God. In Romans 7:4, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 』

 

So, although the physical body (old man) died and was regenerated as a spiritual body to the saints, the reason that the body received from parents exists in this world is to give fruit to God. Evangelism is not 『believe in Jesus』, but about repentance to God and about the kingdom of God. The saints become the one who tells us that in order to return to the kingdom of God, the body of sin must die.

 

However, believers must evangelize, but they have a body. The flesh is trying to lead to sin. The apostle Paul in Romans 7:18-23『 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 』

 

As long as they have a body, the saints continue to worry about these problems. So, the answer is given in 7:24-25: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 』The law of the kingdom of God means the law of the Holy Spirit. The law of this earth is the law.

 

In the heart, believers follow the law of the Holy Spirit, but in the flesh they are slaves to the law. However, because the saints were killed for the law through Jesus Christ, they are thankful through Christ. As a result, God told the dead to the law, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 』.

 

When the law of the Spirit meets the law, God applies the law of the Spirit (God's law) to those who are in Christ. The laws of the kingdom of God are as follows: 『Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 』