Romans Chapter 7 could be described as the failure that the apostle Paul experienced before he fully understood this great gospel of Jesus Christ and him crucified. It explains to us what will happen if we don’t understand chapter 6. Before any believer can experience the victory Christ won for us, he or she must go through this great chapter just as the apostle had to. Some scholars believe that this portrays a picture of Paul before he was ever saved. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let’s examine the scripture. Verse 7:15 for that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. The word allow in the Greek means understand. This verse could have been better translated like this; for the things which I am doing I don’t understand why, furthermore I hate what I am doing! Any person that is truly born again hates to sin, and when he does, it makes he or she sick at there stomach so to speak. So this verse of scripture is not speaking of a person that is unsaved. Paul will begin this chapter with a word picture understanding, showing us that the believer is dead to the Law (Verses 1-6). He will then tell us that if it were not for the Law he would not have the knowledge that he is a sinner. Now that he knows that he is a sinner he explains how the Law came in alongside the sinful nature and aggravated it, causing him to sin even more. Anytime the believer operates in the sphere of Law keeping, one is assured failure will come. He then explains that the Law is good, just, right, and Holy. The Law of God (i.e. the ten commandments), is God's standard of righteousness, and the only one who was ever able to keep that law fully and completely was Jesus, thus He satisfied the Law's just and holy commandments, freeing the believer from guilt and condemnation. This is the reason for Paul’s failure in this chapter, as well all of us, when we continue to put ourselves under the Law. Throughout the rest of the chapter he will explain to us the failure which he did not understand; sadly enough this is where most believers are in their walk with God. They have a strong desire to please the Lord, but they don’t understand the reason why they keep on failing the Lord. Anyone who is truly born again will have a strong desire to please God. Paul said in so many words; in verse 18 for the desire to do the right thing is present with me, but how to perform the good that I desire to do, I find not. It’s not until the believer finds himself as Paul did at the end of this chapter, were he said "oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death", then shall one find the victory found in the Cross.
Why the Failure?
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RJ
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I will have to respectively disagree, Paul fully understood his sinfulness and better than most, if not all. He also knew perfectly, the purpose of the Law, which was to reveal his sin to him and that the Law would kill him.
And he understood the law was good and with out it, he would not have been able to understand covetness and how much he did covet.
But, he also knew better than anyone that man was sinful in nature, including himself which he witnessed in Roman 7.
And, he knew well that in God's eyes he was a Wretch, like all of us, not one is worthy, no not one!
Then he summed up the result of a Christian's sinful nature and the very essence of the Gospel, in the first part of Romans 8:
Romans 8
Life in the Spirit
<sup id="en-ESV-28102" class="versenum">1</sup>There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. <sup id="en-ESV-28103" class="versenum">2</sup>For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
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Thanks for that. I was reading this passage too recently and was confused on how to interpret it towards the end. So the law is holy and perfect which is why we are set up for failure and why only Jesus can come fulfill it and set us free from condemnation but where does this leave us in terms of our actions?
I believe that salvation is about faith: Romans 3:28 "We conclude that a person has God's approval by faith, not by his own efforts" but I also think we are called to change the way we think and act and to pick up our cross to follow Jesus. So does this mean that we will stumble (none of us are good except for Jesus and none of us could get into Heaven with our works) but that we are supposed to daily devote our lives to worshiping and pleasing Jesus to the best of our abilities out of Love? Hmm maybe I'm answering my own question.
I guess my main question about the passage is wondering if it is saying that we will fail at times (because we are imperfect humans) and we will feel convicted about it but that we should remember that we are no longer condemned under the law? I think that is what I am getting out of it.
I believe that salvation is about faith: Romans 3:28 "We conclude that a person has God's approval by faith, not by his own efforts" but I also think we are called to change the way we think and act and to pick up our cross to follow Jesus. So does this mean that we will stumble (none of us are good except for Jesus and none of us could get into Heaven with our works) but that we are supposed to daily devote our lives to worshiping and pleasing Jesus to the best of our abilities out of Love? Hmm maybe I'm answering my own question.
I guess my main question about the passage is wondering if it is saying that we will fail at times (because we are imperfect humans) and we will feel convicted about it but that we should remember that we are no longer condemned under the law? I think that is what I am getting out of it.
SpiritLedEd
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My New Testament Chronology shows Paul's conversion occuring in AD35while his first missionary trip began in AD46. That eleven year span was certainly enough time for him to become well grounded in the faith. Therefore, the question he posed in Ro 7:24 ("Who shall deliver me..........?") was rhetorical. He'd learned the answer long before the church in Rome was even established. You make it sound as if he only figured out the answer when he wrote chapter seven.
SLE
To koge06: to address your 1st question but where does this leave us in terms of our actions, because we are a fallen nature and will not be glorfied until the trump sounds we are still in this phyical body, and at times we will fail God, but the bible says 1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: this teaches us the doctrine of justification by faith, Romans Chapter 4 (see my blog on this chapter if you like) this does not mean we have a license to sin,, when paul said in romans 6:1 what shall we say shall we continue in sin,,,, he answers his own question in verse 2 by saying God forbid,,,,I can email you my study guide on romans 67&8 if you like these chapters are essential to every Christian to understand...hope this helps you....just remember nobody who is truly saved wants to fail God at anytime, if it makes you sick when you do sin, than thats a good sign you are saved,,,,,we are all on a jorney of God changing our hearts day by day to look more like him,,, and we need to allow him to work on us,,,,,,,
