The Commandment that Leads to Life (1)

[Romans 7:8-13]

Please look at Romans 7:10: “And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.” Here, "the commandment" refers to the commandment God gave to the first Adam, as recorded in Genesis 2:16-17: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” If Adam had not eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would have reached life. In other words, if Adam had obeyed the commandment that leads to life (Romans 7:10), he would have attained eternal life. However, the Apostle Paul says, “I found to bring death” (v. 10).

How is it that the commandment that was to lead to life, instead led to death? (v. 10)

Look at Romans 7:11: “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me” [(Modern Korean Bible): “For sin, taking advantage of the commandment, deceived me, and by the commandment, killed me.”]. Sin (the power of sin/serpent/Satan) took the opportunity and, through the commandment, deceived Adam (Genesis 3:1-5), leading him to disobey God’s command (Genesis 2:17), and as a result, sin brought death (Romans 6:23). And through one man, Adam, sin entered the world, and death through sin; and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).

When we live according to God’s Word, as it is written, it will certainly lead us to life. In other words, if we obey God’s Word, we will reach eternal life. Therefore, we must obey God’s Word even to the point of death. No matter how hard, difficult, or painful it may be, it cannot compare to death. Therefore, we must hold fast to God’s Word even at the cost of our lives. That is the way of life and the way to eternal life.

However, sin, taking the opportunity through the commandment, has produced all kinds of covetousness within me [(Modern Korean Bible): “But sin, taking the opportunity through the commandment, has aroused all kinds of covetousness within me”] (Romans 7:8). Sin (the power of sin, Satan) watches for an opportunity and, through the commandment, stirs up all kinds of covetousness within us. The serpent, which was the most cunning of the wild animals (Genesis 3:1), took the opportunity and caused the woman (Adam’s wife) to see the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise (Genesis 3:6).

Even today, the most cunning Satan takes the opportunity to stir up all kinds of covetousness within us, causing us to desire everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 3:16, Modern Korean Bible). Satan’s ultimate goal is to bring us to death. That is, Satan’s aim is to lead us to death (Romans 8:10). Therefore, we must be well aware of Satan’s purpose, plan, and his temptations and deceptions.

Due to the coronavirus, people are saying that the day of the Lord’s coming is near.

Look at Matthew 24:24: “For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” [(Contemporary Bible) “False Christs and false prophets will rise and perform great miracles and wonders, and if possible, they will deceive even the chosen ones.”]. Satan also deceives God's children whom He has chosen. However, we must fight against this deception with the Word of God. We must follow the example of Jesus. Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, was tested by the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1). When the devil tempted Him three times, Jesus responded by saying “It is written” [“The Bible says” (Contemporary Bible)], and He defeated the devil’s temptations with verses from the Old Testament (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). Similarly, we must fight against Satan’s deceptions with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). If we hold on to and keep God's Word, He will protect us and lead us to eternal life.

Look at Matthew 24:22: “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.” [(Contemporary Bible) “If the period of suffering had not been shortened, no one would have survived. But for the sake of the chosen, the days will be shortened.”]. If God allowed all the calamities of these tribulation days to continue without end, no one would be saved. But God will shorten those days of tribulation for the sake of the elect.

Look at Matthew 24:31: “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” [(Contemporary Bible) “I will send My angels with a great trumpet sound, and they will gather the chosen ones from the four corners of the heavens, from one end to the other.”]. God will send His angels to gather all the children of God that He has chosen, so that they may receive Jesus when He returns. God will protect and guard His children, and ultimately, He will save them.

The church of the Lord, the victorious Presbyterian Church that He is building, is hoped to be like the church of Philadelphia, one of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in Revelation 2-3. Look at Revelation 3:8: “See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” The church that the Lord builds will be a church that, no matter the temptations, deceptions, or difficulties, will not betray the Lord. With even little strength, it will keep His word.

Furthermore, we must pass on God’s Word to the next generation, so that they too may obey and keep His Word, and reach eternal life. Look at Revelation 3:11: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” The Lord will give a crown to those who keep His Word. We must not let anyone take that crown away but rather, when the Lord comes, we should receive Him with the crown that He has given us.