The Law of God, the Law (2)

 

 


[Romans 7:24-25]

 

 

Romans 7 is one of the more difficult chapters to understand. The reason for this is the ongoing debate about whether Romans 7 describes the apostle Paul before he came to faith in Jesus or after he accepted Jesus. Personally, I believe that Romans 7 speaks of Paul's experience after he became a believer in Christ. So, was the Paul of Romans 7 a new convert or a mature believer? Let’s take a look at 2 Corinthians 3:3: “You are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” [(Modern Version) “You are still living like people of the world. There is envy and strife among you, so how can you say you are not behaving like worldly people?”] Here, the apostle Paul writes to the believers in the Corinthian church, addressing those who are “carnal.” The term “carnal” refers to new believers in the Corinthian church. However, the Paul of Romans 7 is not a new convert; he is a missionary whose faith has grown. He wrote the letter to the Romans during his second missionary journey when he spent three years in Corinth.

Now, look at Romans 7:25: "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 apostle Paul rejoiced in the law of God. Look at verse 22: "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man." Here, the “law of God” that Paul delighted in refers to the law that God gave, which is the law found in the Scriptures. The law has three main purposes:

  1. The law reveals sin to us.
    Look at Romans 7:7: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’” [(Modern Version) “Is the law sin? Certainly not! If the law had not been given, I would not have known what sin is. If the law had not said, 'Do not covet,' I would not have known what covetousness was.”]

  2. The law acts as a tutor.
    The law leads us to Jesus Christ, who is the one who can solve the problem of sin. Look at Galatians 3:24: “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” [(Modern Version) “So the law was like a tutor that guided us to Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.”]

  3. The law serves as a standard for Christian living.
    The law of God also serves as a guide for how Christians should live, leading us toward sanctification. [Calvin's three uses of the law: (1) Political use: the restraint of sin (prevention), coercive action; (2) Educational use: like a mirror, exposing human sinfulness; (3) Instructional use: like a guide or lamp, leading toward sanctification (source: internet)]

We too should rejoice in the law of God like the Apostle Paul

We should rejoice in the law just as the Apostle Paul did. We should find joy in obeying the double commandment of Jesus, which is the fulfillment of the law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). We should take delight in obeying these commandments [(Romans 13:10b) “… therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”]

The Apostle Paul rejoiced in the law of God (Romans 7:22), but he saw how the law of sin in his body fought against the law of God in his mind, and how the law of sin took him captive (v. 23). In other words, because the law of sin attacked the Apostle Paul, he had to fight against it. But he realized that the law of sin was taking him captive.

For example, the Apostle Paul desired to love God by obeying the double commandment of Jesus, and to love his neighbor as himself. But the attack of the law of sin was so strong that he saw himself not loving his neighbor, but hating him. Therefore, the Apostle Paul lamented, saying: "Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (v. 24).

Here, the "wretched man" refers to someone who is in great pain, a miserable person, or someone in a terrible situation. Paul knew that the law of sin within him was still making him a slave to sin by fighting against the law of God. That’s why he lamented. And, because he was a slave to sin, the result was death, so he lamented, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (v. 24). The Apostle Paul knew that neither he nor anyone else could deliver him from this body of death, and for that reason, he cried out, "Oh wretched man that I am."

Like Paul, when we look back at ourselves, we cannot help but cry out in this way. When do we think is the most devout time in our lives? Is it in the early morning? At midnight? When we are alone with God? When we pray? When we worship? When we sing praises? Can we really have a flawless time of devotion during those moments? We discover that we fail countless times. That is why we can only confess, “I can’t do it” or “There’s nothing I can do.”

This is not only true for us but also for the prophet Elijah in the Bible. He boldly went to King Ahab and said, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Then, in the third year, following the word of God, he went to King Ahab with the message, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth” (1 Kings 18:1). Elijah, the prophet, faced off against 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19), a total of 850 prophets, and won the victory (1 Kings 18:21-38). Afterward, Elijah took those prophets and killed them all at the brook Kishon (1 Kings 18:40). Then Queen Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time” (1 Kings 19:2). Elijah, in fear, fled to Beersheba (1 Kings 19:3), and sitting under a broom tree, he prayed to God that He might take his life (1 Kings 19:4). Does not the prophet Elijah’s situation resemble that of the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:24?

God saves! The Apostle Paul could not deliver himself from this body of death, and no one else could deliver him either, which is why he cried out, “Oh wretched man that I am!” But he gave thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 7:25). The reason is that God saved Paul through our Lord Jesus Christ. In the same way, our God saves us through our Lord Jesus Christ. According to Genesis 3:15, our Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross, crushed the head of the old serpent, Satan. By defeating Satan, our Lord Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself and died on the cross, shedding His blood to forgive all our sins. Therefore, we have been saved by the merit of the cross of Jesus Christ. Because of this, we cannot help but give thanks, praise, and worship to God. We must live with the assurance of our salvation, singing songs of victory with gratitude, and we must overcome in this evil world.