ROMANS ROAD
to RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration of
Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by Faith |
|
Modified from Irving
L. Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's
Survey of the NT" |
WHAT CONCLUSION DOES HE COME TO IN EXPLAINING HIS CONFLICTING BEHAVIOR?
COULD THIS STATEMENT BE MADE BY AN UNSAVED OR A SAVED INDIVIDUAL?
SO NOW, NO LONGER AM I THE ONE DOING IT: nuni de ouketi ego katergazomai
(1SPMI) auto: (Ro
7:20;
4:7,8;
2Cor 8:12;
Phil 3:8,9)
As you study these
passages remember the
context.
Beginning in Romans 7:14 Paul begins to discuss the conflict of two
natures. This section has been one of the most controversial in the New
Testament. The majority of modern commentators (men like John MacArthur,
John Piper, William Newell, Donald Barnhouse, et al) favor this section
to be a description of a saved man who is wrestling with the sinful
propensities still present in the physical body of every saved
individual. Others feel Paul is discussing an unsaved man in this
section. Although I favor the former interpretation, the principles that
can be gleaned from Paul's teaching on this struggle are still
applicable to all men whatever their status regarding salvation.
Click here
for a summary of the arguments that favor Romans 7:14-25 as a description
of a
believer over an unbeliever (or vice versa), as there are legitimate
points favoring
both interpretations.
Romans 7:17—no
longer I but sin
THE CRY OF DEFEAT!
Galatians 2:20—no
longer I but Christ
THE CRY OF VICTORY!
No longer (3765)
(ouketi from ou = absolute negation + eti = yet,
still) means to negate an extension of time beyond a certain point. The
time extends up to that point but no further. In this particular context
ouketi (and "now") are not used so much in a temporal sense as in a
logical sense.
Vine agrees
writing that...
The now means “this being the
case.” It is not here an expression of time...As with the now,
the no more is not an expression of time, but of argument, as if
to say “it can no longer be maintained that …”
MacArthur
comments that...
Paul’s new I, his new inner
self, no longer approves of the sin that still clings to him
through the flesh. Whereas before his conversion his inner self approved
of the sin he committed, now his inner self, a completely new inner
self, strongly disapproves. (MacArthur,
J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
Doing (2716)
(katergazomai
from katá = down or here as an intensifying
preposition + ergázomai = to work or to engage in an activity
involving considerable expenditure of effort) means to work out fully
and so to accomplish or finish a task. It means to work to bring
something to fulfillment or completion so that it results in success.
If he's lost, then the Law has come
and exposed him showing him that he cannot do anything but commit sins.
God has exposed that sinful nature of Adam which is inside of him.
More likely Paul is describing a
saved person, presumably himself. As a saved person he says that God has
inwardly changed me but because of the Sin that is still dwelling
in my mortal body like an unwanted intruder, this intruder continues to
harass him. It is the power of Sin within his flesh which keeps
pulling me off of the track because I keep looking at the LAW & trying
in my own effort to do what God wants me to do.
Newell (who takes the approach
that Paul is describing a believer) comments on this section...
"No longer I!" That was a
wonderful discovery! For a forgiven Saul, who had gone on in joy awhile
without inward trouble, it was indeed a terrible awakening to become
again convicted-not now of sins, but of indwelling sin, of a hateful
power that seemed one's very self-but was really "our old man." (see
next paragraph) But he is making discoveries about himself- amazing
things, brought out for the first time in Scripture. He is going much
further than "consenting to the Law that it is right" (see note
Romans 7:16)
; for now, instead of being completely over- whelmed by this holy,
righteous Law; he arrives at (and writes down for us!) a conclusion that
is daring: Since I am doing what I am not wishing, there must be another
and evil principle working within me. For it is not my real self that is
working out this evil, but sin which dwelleth in me. An unwelcome,
hateful presence!
For, though our
Old Man
was crucified with Christ, put
in the place of certain, though not instant death - we find, though we
have "put him off" (see note
Ephesians 3:9)
we must "put away, " as to every thing of the former life, "the
Old Man"
(see note
Ephesians 4:22).
And, to be put away, he must be discovered to us, and this is what is so
vividly set before - us in this struggle.
Note, it is never said the
Old Man
is dead, but that we died (see note
Romans 6:2). We
were federally identified with Christ, and passed on with Him into
burial (see note
Romans 6:3), and
now share His Risen life (see note
Romans 6:4).
The old man is not to be "counted dead" (as some very dear brethren have
put it): but to be counted crucified (see note
Galatians 2:20)
- his place being there only. (Romans 7)
BUT (the) SIN WHICH
INDWELLS ME: alla e oikousa (PAPFSN)
en emoi hamartia: (Ro
7:18,20,23;
Js 4:5,6)
But the sin - Paul is not
giving us a reason to excuse our sin if we are believers. We cannot just
say "Sin made me commit sins!" and go blithely along as if we have no
culpability.
As Godet says...
It is not to be thought that Paul
wishes to exculpate himself in the least when he says "It is not I who
do it, but sin." On the contrary, he wishes to make the miserable state
of bondage to which he is reduced the more palpable; he is not master
even in his own house; there he finds a tyrant who forces him to act in
opposition to his better wishes. What humiliation! What misery! It is
the state of sin regarded from its painful rather than from its culpable
point of view. (Godet,
F L: Commentary on Romans. Kregel. 1998)
Vine adds that...
This verse provides no ground of
excuse on the part of anyone for sinning, as if it was not the person
who did it but the responsibility lay upon an inward principle. That is
not the apostle’s meaning at all. Moreover, it runs contrary to his
whole line of argument, which represents the believer as in a struggle
under the realization of the sinfulness of sin as evoked by the Law and
as one who disapproves of the act. (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
Wuest (quoting Denny)
comments...
To be saved from sin, a man must at
the same time own it and disown it; it is this practical paradox which
is reflected in this verse.
Sin - Note that the following
explanation of sin is repeated at several points in the notes on
Romans 5-8, because it is such an important truth to keep in mind as one
studies this this doctrinally rich section of Scripture.
the Sin
(266)
(hamartia) originally conveyed the idea of missing the mark as
when hunting with a bow and arrow and then came to mean missing or
falling short of any goal, standard, or purpose. In Scripture sin often
describes our thoughts, words and deeds that miss the ultimate purpose
God has for each individual, these thoughts, words and deeds falling
short of God’s perfect standard of holiness. Now here is where the
definition of Sin as used in Romans 5-8 might be a bit confusing.
First note that "sin" is singular, so it is not "sins" but
"sin" the significance of which becomes more apparent from the next
fact. In many (most) of Paul's uses of hamartia in Romans 5-8,
Paul places the definite article "the" before "sin"
(even though the "the" is not translated in most English
versions for it would be somewhat difficult to read). In this way Paul
is speaking of "Sin" figuratively, in what is referred to as a metonym
(derived from "meta" = with + "onym" = name") which
describes the substitution of a word referring to an attribute for the
thing that is meant (eg, the use of the word "crown" to refer to
the entire "monarchy").
Now are you really
confused? Well, what Paul is doing with the Sin (he hamartia) is to
use this word not to describe the actions or results (i.e., the
specific sins we
commit in thought, word or deed) but to describe the underlying root cause, the principle or, in
medical terms (I'm a physician with sub specialization in infectious
disease), the "sin virus" we have all inherited from Adam. The Sin
is like a highly contagious, lethal virus which every man, woman and
child has inherited because every person alive can trace their lineage
back to Adam, the first man. The presence of the Sin gene in our
"moral make up" is the reason every man, woman and child commits sins
(note the plural).
Try to keep this distinction in mind when studying Romans 5-8, where Paul
refers primarily to the "sin virus", the underlying root cause of
why we do the wicked things we do.
Wayne Barber explains sin
as follows...
Sin entered the world! (see note
Romans 5:12)
When you see the word sin
in this verse (Romans
5:12), take a pencil and write right behind it "The" (so
that it reads "the Sin"). When the definite article "the" (Ed
note: look at the Greek sentence above. Do you see "he"
before "hamartia"? The "he" is the definite article in
Greek, corresponding to the English definite article "the") is
used in Scripture, it is very important because it is identifying
something as very specific... In English,
we would say "THE cup," where the definite article means, not
just any cup, but the specific cup.
(Romans
5:12-14) (Bolding and italics added)
So it was not a
particular sin, but the inherent propensity to sin that entered
the human realm so that men became sinners by nature. Adam passed to all
his descendants the inherent sinful nature he possessed because of his
single act of disobedience. That "Adamic" nature is present in every
person ever born from the moment of conception David writing...
Behold (this Hebrew word means
"Listen up!" what I have to say is very important!) I was brought forth
in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. (Psalm
51:5 -
Spurgeon's note)
MacArthur
explains that...
After salvation, sin, like a
deposed and exiled ruler, no longer reigns in a person’s life, but it
manages to survive. It no longer resides in the innermost self but finds
its residual dwelling in his flesh, in the unredeemed humanness that
remains until a believer meets the Lord at the Rapture or at death.
“For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh,” Paul further explained to the Galatians; “for
these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the
things that you please” (see note
Galatians 5:17).
In this life, Christians are somewhat
like an unskilled artist who beholds a beautiful scene that he wants to
paint. But his lack of talent prevents him from doing the scene justice.
The fault is not in the scene, or in the canvas, the brushes, or the
paint but in the painter. That is why we need to ask the master painter,
Jesus Christ, to place His hand over ours in order to paint the strokes
that, independent of Him, we could never produce. Jesus said, “Apart
from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The only way we can live
victoriously is to walk by Christ’s own Spirit and in His power, in
order not to “carry out the desire of the flesh” (see note Galatians
5:16). (MacArthur,
J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
Dwells (3611)
(oikeo from oíkos = dwelling, home) literally
was used to mean to occupy a house, to reside (inhabit, remain).
Oikeo
in this
context
means to dwell and the
present
tense indicates
that this is not just a short term renter but one who occupies the house
for as long as believers are in this house called a body. So whether you believe Romans 7 is a believer or an
unbeliever, the crucial truth one can never forget is that Sin
(personified) dwells in our flesh (believer
or unbeliever) and it takes opportunity when the LAW comes around.
This does not mean
Paul was avoiding
personal responsibility for his actions but was outlining the conflict
between his desires and the Sin within. He is explaining the control
that the (power of) Sin exerts in a person's life. The Sin
was a tenant that had managed to secure more than just a foothold, but
actually roams the place (our body) as if it his home. Paul has moved
from a consideration of outward acts to an emphasis on the unwanted
indwelling power of Sin. With this alien master in control, no matter
how strongly he wants to do the good, he finds himself checkmated and
cannot carry out the good.
Every one of us needs to understand the evil of our flesh. On the one
hand if a person is LOST, he needs to understand that the evil of his
flesh points to the SIN of Adam which dominates a lost person. But once
you are SAVED you still need to remember that you have that evil
propensity dwelling in your flesh. We know that this is true because
there is a battle with the flesh every day of our lives. (see notes
Galatians 5:17,
1 Peter 2:11;
Mt 26:41).
