Category Archives: Law

Bible, Desires, Law, Romans, Sanctification, Scripture, Sin

WHAT DO YOU DESIRE?

ROMANS 7:16

“However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, that the Law is good.”

You have probably heard the expression “No Pain, No Gain.” That applies if you are lifting weights or working out. A little sweat never hurt anyone. But that expression does not apply to other areas of life too well. If you are like me, I try to avoid pain if I can. I have neuropathy in my feet which can be very painful at times. So, I am careful to avoid stepping on things that cause the pain. That also applies to spiritual pain, as you will see in today’s verse.

Paul further explains his dilemma in verse 16. He doesn’t want to do the things that bring pain spiritually, but the flesh is strong. He knows these things are not good for him just as the Law tells him. Therefore, the Law is good in this sense. It shows him and us where we are off course. As I heard described last week in our Pastor’s message, a train is good as long as it stays on the track. But when it gets off track, a wreck is unavoidable.

APPLICATION

Barnes describes this struggle with sin in his commentary on this verse. “Perhaps nothing can be a more decisive test of piety than a long-continued and painful struggle against evil passions and desires in every form, and a panting of the soul to be delivered from the power and dominion of sin.” The struggle we have with sin shows our desire to live holy. If we didn’t feel that pain from sin, we would stay in it and not pursue the Lord.

In Matthew 16:25, Jesus uses the same word for “want” Paul uses when He says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” The Greek word is theló. It means to “desire, be disposed toward, intend.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). We have a choice to make. Do we desire the things of the world or the things of God? Do we wish to please Him or the flesh? Will sin reign or the Spirit?

So many people struggle with determining what God’s will is for their life. It really isn’t hard to find out what He desires for us. One example of that is in 1 Thessalonians 4:3. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification;…” You can’t live a sanctified life, if you live in sin. That’s why God’s Law is so important and why Paul says, “that the Law is good.” Don’t fight the Law (God’s Word). It is not meant to make you feel guilty. It was given to us by the Lord to point out those areas of danger which keep us from living sanctified lives. Choose to avoid those pitfalls. That struggle is real, but it is one you should embrace.

Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your Word which is good.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Commands, Death, Good, Law, Scripture, Sin

SIN IS UTTERLY SINFUL

ROMANS 7:13

“Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”

If you want to read a really good commentary on Romans 7:7-13, I urge you to look up Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on these verses. You may need to read it two or three times to grasp all he says there, but it’s worth the read. Towards the end of his words on these verses he writes, “The same heat that softens wax, hardens clay. Food or medicine when taken wrong, may cause death, though its nature is to nourish or to heal. The law may cause death through man’s depravity, but sin is the poison that brings death. Not the law, but sin discovered by the law, was made death to the apostle. The ruinous nature of sin, and the sinfulness of the human heart, are here clearly shown.” Hmmm, food for thought.

Paul continues his diatribe on the Law and sin in today’s verse. But he is pointing directly at sin as the culprit of our downfall, not the Law. I love how he ends this verse by saying, “sin would become utterly sinful.” My first thought was Well, duh! But then I decided I should not read that phrase so lightly. Let’s take a look at the word used here for “utterly.”

APPLICATION

Huperbolé occurs seven other times in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 12:31; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 4:7, 17 (2x); 12:7; Galatians 1:13). I encourage you to look at each of those verses to see how the word is used by Paul. It refers to “an extraordinary degree, or a surpassing quality. Whether it modifies power, suffering, sin, gifts, or glory, it stresses an intensity that cannot be explained by normal human categories.” (Topical Lexicon)

This word is used to express something that goes past the ordinary to the extraordinary. It is used to show the depth of sin, the power of grace, the weight of suffering, the excellence of love and the magnitude of the glory of God. We simply cannot put the divine expressions down adequately. Some things just won’t be understood this side of eternity.

But we can all agree that sin is utterly sinful. It is extraordinarily sinful. It exceeds our wildest imaginations and will lead us to an eternal death from which there is no escape unless…we turn to Jesus and confess those sins which the Law so adequately points out in our life. Make things right today with Jesus, if you haven’t already and flee from all appearances of sin in your life.

Oh, the greatness of Your love and grace and glory far exceeds the greatness of sin.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Commands, Death, Law, Life, Result, Scripture

WRONG RESULT

ROMANS 7:10

and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;”

Have you ever spent time and energy trying to cook something only to have it flop? Suppose you are trying to bake a cake. You have all the ingredients except one. You’re missing the baking powder which aids in the rising of the cake batter when cooked. But you think What’s one missing ingredient? I have all the rest. It’ll be alright. So, you mix it all up, pour it into the cake pan and pop it in the oven. Result? A flat cake that did not rise and did not meet expectations.

That’s probably a poor analogy for today’s verse, but you can get an idea. Paul says the “ingredients” of the law were there with the expected result of life. If only man had lived a holy, obedient life, the result could have been life. But because of one little sin in the garden of Eden, the end is death. No one has the ability to live perfectly so no one could measure up to the demands of the law. No one until Christ, that is.

APPLICATION

Let me ask you something. What do you want the end result of your life to be? Where do you want to spend eternity? I know where I want to be. I want to be in heaven with my Lord. Seeing all my loved ones and friends who have preceded me will only be icing on the cake. The real thrill will be seeing my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But you can’t hope to get that result unless you have done what is necessary to get there. And that’s not complicated. Paul will tell us later in Romans 10:9-10, “9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

The end result of life, of eternal life, only comes through faith in Christ Jesus. Don’t spend time trying to keep a list of commandments to earn your way there. It will only end in death, not life. Place your trust in Him, and He will guide you every step of the way. If you want to bake a cake, use all the ingredients. If you want to get to heaven, place your faith in Jesus, the Savior of all mankind.

O Father, I am thankful my end result is confirmed because of my faith in Your Son.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Law, Life, Resurrection, Scripture

GOOD LIFE AND BAD LIFE

ROMANS 7:9

“I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died;”

There are some habits that we have that we want to keep. For instance, I have a habit of trying to walk each morning. I know it is good for me, and I actually enjoy it. But some mornings I want to break that habit and sleep in. Other habits that are not so good for me (overeating, too much tv, etc.) I need to break. I don’t want to give them life by repeating them. Those need to die on the vine.

Paul gets autobiographical in today’s verse and describes his own struggle with sin. What?! Paul sinned? Of course, he did. He points out in today’s verse how the Law exposed his rebellious heart and how sin took that opportunity (look back at the previous verse) to come to life in him. That rebirth of sin in his life could only lead to death. Sin lives – I die. Sin dies – I live. It’s that simple.

APPLICATION

Paul uses a Greek word in today’s verse that only occurs one other time in the New Testament (Luke 15:24). Here it is used to describe sin’s revived life. In Luke it describes the prodigal son by the father. The word is anazaó and means “to live again.” (NAS Exhaustive Concordance). We give sin new life, we revive it when we yield to its influence in our lives. When we expose ourselves to these bad choices, sin is ready to jump right in.

In Luke 15:24 Jesus is telling the story of the prodigal son. The awaiting father says this when his son comes home, “‘for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.” That is a good sense of anazaó. Something the father thought was dead and gone had been made alive to him again. He regained his son.

The Topical Lexicon describes the use of anazaó this way. “In the New Testament it surfaces only twice, yet those two texts—Luke 15:24 and Romans 7:9—span the full spectrum of life’s restoration: from joyful renewal of a lost son to the startling resurgence of sin in the human heart. The verb thus becomes a lens through which Scripture illustrates both gracious revival and grievous reanimation.” Your choice, beloved. Allow sin to live or allow Christ to live through you. Choose wisely.

O Lord, You are faithful to show me my sins so I can confess those and live in You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Freedom, Law, Opportunity, Romans, Scripture

AN OPPORTUNITY

ROMANS 7:8

“But sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.”

Let me just tell you, when I was living my life before Christ, I took every chance I could to do things which could be labeled ungodly and hedonistic. I’ve said before that I wasn’t a bad kid. I just liked to party and didn’t really care about the end result. I looked for opportunities to sin. I planned opportunities for it. But that was my life before Jesus. I’ve been attempting to live for him for a long time now. Sure, I have fallen short on too many occasions and sadly, I have even planned some of those failures.

Paul tells us in today’s verse that the desire and urge to sin was brought on by the rules and laws. “Don’t do this” only brought to our attention to do it. Let me give you an example. If I told you right now to not think about ice cream, what would you be thinking about? ICE CREAM (My favorite is Moose Tracks). You see what I mean. Naming sins can easily awaken the desire to pursue it.

APPLICATION

The Greek word for “opportunity” is aphormḗ “(from apó, ‘away from’ and hormḗ, ‘a violent rush’) – properly, a pretex (‘launching point’) to assert an idea – literally, ‘what charges from (off) a starting point’; (figuratively)…aphormḗ is usually used negatively in the NT, but positively in 2 Cor 5:12.” (HELPS Word-studies) Paul is telling us if we do not focus on the commands of the Law as a follower of Christ it will free us from these “eye openers” for sin. As he says at the end of the verse, “for apart from the Law sin is dead.”

In Galatians 5:13 the same word is used by Paul when he writes, “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh but serve one another through love.” As followers of Christ, we are free from the Law, but that does not give us freedom to do whatever we want. We have the freedom to do what we should.

Later in 1 Timothy 5:14 Paul writes, concerning young widows, “Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, have children, manage their households, and give the enemy no opportunity for reproach;” Before I get cards and letters from the lady folks, Paul wasn’t being chauvinistic. He was trying to protect these young widows of being drawn into a sinful lifestyle once they were free from their husbands. The point was to not give the devil the chance to corrupt them.

What will you do with your opportunities today? Will you choose walking with Jesus or with the devil? It’s your choice.

O God, give me an undivided heart that I might not sin against You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Knowledge, Law, Scripture, Sin

POINTING THINGS OUT

ROMANS 7:7

“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Far from it! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COVET.’”

A good teacher is quick to point out a student’s mistakes without making them feel bad about them. We all learn from our mistakes. We learn when we cut that board too short that we should have measured twice and cut once. When we put too much salt in a recipe, we learn to be more careful the next time. These mistakes are not fatal, however. Today in our text we see another teacher, the Law, that pointed out our mistakes to us which eventually pointed us to a Savior.

Over the past verses, Paul has been showing the futility of the Law, but he does not want to give the impression that the Law was useless. On the contrary, it served a special purpose which he points out in this verse. He says he “would not have come to know sin except through the Law.” The Law showed him how to live holy unto God and what to do when he failed. The sacrificial system was meant to appease a just God when men failed Him, which they would undoubtedly did time and time again. So, although the Law could not save them, it served a purpose.

APPLICATION

The Greek word Paul uses for “know” is ginosko. This word is a commonly used verb throughout the New Testament and normally used to speak of a personal knowledge gained through experiencing something. It is the word used in Luke 1:34 when Mary said she had not known a man, meaning she had no personal experience with a man physically. This is a knowledge you gain through life experiences.

For instance, I have knowledge of physical suffering because I have gone through some pretty major health issues (two stem cell transplants in ten years). I could have never been able to explain to another patient how it feels unless I had experienced this firsthand. But now I can. I wish I had never gained that knowledge, but God allowed me to gain it in a way that I will never forget it.

Your knowledge of your need for a Savior is based on your knowledge of your sins. You cannot save yourself. No amount of law-keeping will get you there. That’s what Paul has been saying. But the law and now the Holy Scriptures show us where we fall short. Holy living is hard if we try to do it ourselves. In fact, it’s impossible. But through the knowledge of His Word, we can walk holy before Him. So, get smart – read His Word.

Father God, I am totally dependent on You and Your Word to guide me toward holy living.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Flesh, Fruit, Law, Scripture, Sin, Unfruitful

BAD FRUITBEARING

ROMANS 7:5

“For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were brought to light by the Law, were at work in the parts of our body to bear fruit for death.”

Farmers know the importance of maintaining their crop. Citrus farmers are constantly battling beetles, flies and blight in order to produce a good crop. They have to be steadily alert to the signs of these intruders on their trees and fruit. Sometimes drastic measures have to be done to product the integrity of the whole grove. They cut down and burn infected trees, so the problem won’t spread. Otherwise, they will get bad fruit instead of good.

Paul tells us that the invasion of sin into our lives that occurred back when Adam and Eve disobeyed God infects us. Unless that “disease” is purged through Jesus, we will never produce good fruit, only bad. Paul even goes on to say “the sinful passions…were at work…to bear fruit for death.” Let’s take a look at some of those “sinful passions” and make sure we are purged from them.

APPLICATION

The phrase “the sinful passions” is literally in the Greek “the passions of sins.” The Greek word for “sins” is the one we have seen before. It is hamartia which means we miss the target which God intends for us to hit – obedience to Him and godly living. The Greek word for “passions” is pathéma which can mean strong emotions or sufferings. In the sixteen times it used in the New Testament, all but two refer to the sufferings of Christ or our sufferings for Christ. Only two times, here in Romans 7:5 and in Galatians 5:24, is pathéma used negatively to refer to sinful passions and desires.

According to HELPS Word-studies, the end of pathéma tells us something about this word. “Note the -ma suffix, emphasizing the end-result (experiencing strong feeling).” Let’s apply that to today’s verse. What is the result of sinful passions? Paul tells us. It’s death. Our lustful passions and desires only lead us downward, not upward.

The other time pathéma is used in Galatians 5:24, Paul writes, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” It is obvious from this verse and today’s verse that these kind of sinful passions and desires were never meant to be part of our walk with Jesus. Examine yourself today. Look at your lifestyle. Is it one of willful obedience to Christ and crucifying your flesh or are you living life to please yourself? Don’t bear bad fruit.

Help me, Father, to be a good fruit bearer for Your kingdom.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Fruit, Law, Purpose, Scripture

A REASON FOR GETTING UP

ROMANS 7:4

“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were put to death in regard to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”

We all need a reason for getting out of bed in the morning, don’t we? If you don’t have some motivation, you might be like the son who refused to get out of bed and go to school even after his mother kept calling and calling him. Finally, his mother went to his bedroom, opened the door and demanded he get up right then. The son replied, “Give me one good reason why I should go to school today.” To that his mother said, “Because you’re the principal.” We all need a reason for getting up.

You may not see it at first glance in this verse, but Paul tells us why we should get up. It’s in the last phrase – “in order that we might bear fruit for God.” Isn’t that a good enough reason to get up and get going each day? Our physical resurrection from sleep should put us right into the vineyard with God. We “were put to death in regard to the Law” so that we can be fruit producers in God’s kingdom.

APPLICATION

Barnes says this about that last phrase of the verse. “That we should live a holy life. This is the point and scope of all this illustration. The new connection is such as will make us holy. It is also implied that the tendency of the Law was only to bring forth fruit unto death Romans 7:5, and that the tendency of the gospel is to make man holy and pure; compare Galatians 5:22-23.”

Look at those verses in Galatians. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” This is our destiny as followers of Christ. We are to live out this fruit of the Spirit every day. I have to admit I miss some of these some days. But I have the obligation to shake that off and go after it again.

God has saved you and delivered you from the bonds of sin, from the chains of the law to serve Him freely. He will produce the fruit as you yield yourself to Him. Take a look at John 15. See how the fruit is the result of the branch (that’s us) abiding in the vine (that’s God). Now, get up and go produce that fruit!

I am simply a branch You have chosen to produce Your fruit as I give myself over to You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Freedom, Jurisdiction, Law, Masters, Scripture, Slaves

JURISDICTION

ROMANS 7:1

“Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the Law), that the Law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?”

You may have heard the word “jurisdiction” in a cop show or court room drama. Law enforcement officers are normally restricted to their jurisdiction when it comes to making arrests. Judges also have districts which limit their rulings. Now, these “lines” of jurisdiction can be moved from time to time and law enforcement can work with other jurisdictions to enforce laws and catch bad guys. But what exactly did Paul mean when he used this word?

The Greek word used by Paul translated as “jurisdiction” is kyrieúō. It means “to exercise rights over one’s own property as an owner with full dominion (lordship) over this jurisdiction.” (HELPS Word-studies) This word is only used seven times in the New Testament with four of those occurring in Romans. We’ve already seen it in 6:9 and 14. We’ll see the word again in 14:9. Paul was emphasizing the power of sin over our lives before Christ and the power of the Law over those who tried to follow it.

APPLICATION

Perhaps one of the best uses of the word is found in Luke 22:25 where Jesus was confronting the disciples when they were caught disputing who was the greatest. He told them, “‘The kings of the Gentiles domineer over them; and those who have authority over them are called “Benefactors.”’” The word “domineer” is kyrieúō. Do you see it more clearly now?

The Topical Lexicon says kyrieúō “portrays the exercise of lordship—personal mastery that either liberates or oppresses, depending upon the one who wields it. In Scripture the term becomes a lens through which divine, moral, and relational authority are examined.” In today’s verse it is definitely a jurisdiction of oppression under the Law. There was no freedom found there.

So, how do you want to live your life? You say, I am not under the Law. I can do whatever I want. Really? If you do whatever you want, now your flesh is your master. If you try to keep all the laws, it is your master. You must decide to submit yourself to The Master Who sets you free. That freedom allows you to choose Him as Master. Come under His jurisdiction and find true freedom.

Thank You, O Father, for the freedom we have in Christ. He is the gentle Judge over our lives.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Grace, Jesus, Law, Masters, Scripture, Slaves

UNDERGRACE

ROMANS 6:14

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.”

There’s a hymn written in 1718 that sums up today’s verse well. It is entitled “Christ Receiveth Sinful Men.” The third verse is particularly relevant. It says:

Now my heart condemns me not,

Pure before the law I stand;

He Who cleansed me from all spot,

Satisfied its last demand.

In today’s verse, Paul summarizes once again all the previous verses. Justification is not by works but is only by grace. The little preposition hypo is used here. It means be under something. Often that means to be under the authority of someone or something. In this case, under the authority of the Law or of grace. Paul, being a former Pharisee, knew the futility of trying to appease the Law. You know he was so thankful for grace in his life.

APPLICATION

Paul uses another word that is interesting. In past verses he used a different word to convey the idea of sin reigning over us. In today’s verse he uses kyrieúō which comes from kýrios meaning “Lord.” He used this same word back in 6:9 and will use it again in Romans 7:1 and 14:9. I particularly like how 14:9 uses it in reference to the Lord Jesus. “For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

The Law is not Lord. Jesus is. The Law does not rule over us. Jesus does. The Law does not dictate how we live. Jesus does. Why won’t we, as followers of Christ, yield ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus and allow His grace to over us? We chase after sin to try to get some kind of fulfillment but are only left with emptiness and grief. Jesus can fill all our needs if we will allow Him.

If you’re like me, you don’t like to be told what to do. I have always been pretty self-confident and made my own decisions. I often had to make decisions that affected others whom I supervised. But I have learned not to lord it over them. I must show grace. I must emulate the example set for me by Jesus. He will lead us only if we follow. He won’t push or shove us into grace. We must come willingly under His lordship. Will you?

Lord Jesus, I recognize and accept Your lordship over my life. Help me to live under grace each day.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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