Awake To Righteousness Bible Study

Because of Jesus Ministries - BecauseofJesus.com

Session 7

No Longer Schizophrenic - Romans 7 To understand fully the truth that is revealed in the 7th chapter of the Book of Romans, we must remember what we learned in Chapter 6. We are dead to sin because our old sinful self was crucified with Jesus. When Jesus died, He broke the power of sin in our lives by giving us a brand new nature of righteousness. We are no longer slaves of sin, because we are no longer under the law, we are under Gods grace. I. You are no longer bound to the law. You have a new husband- His name is Jesus. Rom 7:1 Now, dear brothers and sistersyou who are familiar with the lawdon't you know that the law applies only while a person is living? Rom 7:2 For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. Rom 7:3 So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. Rom 7:4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the One who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. Rom 7:5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. Rom 7:6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. NLT In verses 1-3, Paul addresses those who are familiar with Old Testament law. In the Old Testament, the Law gave the wife no option of divorce. The man could divorce his wife (De 24:1), but the wife could not divorce her husband. Therefore, the only hope a woman could ever have of being freed from a man that didnt treat her right was for him to die. Then she was delivered from that moral code that kept her from having a relationship with someone else. Paul uses this illustration to explain that when your old sinful self died with Christ, you were released from the law and you are no longer captive to its power. When Jesus raised from the dead, you were joined with Him and He became your new husband. The law is like being married to a perfectionist-no matter what you do, youll never be good enough-youll never be approved. Being married to Jesus is like being married to the perfect husband- He sees only perfection in you-You are completely approved and unconditionally loved by Him. When you died with Christ, you died to the power the law had over you- to condemn you. No longer d0 you have to try to gain Gods approval through your perfect performance or 29

obedience to the law. You have been made perfect in Jesus (Hebrews 10:14). As a result of filling your heart with His words of love, your life bears much abundant fruit by the power of Gods Spirit. Eph 5:25-27 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. 27 He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. Now we serve our new husband, not by trying to keep Him happy by trying to follow all His rules and commands, but because we are responding to His unconditional love toward us. We love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19). He tells us that we are righteous (perfect) in His sight and as we agree with His good opinion of us, the Spirit of grace empowers us to live righteous lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus lives His life through us. II. The law kills and condemns you (II Corinthians 3:6) Rom 7:7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, "You must not covet." Rom 7:8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. Rom 7:9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, Rom 7:10 and I died. So I discovered that the law's commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Rom 7:11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. Rom 7:12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. Rom 7:13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God's good commands for its own evil purposes. NLT The law revealed our sin and sin brought condemnation to our hearts. The law which was good showed us how sinful we were and how we could never be made righteous by trying to obey it. It showed us what it looks like to be righteous, but gave us no power to be righteous. As soon as we hear what the law says, it becomes obvious that we are not obeying it perfectly, and so the power of sin condemns us. III. Focusing on yourself and depending on your ability only leads to bondage to sin and condemnation.

In verses 14-24, Paul describes the impossibility of trying to live a righteous life by depending on your own strength. He describes the way a person thinks who is still in bondage to trying to be righteous by their obedience to the law. Those who live under the law will never live free from sins power. The condemnation in their heart will convince them that they are a slave of sin. 30

Rom 7:14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. Rom 7:15 I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. Rom 7:16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. Rom 7:17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. Rom 7:18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. Rom 7:19 I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. Rom 7:20 But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. Rom 7:21 I have discovered this principle of lifethat when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. Rom 7:22 I love God's law with all my heart. Rom 7:23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Rom 7:24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? NLT If we dont understand this passage of Scripture in the light of what Jesus did for us, we can get the wrong impression that it is natural for a christian to be constantly struggling with two desires- one to sin- and one to obey Gods law- this breeds confusion and can make one feel schizophrenic. We do not have two personalities nor do we have two natures. If we are in Christ, we are dead to sin and alive in Christ (Romans 6). Our old sinful self is dead and we have a brand new nature of righteousness, but if we have not considered this truth and renew our minds to it, then our minds will convince us that we are still a slave to sin. This passage of Scripture is describing the mindset of a person who is relying upon himself and still seeing himself as a slave to the law of sin and death (condemnation). When you live under the law, you become a miserable person who feels enslaved to the power of sin. You stay in the vicious cycle of sin and condemnation until you realize that Jesus has set you free! Galatians 5:1 says, So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. NLT Paul gives the answer to freedom from this schizophrenic condemned mindset in Romans 7:25Romans 8:1,2 IV. Focusing on Jesus and relying upon Him leads to life and peace- you live free from condemnation and sin loses its power in your life The struggle with sin is over! The answer is in Jesus! Rom 7:25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. 31

Rom 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Rom 8:2 And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. NLT Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death. AMP When you live focused on Jesus-relying upon Him and not yourself- youll no longer live in condemnation- Youll no longer feel schizophrenic. The life giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to condemnation. You are free from the law of sin and death because you have a new nature. You are one with Jesus! Jesus won the war with sin for you! You are free to be who you truly are in Him!

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