The Romans 7 Debacle
The Romans 7 Debacle.
We’ve all heard it. And many of us actually believe it:
“For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me” (Romans 7:14-20).
It’s the whole “sin which dwells in me” part that is the problem. You see, if you’ve given your life to Christ, you no longer have a sin nature that you’re struggling with. It’s just that simple.
“Well then, are you saying that we don’t struggle with our sin nature?”
Yup. That’s what I’m saying. But I’m not the one saying it. Paul says it one chapter earlier:
“How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2)
“…our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7)
“…consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)
“…sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)
“…having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18)
If you’re a follower of Jesus, you are dead to sin. Period. You do not have a sin nature. That old man was crucified with Jesus:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24).
So then what is Romans 7 all about? All my life I’ve heard this passage preached thus: you have a sin nature living in you, and you must crucify it every day. Romans 7 is proof. If the Apostle Paul had this struggle, then how much more will we? The whole white dog black dog thing: you have a white dog (goodness) and a black dog (evil) living inside you, and the one you feed is the one that will win the fight.
Wrong. Just. Plain. Wrong.
The clue starts in verse 1 of Chapter 7: “Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law).”
Paul here is speaking to those who “know the law.” In other words, to those Jews who were faithful to the old law. Taken in context of the whole book or Romans, chapter 7 is an interlude that defines just how hopeless life is without Christ. Chapter 6 is full of “you are dead to sin” and “your old man was crucified” language. “Crucified” means killed. Dead. Gone. Of no effect. Non-existent.
Then Chapter 7 begins by addressing the Jews who were still trusting in the Law for salvation. And it ends with this:
“Who will set me free from the body of this death [in other words, from the struggle I’ve been having with my sinful nature]? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Vv. 24-25).
So, now we’ve established there actually is a way out of this battle between your spirit and your sinful nature: the sacrifice of Jesus!
This leads us to what is, in my opinion, the most triumphant verse in the Bible, Romans 8:1:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Chapter 7 opines about the hopelessness of those struggling to control the sinful nature through actions, which is what the law was all about. Ain’t gonna happen! Romans 8:3 says the law was powerless to save us. But at the end of chapter 7, we are told that through Jesus we can be saved from this body of death.
Romans 8:1 is so triumphant because of what comes in verse 2: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
The law of sin and death – the very thing that Chapter 7 is wailing about – has been nullified through Christ: we’ve been set free from the very battle that Chapter 7 talks about!
“Then why do I still struggle with sin?”
Ahh, now we get to the nitty gritty. Great question! Just what is sin? While it’s true that we may have had a sinful nature before we found Christ, we no longer struggle with a sin nature now. Yet we are tempted to do things that are not consistent with the will of God.
Romans 14:23 says “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.”
So sin comprises those things that do not come from faith. Of course we continue to sin, but the way God deals with that sin is different after we become indwelled by Christ. Jesus paid for all the sins of the entire human race: “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Some will accept that sacrifice, some won’t. For those who do, we are set completely free from sin. They’re all paid for. Everything! Every thought, action, desire, anything that “does not come from faith” is already paid for.
To think that God has any condemnation left over for us because of our actions is to slap Jesus in the face and declare that His sacrifice wasn’t enough, because God still wants to punish me for my sinful actions.
Nonsense! In fact, that is a lie from the enemy. It’s an antichrist philosophy! That’s tantamount to treading underfoot the cross of Christ. When Jesus said “It is finished,” he really meant it. ALL sin was paid for from that moment on.
Now, lest you think I’m soft on sin, I’m not! Absolutely not! Your sin will not affect God’s love for you, but it will ruin your ability to relate to him, to relate to others, to hear His voice, and to understand His will. God does not remove his blessing because you sin, but you willingly put yourself in a place that makes you unable to fully apprehend the blessings He has planned for you.
It’s exactly analogous to a trek through the desert, wherein you’re parched and dying of thirst. You come upon a crystal clear stream with good water and a refreshing waterfall, yet you choose to stand outside the oasis and complain that you’re not getting relief. The waterfall has not moved! You simply have chosen to take actions that will end up killing you unless you take those last ten steps and get into the flow. It’s not the fault of the waterfall. It’s there ready to refresh you.
A very good friend of mine says “Sin makes you stupid.” True, very true. But God does not condemn you when you sin. Romans 8:1 confirms that: “There is now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ.”
So Romans 7 does not apply to you if you’ve given your life to Christ. It’s a picture of life without Christ. Romans 6 and 8 (and many, many other scriptures) make it clear that your old man is dead. DEAD. Gone. Corpse. Powerless. Of no effect. Yes, we still disobey God sometimes, but there is no condemnation for those actions. God simply steps in to say “That was a really bad choice, Jim. Let’s work on that so you don’t make that same mistake again.”
All right then. This is why it’s called “The Gospel” which is a euphemism meaning “Almost too good to be true news.”
Next time you hear a preacher telling you that there is a sin nature inside you that you have to crucify everyday, you might want to point that person to the Bible. The cross of Christ is much more powerful than any of us can truly understand!