Ep. 296. Romans 7 | The Futility of the Law

EPISODE 296

THE FUTILITY OF THE LAW: ROMANS 7

Throughout the year, we have discussed multiple times the reality that we all have verses we take out of context because we were never initially taught to view them within their context. Romans 7 contains a set of these verses that, when used with disregard for the context, leave us shrugging our shoulders and accepting, in defeat, the inevitability of sin in our Christian lives. However, Paul has made abundantly clear in chapter six that we are set free from and not held captive to sin. So how, then, can he say at the end of chapter 7 that he is "sold under sin" and "the captive to the law of sin?" Obviously, these two things can not be simultaneously true. When we read chapter six, we see that the people Paul addresses "were" under sin and had "been slaves" to sin. But now they have been set free and sin "rendered powerless."

The clue comes in the opening verses of chapter seven as Paul talks about two husbands and how now we, as believers, have been set free from the Law and joined to Christ. You will notice that in chapter six, there is a contrast between those who are in slavery to sin and those who are in slavery to God/righteousness. In chapter seven, we find the same comparison made between those who are joined to the Law and those who are joined to Christ. In both cases, we see that those joined to sin and law produce fruit for death, but those joined to God/Righteousness and Christ bear fruit for life. (In Romans 8, we will see the same argument made for a third time using the terms "flesh" and "Spirit."

So then, those who are slaves to sin are also joined to the law of Moses, are also doing the works by the power of the flesh, and will ultimately bear the fruit of death. But those who are slaves to God have been joined to Christ and, now, empowered by the Spirit, are producing fruit for life.

Don't lose sight of Romans' context to this point. Paul made the case for righteousness by faith and is not disagreeing with that here in chapter seven. He is not hopeful in chapter six and then squashing that hope in chapter seven. Paul systematically distinguishes between those who seek their righteousness through the works of the law and those who have achieved righteousness by faith.

I don't suppose a single fifteen-minute video or a short blog will change someone's mind on this text when it is usually only taught from one perspective. I will just ask, as I have all along, that you consider the whole context of the writing and not just the two or three verses we have become accustomed to discussing.

ADDITIONAL READING: Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21; 2 Corinthians 3:6-11