The Man of Romans Seven: Romans 7:14-15

Scripture

• Romans 7:14–15

About this sermon

Introduction: This has been the great debate throughout the history of the interpretation of verses 14-25. Who exactly is the man Paul describes in these verses? We said last week that the history of interpretation can be divided up, broadly speaking, into three positions— a) This is an unregenerate man. b) This is a regenerate man at his very best. c) This is a regenerate man missing some vital element necessary for victorious Christian living. And I told you last week why I believe the first position is the correct one — that this is an unregenerate person. I believe that Paul is standing, in these verses, looking back on what his relationship was to the law of God prior to His relationship with Christ. He has taken up a position sometimes referred to as the dramatic present. He speaks in a 1st person, presents tense, way in order to tell us something vital about God’s law. I believe this, for one main reason — context. I want to remind you (and I felt that I stated this clearly last week, but perhaps it was lost on some) that the issue IS NOT whether a Christian sometimes FEELS like Paul’s description here. SOMETIMES WE DO. The issue IS NOT do we find similar phrases used elsewhere in the New Testament that DO refer to regenerate people. WE DO. I will say, however, that those places can be distinguished from Romans 7 when you look at them closely. Paul is not saying the same thing, for example, in Galatians 5:16-18 that he says here in Romans 7. They sound similar, but on closer examination they are not the same. But do we find NT language applied to the Christian that speaks to our struggle with ongoing sin? Yes. THE ISSUE IS NOT HOW WE FEEL, OR HOW IT SOUNDS, THE ISSUE IS TO GET TO THE HEART OF WHAT PAUL IS DOING IN THESE VERSES, AND TO ASK HOW HIS SPECIFIC STATEMENTS CONTRIBUTE TO WHAT HE HAS ALREADY BEEN DOING AND HOW THEY ACCOMPLISH HIS GOAL. We established last week, that when you track with the apostle’s arguments you find that his goal IS NOT to tell you about some kind of personal frustration. HIS GOAL is to vividly AMPLIFY what he has ALREADY TAUGHT US about the purpose of the law, and the limitations of the law with respect to salvation. THE LAW CAN DIAGNOSE but IT CAN’T CURE. THE LAW CAN SPECIFIY what sin is BUT IT CAN’T CHANGE THE SINNER’S NATURE THE LAW CAN CONDEMN but IT CAN’T REMOVE THE CONDEMNATION Paul has been teaching us that when the natural man, the fleshly man, the unregenerate man, meets with the law of God, the best that can happen is that the man SEES his sinfulness, and SENSES his bondage, so that HE CRIES OUT FOR DELIVERANCE and CEASES trying to save himself. The law can identify sin, and even AGITATE sin, but it can’t DELIVER from sin. IT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU REMEMBER SOMETHING ELSE THAT I SAID. Some will look at the statements that Paul makes here, in these verses, and say, “There is no way that an unregenerate person could say some of the things that Paul says here.” For example, he says that NOTHING GOOD dwells in him (7:18). “Is that what an unregenerate sinner says about himself?” Isn’t it true to say that sinners are usually quite satisfied with themselves? Isn’t it true that the sinner is blind to the holiness of God, and blind to the true sinfulness of their sin? THAT IS ABSOLUTELY THE TRUTH. But here is what I want you to remember. I’m convinced that one of Paul’s key statements, one that helps us make sense of these verses, is when previously he says of himself: ESV Romans 7:9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. “BUT WHEN THE COMMANDMENT CAME.” Paul was unregenerate but felt alive. He felt good about himself. He felt good about his performance. But then, one day, he was granted insight into the commandment regarding COVETOUSNESS. He perceived something about his sinfulness that he had not clearly seen before. Now, it wasn’t just that Paul had the commandment, the commandment had come to Paul and taken hold of him. HE IS AN UNREGENERATE MAN, UNDER THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE CONVICTION THAT GOD BRINGS THROUGH THE LAW WHEN HE IS AT WORK BRINGING A PERSON TO THE DESPARATION THAT LOOKS TO CHRIST.