Romans 7:7-13
PAUL'S SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY: PART 1
Intro: Since it has been several weeks since we looked
into the book of Romans, I will refresh your memories
concerning what we have been learning from this book.
We have learned the truth that all men are sinners
before the Lord and that men are in need of a Savior,
chapters 1-3. We have learned that true righteousness,
and salvation come only through the exercise of faith,
chapters 4-5. We have learned that in Jesus Christ, we
are dead to sin and to the Law, chapters 6-7a. Most
recently, we discovered that we have been liberated
from the Law of God by our death with Christ on the
cross and that we are no longer married to the Law, but
are married to Jesus and are free from the Law. These
are blessed truths!
In the verses before us this evening, Paul is going to
illustrate his teachings about the Law of God by sharing
with us an intimate look at his own life. In these verses,
and through to the end of the chapter, Paul gives us his
spiritual autobiography.
Now, when someone testifies in church, they usually
paint the good picture. However, imagine someone
standing in the congregation and saying, "Folks, I want
you to know that I am saves, but that I have been
sinning. In fact, my heart yearns for sin, and even
though I know it is wrong, sometimes I still give in
to my desires. Please pray for me, because every
time the Lord tells me not to do something, I want to
do that thing more than anything!" Nobody would do
that, but if we were honest, most of us would have to
say, that is just where I am tonight.
In these verses, Paul is going to reveal a side of
himself that most of us try to keep deeply buried. He is
going to share with us his Spiritual Biography. Verses
7-13 tells us of the days in Paul's life before he came to
know Jesus. He is taking us back to a time in his life
when the Law ruled everything he was and did. He will
share with us what he has learned about the Law of
God. It isn't pretty, but it is teaching that every person
in this room needs to hear this evening!
Let's join Paul in his 2 part exodus from darkness
into light and from self-righteous Pharisee to God
conscious saint and learn the lessons that we need for
our own journey.
I. V. 7 THE LAW REVEALS SIN
A. Paul opens this section with a question: "Is the
law sin?" Of course not! The Law came from
the Lord and therefore cannot be evil. However,
while the Law is good, it is also vital to a proper
understanding of the nature of sin.
B. Paul reveals to us the truth that it was the holy
Law of God that taught him what he came to
know bout sin. He mentions the sin of lust and
tells us that had the Law not said, "Thou shalt
not covet", he would have never known what lust
was.
He isn't blaming his sin on the Law, he is
merely pointing out the truth that the Law made
plain exactly what sin really was. The Law
identifies sin!
(Ill. Paul had lived his life trying to keep the letter
of the Law so precisely, that he missed the
whole spirit of the Law. He had been trained to
believe that sin was something a person did in
the physical realm, but through the ministry of
the Spirit, Paul learned that sin was something
that began in the heart.
This is what Jesus taught - Matt. 5:21-48.
Yet, the lost man can never see this truth until it
is revealed to him b the Spirit of God. Perhaps
this is what Paul is referring to here. Maybe he
is remembering that day when he held the coats
of the men who stones Stephen. Maybe it
began to dawn on his mind then that his religion
was pretty small after all. Maybe it was that day
in the road to Damascus when the Lord Jesus
spoke to him and he knew that his self-righteousness would never be good enough.)
C. The bottom line of all this is that the Law reveals
the sinfulness of human flesh through our
actions, but it also reveals the wretchedness of
the human heart!)
I. The Law Reveals Sin
II. V. 8 THE LAW REVIVES SIN
A. Paul tells us that sin takes the Law as an
opportunity to tempt us to evil. The word
"Occasion" literally means "opportunity". The
word refers to a "beachhead", or "the starting
point for an expedition." Sin sees the Law as
its opportunity to create in us a desire for sin.
B. Paul tells us that the sin caused him to lust
because the Law had forbidden covetousness!
(Ill. We see this same truth all around us and in
us all the time. For instance, When you see a
sign that says "Keep Off The Grass", there is a
part of you that wants to step on it. When we
see a sign that says "Speed Limit: 55" we want
to do at least 60, just to show we can violate the
law and get away with it. The Law always
reveals an attitude within the sinner that wants to
try to get away with breaking it. This is exactly
the process that brought sin into the world to
begin with. God made man in His image and
placed him in a perfect environment. God gave
man access to every things in creation, with the
exception of one tree, Gen. 2:17. Yet, when that
Law was given, there arose an opportunity for
sin to come to live. This Law proved to be the
springboard Satan used to entice man into sin,
Gen. 3:1-7.)
(Ill. Wealthy man and curious servant! Exploring
Romans by John Phillips, pages 114-115)
C. The last part of this verse does not attempt to
teach that before the Law there was no sin.
From reading the Bible it is plain to see that sin
was as rampant then as it is now! What this
means is that where the Law does not exist, the
full knowledge of what is wrong does not exist
either. When the line is drawn by the Law, the
rebellious spirit within man wants to immediately
to step over it.)
I. The Law Reveals Sin
II. The Law Revives Sin
III. V. 9-11 THE LAW RUINS SINNERS
A. V. 9 In this verses, the Apostle tells us that there
was a time in his life when he felt alive. When
he was following after the Law and was keeping
it externally, he did so because he thought that
it was the means to his salvation. He kept the
Law in an effort to gain eternal life. And, he was
doing quiet well, **Phil. 3:4-6**;**2 Cor. 11:18-29**. However, when the Spirit opened his eyes
to the fact that the Law could be broken just as
easily in the heart as it could in the flesh, Paul
died! He came to realize that all his effort, all his
righteousness and all is hopes and dreams were
just so much dust in the wind. Paul learned the
harsh reality of Isa. 64:6 first hand.
(Ill. It works the same way in you and me. When
we see ourselves as we really are, through the
eyes of God and through the eyes of the Law of
God, it has a way of shattering your self-image.
In fact, the knowledge of the reality of sin is
devastating! However, it is the first, essential
step to salvation in Jesus! Before we can ever
be saved, we must first become lost!)
B. V. 10 Paul is telling us here that he had trusted
the Law to give him eternal life, but in the end, all
the Law could deliver was condemnation, death
and an eternity in Hell! The Law cannot save!
Keeping lists of do's and don't's cannot save.
The Law can be the instrument God uses to
bring us to life, but the Law itself can never give
life!
(Ill. This is a lesson that many in our day need to
learn! Many are trusting some religious work or
activity to get them to God. Friend, they will all
fail! Nothing can save he soul but Jesus! Acts
4:12; Eph. 2:8-9)
C. V. 11 Sin had taken the opportunity the Law had
given it in the life of Paul and had lulled him into
believing that a life lived keeping the Law was a
life that would be saved. Paul came to realize
that a life lived under the demands of the Law
was nothing more than a living death.
(Ill. When Paul saw the truth of his situation, he
did what many need to do this evening. He
threw off his dependence upon the Law and
embraced Jesus as the only means of his soul's
salvation, Phil. 3:7-11)
(Ill. If you are anyone is trying to good their way
to God, you need to know now that it will never
work! The Law must be abandoned for the
Prince of Life!)
I. The Law Reveals Sin
II. The Law Revives Sin
III. The Law Ruins Sinners
IV. V. 12-13 THE LAW REFLECTS SIN
A. V. 12 Paul's conclusion is that the Law is holy,
just and good. If there is a problem, it is with the
offender and not with the Law!
(Ill. There are those in our day who do not like
the Bible to be preached in its entirety. They are
opposed to preachers naming sin and holding
people to God's standards. Friends, there is
nothing wrong with our Bible, and they need to
be preached, The problem is with those who are
hearing the Word of God preached. Their hearts
are evil!)
B. V. 13 Here, Paul tells us that the Law was given
to reveal the truth about sin. You see, sin is so
deceptive that it can take the Law, which was
given as an instrument of life, and twist it into an
instrument of death. The Bible is clear that the
Law was given to us to point us to Jesus, Gal.
3:24. It was given so that man could see his
need of a Savior and then turn to Him and be
saved. It was never given as a means to
righteousness or salvation! It was given as a
signpost to point out the oath into life.
The Law can never save the soul, but it can
point us to the One Who can. It cannot get the
job done, but it can make us so miserable in our
present condition that we want to find something
better. That better thing is a Person and His
name is Jesus. He died on the cross for our
sins. He fulfilled the Law and the righteous
demands of the Law. Now, by placing our faith
in Him, we can be eternally saved by grace
through faith!
(Ill. This is the reason why the Bible must
continue to be preached in its entirety and why
sin must be named from the pulpit. Men need to
see the truth about their sin and their condition.
Until they do, they can never be saved!)
Conc: I hope you can see that the Law can do many
things with sin. It can Reveal Sin; Revive Sin; Ruin
Sinners and Reflect Sin. But, there is one thing the Law
can never do with sin. It can never Remove Sin. For
that we need the blood of Jesus! Where do you find
yourself this evening? Trying to do good by keeping the
Law? Or, are you trusting Jesus alone for salvation?
