SERIES: The Book of Romans
A Spiritual Autobiography, Pt. 1: The Paradox of the Law
Introduction: When you hear Christians share their testimonies, one of the most common features is an affirmation to the effect that they are so much happier since receiving Christ, so much more at peace with themselves, so much less troubled by guilt and shame than they used to be. I suspect that is true in most cases. But I wonder what we would do if a person got up and shared a testimony like this:
Since I came under the exposure of God’s Word and the influence of the church and my Christian friends, I have been more miserable than I ever was before. Rather than peace of mind I find myself susceptible to greater tensions. Rather than freedom from guilt I find my conscience bothering me more than ever. Rather than happiness, I have found misery.
You say, “If anyone ever gave a testimony like that, he sure wouldn’t win many converts.” But that’s basically the testimony the Apostle Paul gives here in Rom. 7:7-14. His initial exposure to God’s Law was a traumatic experience for him. Where he had once been living it up, enjoying life, self-assured and comfortable, God’s Law stepped in and lowered the boom on him. Life became the pits. So, if your testimony parallels Paul’s, there’s hope for you, because God used Paul as perhaps no other person in history!
But I haven’t told you the whole story. Rom. 7:7-14 isn’t Paul’s whole spiritual autobiography. It’s only the first part of it—the pre-conversion part. The part after conversion will come next week in verses 15-25 (by the way, let me just give you a little hint that the post-conversion part is not all peaches and cream either; one thing you will always find about the biblical writers—they are honest about their struggles with sin). Let’s read Romans 7:7-14:
“What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” {8} But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. {9} Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. {10} I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. {11} For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. {12} So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
{13} Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
{14} We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
When I suggest that we have before us Paul’s pre-conversion testimony, I’m referring to the time just before he met the risen Christ on the Damascus Road. You see, every believer’s life can be divided into three parts. In several recent sermons I have told you that your life can be divided into two parts—B.C. and A.C. But I’ve changed my mind. I should have said it can be divided into three parts: B.C., A.C., and U.C. B.C. is Before Christ, A.C. is After Christ, and between them is U.C., which means Under Conviction. This is the pre-conversion period when the Holy Spirit is working on a person’s heart, but he has not as yet hoisted the flag of surrender.
No one ever becomes a Christian just out of the clear blue. No one wakes up some morning as a thorough-going pagan and says to himself, “Self, I think you should become a Christian!” Before true conversion takes place, that is, before a person is born again by faith in Jesus Christ, he is first targeted by the Holy Spirit of God and subjected to conviction regarding his sin and his need of a Savior. Generally this period of conviction begins when a person is confronted in some unique way with God’s Law and the inevitable fact that he is failing to live up to it. The conviction may come through reading the Bible, through remembering verses learned in childhood, through a sermon, or through any number of other means. The conviction period may be brief for some and last years for others.
Now it is most important for us to realize that this conviction experience does not equal a conversion experience. It is a mistake to believe that because you have been made to feel sorry for your sins, you are therefore a Christian. You are not saved until that conviction has moved you to renounce your self-sufficiency and to put your faith completely in the saving power of Christ. My hope today is that some who have been feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit and have therefore been unable to enjoy their sinful ways, but, at the same time, are unable to enjoy the Christian life either, might be moved to thoroughly repent of their sin and of all human means of attaining salvation, be truly converted, and begin to enjoy walking with Christ.
By the way, the strongest evidence that Romans 7:7-14 is a record of Paul’s autobiography is that he writes in the first person, and the strongest evidence that it concerns his pre-conversion experience while under conviction is that it is all written in past tense. His conversion experience starting in verse 15 is written in the present tense. So let’s follow the Apostle in his spiritual autobiography, Part I.
The law is a problem to the person under conviction.
In Romans 7 the subject is how to get victory over sin and live a holy life; in other words, how to be sanctified. Since Paul is writing to a group that is largely Jewish, it is essential that he clarify for them what place the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic Law play in the process of sanctification. Undoubtedly to the surprise of some of them, he states clearly in the first six verses that believers have been released from the Law so that they can be spiritually married to Christ. As we saw last week, he states that principle, illustrates it, applies it, and even elaborates somewhat upon it. But now he feels he must do one more thing—he must show from his own personal experience why we must be released from the Law.
In order to accomplish this Paul shares four major problems that the Law produced in his life:
The Law reveals sin as sin. (7) It does so by showing us that the bad things we do are an offense to God. Verse 7 reads, “Indeed, I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.’”Left to themselves people never naturally think of themselves as sinners—maybe others, but never themselves. Oh, they will acknowledge that they have done things that are wrong, but they don’t think in terms of sin until they come to the realization that they are transgressing God’s Law.
This is not the first time Paul has attributed to the Law the function of uncovering sin. In 3:20 he stated, “through the law we become conscious of sin.” His point in both passages seems to be that particular laws of God serve the purpose of revealing particular areas of failure in our lives which might otherwise totally escape our attention. Covetousness is the law Paul uses as an illustration. Since covetousness or greed is a subtle, private sin, he wasn’t really aware of its danger until the Tenth Commandment zeroed in on him and told him to stop it!
The Law provokes sin. (8). It irritates the sin nature and actually increases its tendency to erupt. We commented briefly on this fact last Sunday as we spoke of “the fascination of the forbidden thing.” Listen to the testimony of St. Augustine, drawn from his Confessions:
There was a pear tree near our vineyard, laden with fruit. One stormy night we rascally youths set out to rob it and carry our spoils away. We took off a huge load of pears—not to feast upon ourselves, but to throw them to the pigs, though we ate just enough to have the pleasure of forbidden fruit. They were nice pears, but it was not the pears that my wretched soul coveted, for I had plenty better at home. I picked them simply in order to become a thief. The only feast I got was a feast of iniquity, and that I enjoyed to the full. What was it that I loved in that theft? Was it the pleasure of acting against the law, in order that I, a prisoner under rules, might have a maimed counterfeit of freedom by doing what was forbidden, with a dim similitude of impotence?… The desire to steal was awakened simply by the prohibition of stealing.[i]
Set a thing in the category of the forbidden or put a place out of bounds, and immediately it becomes fascinating. Here’s how Rom. 7:8 puts it: “But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire.” We might refer to this as “sin’s bad use of God’s good Law.” Sin has always been present since the Fall, but the Law served the purpose of highlighting it and actually increasing the amount of open sin in the world, because prohibition actually tempts people to do what they might otherwise not even think about.
Paul here shows much insight into human nature. Let me share a personal example. When I was ten years old my mother shared with me that she was going to have another baby, but she said, “I don’t want you to tell anyone.” This was back in the days when women didn’t announce pregnancies publicly until they couldn’t hide them anymore. Well, the baby was no big deal to me; after all we already had a family of six. But telling me not to tell was more than I could handle. I promptly rode my bike over to Billy Minshall’s house and told him that my mom was going to have a baby, swearing him to secrecy, of course. Now Billy and I both lived on Fairlawn Avenue over in Webster, just one block apart. By the time I got home—it couldn’t have been over two minutes—my mom was on the phone. Ruth Minshall had called to congratulate her on the new baby! When my mom asked me why I had told, I had no answer–it was simply because it was forbidden.
There is a point of real substance in the story of the little old lady who objected to the recitation of the Ten Commandments in church “because they put so many ideas into people’s heads.” One pastor complained that after telling his church that there were 365 prohibitions in the Law—one for every day of the year—a half dozen people wrote in for the list.
The Law brings death to those who were once “alive.” (9) You will notice that I have put the word “alive” in italics. The word “death” should probably also be in italics to indicate here that we are not speaking of eternal life or death, or even physical life or death; rather these words are being used here in a very unusual sense. To see what the Apostle is saying, let’s read verses 9-10 again: “Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.”
You’ve heard someone say regarding a Caribbean cruise or a ski vacation, “Man that’s really livin’.” Well, says Paul, there was a time when I thought I was really livin’. I was doing my own thing, cruisin’ through life with very few bumps and bruises. I was really comfortable, unperturbed, self-complacent, and self-righteous. Then one day the Tenth Commandment, which I had learned as a small child, had studied in Hebrew school, and had even taught to others, came home to me with full force. I had always applied it to others, but now it seemed that the law was pointing a finger straight at me, saying, “You are the one!” All of a sudden life went sour. No longer did I feel alive; in fact, I felt I had been utterly condemned.
Paul realized, of course, that it wasn’t the Tenth Commandment’s fault that his fun and games were over—rather it was sin’s fault. And that brings us to the fourth problem the Law presents to the person under conviction.
The Law is used by sin to deceive men. (11) Verse 11: “For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.” If something was responsible for Paul’s life going from fun to the pits, it wasn’t the Law but sin. And how is it that sin deceives us?
1. It deceives us regarding the satisfaction it gives. No one ever took a forbidden pear or committed a forbidden deed without thinking it would make him happy, but it’s also true that no one ever found that it actually did.
2. It deceives us about the excuses it offers. Every person thinks that he can put up a defense for breaking the law. He always thinks there are extenuating circumstances, but all excuses are futile in the presence of God.
3. It deceives us about the probability of escaping its consequences. No one sins without the hope that he can get away with it. But our sin always finds us out. Do you remember the song I have quoted previously?
Sin will take you further than you want to go.
Slowly but wholly taking control.
Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay;
Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.
There are a great many people so deceived by sin that they think they are tight with God when actually they are lost and on their way to hell. Sin is terribly deceptive, using the Law to destroy our lives.
Now if we were to stop right there, we might conclude that the Law must be a real loser. Not only must we be released from it; we should throw it out altogether. But Paul is very careful to inform us that the Law is not only not evil; it is, in fact, perfect, and when used properly it can accomplish God’s purposes.
The Law is perfect despite the problems it causes.
Three assertions are made about the nature of the Law of God in the eight verses that constitute our text for today.
The Law is not sinful. (7) Our passage opens up with the rhetorical question, “Is the Law sin (or sinful)?” Since the Apostle had stressed in the first part of the chapter how important it is to be released from the Law, some of his audience could easily conclude that the Law must be evil. Absolutely not! God forbid! Perish the thought! On the contrary, it exposes sin, and that which exposes sin cannot itself be sinful.
The Law is holy, righteous, and good. (12) That’s what verse 12 says. It is holy because it reveals sin and reflects the purity of its author. It is righteous because it condemns the sinner and plays no favorites. It is good because it promotes man’s highest well-being. One cannot find a single law that God ever gave that didn’t ultimately result in good for those who kept it.
The Law is spiritual. (14) It is called spiritual in verse 14 for several reasons. First, it is the law of the living God, who is Spirit (John 4:24). Whatever truly proceeds from God must partake of His attributes. Secondly, it is spiritual because its goal is spiritual. A person who obeys the Law for the right reasons is a mature person, and biblically, maturity is spirituality. Thirdly, the Law is spiritual because the Holy Spirit employs it to convict of sin.
Can you now see the paradox that the Law is to a person under conviction of sin? It produces all these problems and yet it is perfect because it comes from God and shares His character.
Can you see now why I entitled this message, “The Paradox of the Law”?
The Law is used by sin but is not itself sinful.
The Law defines sin but can’t deliver from it.
The Law is designed to stifle sin but actually provokes it.
The Law is holy, righteous and good, but we need to be released from it.
The Law was to result in life, but, in fact, it results in death.
The Law results in death but is not itself the cause of death.
The Law is weak and unable to save, yet God has clearly defined purposes for it.
Let’s look at just three of those purposes as we try to grasp why God gave the Law in the first place.
The Law has a positive purpose in God’s plan of salvation.
The Law defines sin. (7) This is important for us. Until a thing is defined as sin by the Law, a person cannot know that it is harmful or evil. Let’s use basketball as an analogy. If there were no rules, a person might carry the ball down court, tackle his opponents from behind, and stick his hand up through the net to keep the ball from going through. But he couldn’t be accused of any fouls—remember, there are no rules, and therefore everyone would just assume the game being played is rugby, only with a basketball. But rules were established, and the rules defined what a foul was. That which was allowable before is no longer tolerated. Chaos becomes order. In the same way, the Law defines sin.
The Law results in “life” for those who keep it. (10) In other words, it helps those who keep it enjoy life more. Look again at verse 10: “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.” Let’s just think about the first part of that statement. There is a debate among theologians as to whether Paul means eternal life here or just good living. If the former, then Paul is saying that theoretically a person could be justified by the Law if he kept all of it without exception. But, of course, no one ever has, so it’s a moot point. But I think Gal. 3:21 argues against this view. There Paul says, “For if a law had been given that could impart life (and here he’s clearly talking about eternal life), then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.” Salvation has always been through Christ, never through Law, not even theoretically.
Then what does 7:10 mean when it says that “the commandment was intended to bring life.” I think Paul is saying that the Law was intended to help us enjoy life, to live healthy, long, happy lives. But because it stirs up rebellion in our hearts and we end up violating it, it actually brings death to our souls.
The Law shows how sinful sin is. (13). It not only defines sin; it shows how sinful it is. Let me paraphrase verse 13:
Are we suggesting that the Law is at fault in bringing misery to my life? Not at all! The real culprit was sin. The nature of sin can be shown by the fact that it used a good thing, namely the Law, to bring about my condemnation. This cunning use of God’s Law for its own deadly purposes shows us just how damnable sin is.
Every time you break one of God’s laws after knowing full well that it is God’s law and knowing full well that He provides the power to resist that impulse, you are demonstrating how sinful sin is. Its sinfulness is shown by the fact that it takes a fine thing and makes it a weapon of evil.
It takes the loveliness of human love and turns it into lust.
It takes the honorable desire for financial security and turns it into greed.
It takes the beauty of leisure and turns it into laziness.
Virtually every sin is a good thing twisted and distorted by the Evil One.
Finally, and most importantly, …
The Law, though it cannot save, does drive us to cast ourselves upon God’s mercy and grace. (3:19-20) There was a time in Paul’s life when he thought he was in good standing with God. Here’s how he describes his pre-conversion life in Philippians: “Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, an honored Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting that new sect called “the church;” as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.” But then God’s commandments came home to him. He had known them before, but he had never internalized them. And when the Law showed him how thoroughly sinful he was, it just about destroyed him. But that was actually a good thing, you see! As long as Paul thought he was doing all right, he was on his way to hell. It was only when he learned he was lost that he was ready to hear God’s words about the Savior.[ii]
Dr. John H. Gerstner was preaching on Romans and expounding on the law. He was stripping away the veil on human wickedness. After the service, when he had gone to the back of the church, a woman approached him. She was holding up her hand with her index finger and thumb about a half-inch apart, and she said to Gerstner, “Dr. Gerstner, you make me feel this big.” He replied, “But, Madam, that’s too big. That’s much too big! Don’t you know that that much self-righteousness will take you to hell?”[iii]
He was right. The law was given to drive out all self-righteousness so that we might embrace Jesus Christ alone as our Savior. Here’s how Paul put it in Gal. 3:24: “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” Then, I might add, we find our true worth and value, which is enormous. We discover that God loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die that we might have eternal life.
Christ is the answer, friend. If your exposure to Christianity has thus far made you miserable, consider the possibility that you are in that pre-conversion state of conviction and have yet to become a child of God. The Law doesn’t have to ruin your life. It can be the very thing that moves you to eternal life. But then it needs to get out of the way and let Christ do the job.
Let me close with an illustration that has helped me understand the place of the law in the Christian’s experience. Suppose you are driving along a highway and come upon an accident. A truck has been in a collision, and its driver has been thrown out and pinned under the wreckage. Half a dozen strong men take firm hold of the bumper and start to lift. They tug and pull until the veins stand out in their necks, but they are unable to even budge the truck. Yet they keep straining at the impossible task.
Finally a wrecker drives up and is placed in position to hoist the disabled truck. But the only available spot to which the wrecker can attach its hoist is that bumper at which the men are tugging. If the wrecker is to do its work, the men must recognize their failure and get out of the way. So long as they remain there, the wrecker cannot be used. There is no moral charge against these men; in fact, they are very honorable, good men. But their strength is insufficient for the task. Their failure resulted in the calling of the wrecker. But the wrecker doesn’t need their help.[iv]
In the same way, we need to get the law out of the way in order to let grace take hold. The important thing is to get the job done, and God has declared there is only one way to do it—His way, namely the way of the Cross.
If Paul had despaired, during his pre-conversion period when the Holy Spirit was convicting him, of how hopeless he was to save himself, then he might never have found the difference Christ makes and the great superiority of a life lived by grace over against one lived by law. But he didn’t despair. Instead, he personally saw that his only hope was in Christ. In Romans 3:19 he says, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.” Our experience with God’s Law should stop our mouths of any boasting and erase from our hearts any sense of self-assurance. It should drive us to Christ. That is our only hope.
DATE: April 2, 1995
Tags:
Mosaic Law
Conviction of the Holy Spirit
Sin
[i] Augustine, Confessions, quoted by William Barclay, The Letter to the Romans, 96.
[ii] James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 2, The Reign of Grace, Romans 5-8, 744.
[iii] Boice, 746.
[iv] Donald Grey Barnhouse, Romans, Vol. 3, God’s Freedom, 214-15.