04.18. LESSON 18

LESSON 18

Paul’s history of Redemption has reached near the close of Romans 7:1-25 the point where Christians who, after having accepted justification as a gift from God, have struggled in their own natural strength to live the Christian life only to know the self-contradictory life described in the chapter, and therefore have been driven to acknowledge they lack power to do what they will to do. At this crisis in their lives, three courses are open to them. First: unaware of the help at hand, they may, disillusioned and discouraged, give up the unequal, nay the impossible, struggle and drop back into the world. Second: while "first love" oozes away as it oozed away at Ephesus (Revelation 2:4), they may settle placidly to the mechanical routine of church-going with its cold, dead formalities, and to a life of holding to fixed partial truth and party as the best they may expect. Paul would ask them as he asked the Galatians: "Are ye so foolish? having been in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh?" (Romans 3:3). As if to say, it is the height of folly when Christians presume to disregard any part of Christianity as being unnecessary. Third: they, knowing that the God who provides the Blood of Calvary for pardon does not stop there, but goes on to provide also the necessary power of Pentecost to enable them to live sanctified, spiritual lives, may go on and up to climb the heights of Romans 8:1-39. The failure of Christians to understand the design and the inner workings of their religion, thereby causing them to stick between Calvary and Pentecost, futilely trying to stretch the natural up to the supernatural, often prevents their entering upon this third course. It is so much in the blood of natural men to be self-sufficient that it is most difficult even for Christians to realize that sanctification is no more by struggling self-effort than is justification—that both are by faith. Christians who think they can live unselfish lives without continued and continual superhuman aid do not know how deeply sin has wrecked their nature, and therefore are not fully convicted of sin, thoroughly humbled in the flesh, and genuinely "poor in spirit." Could such but take God’s verdict upon "flesh" (Genesis 6:4), throughout the entire Bible, they would see that, instead of suffering from a slight functional disturbance, they are mortally stricken with a deep organic disease beyond human treatment. Not until men know how desperately and hopelessly sick they are, can they, in despair, with the faith of a child, yield themselves over wholly and finally to the Great Physician. The heresies that plagued the early church, beginning even in the days of the apostles, pertained largely to the nature of Christ. There was but little trouble over the nature of man until Pelagius in the fifth century, questioning "original sin" and its consequences, taught that men needed no blood atonement, for they were able to work out their salvation by themselves.

Surely, the fact that many Christians only partially learn this essential lesson of Romans 7:1-25, and consequently never cease trying to conquer the sin that dwells in their flesh by their own fleshly strength and character accounts for some of the worldliness, discouragement, and lukewarmness in the church. God in wisdom and kindness, eager to help saints of all time learn this self-effacing truth, had Paul, his pattern saint, sprinkle, generously, over his writings the manner of his coming by this hard-learned, cardinal principle of Christianity.

Law Fulfilled in Christ (Romans 8:1-4)

Coming out of Romans 7:1-25 into Romans 8:1-39 is coming out of storm into calm. "I of myself" has disappeared, and Christ through the Holy Spirit takes his place. The Spirit wholly absent in seven, dominates eight. Now, the ineffectual struggling Christian settles quietly into Christian gears, and works smoothly and efficiently. In this unspeakably important and rich chapter, Christians learn how to keep sin from having dominion over them (Romans 6:14).

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." This conclusion, based on the close of Romans 7:1-25, is also cumulative, and really gathers up the doctrine of the entire book thus far. Saints identified with Christ in death and resurrection life, as members of the human body are identified with the head, are no more condemned than Christ is condemned. This verse gives the position of Christians, standing and rejoicing in grace.

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death." In this verse, "law" does not mean a code of precepts, but an operating principle, or force, such as is the law of gravitation. "The law of sin and death" cannot be God’s law, "Which is unto life…holy, and righteous, and good." It is "A different law... bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members" (Romans 7:23). It is the inherent evil force that dwells in fallen men to drag them down to death. "The law of the Spirit of life" is the operative force that resides in the gospel. Just as blood is the redemptive price, the life-giving Spirit is the redemptive power.

"For what the law could not do... God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." "Law" here is the law of Moses, which ever condemns, never gives life. Paul is careful to say that Christ was only "in the likeness of sinful flesh." "The first man Adam" was sinless flesh until he disobeyed God. "The last Adam," having never disobeyed his Father, did not lose his sinless flesh. His propitiatory death, "As of a Lamb without blemish and without spot," "condemned sin in the flesh," and paid the penalty for the whole condemned race of men.

"That the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Paul expresses the same thought when he says, "Love worketh no evil to his neighbor: love is therefore the fulfillment of the law, something law could not do. Christianity is God’s way to lead men to be lawful like himself. Only Christians can know the flood tide of the conjunction of grateful love and "The power of the Holy Spirit" within to induce and sustain yearnings after holy and legal living.

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