The Struggle of the Unconverted Man in Romans 7

Romans 7

1 Know you not, brothers, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

2 For the woman which has an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he lives; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

3 So then if, while her husband lives, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

4 Why, my brothers, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit to God.

5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit to death.

6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. No, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall not covet.

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, worked in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be to death.

11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

12 Why the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

13 Was then that which is good made death to me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent to the law that it is good.

17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

The man vividly described in the seventh chapter of Romans represents the unconverted sinner who has been awakened to the holy requirements of God's law but remains trapped in the bondage of his carnal nature. The agonizing struggle depicted is not the experience of a victorious Christian, but rather an illustration of the unregenerate heart under the conviction of sin, desperately in need of the deliverance that comes only through Jesus ChristARSH August 18, 1896, page 521.2+1. To understand the profound truths presented by the Apostle Paul, one must thoroughly examine the role of the divine law, the condition of the carnal mind, and the ultimate rescue provided by the Savior.

The Purpose of the Law and Conviction of Sin

The law of God serves as a perfect, spiritual mirror that reveals the depth of human sinfulness4SP 297.3. Before an individual truly comprehends the spiritual depth of God's commandments, they may feel entirely secure in their own righteousness16LtMs, Ms 72, 1901, par. 10. Paul illustrates this by declaring his own past experience of being alive without the law, but when the commandment came home to his conscience, sin revived, and he died to his self-righteousness Romans 7:9. The law itself is not at fault, for the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good Romans 7:12SITI August 7, 1884, page 473.5. Instead, the law acts as a divine rod that stirs up the impurities hidden in the depths of the unrenewed heart, making sin appear exceedingly sinfulSITI August 7, 1884, page 473.5. It condemns the sin in the flesh and brings to the sinner the piercing conviction that they are a transgressor deserving of death16LtMs, Ms 72, 1901, par. 10. While the law perfectly points out defects of character, it possesses no inherent power to pardon or provide a remedy for the guilt it exposes4SP 297.3.

The Condition of the Carnal Mind

A stark and impassable contrast exists between the holy law of God and the nature of the unconverted human heartSITI December 24, 1885, page 777.2. Paul definitively states that the law is spiritual, while the individual in this unrenewed state is carnal and sold under sin Romans 7:14SITI December 24, 1885, page 777.2. To be "sold under sin" is the language of slavery, denoting an abject condition where the sinner is absolutely subject to a cruel masterARSH August 18, 1896, page 521.2. The unregenerate person is completely united to their sins while they are in the flesh and attempting to satisfy the law through their own powerless effortsSITI June 17, 1886, page 359.9. In this state, a person may recognize that the law is good and even desire to do what is right, but they find themselves utterly incapable of performing it Romans 7:18. Between the spiritual nature of God's requirements and the carnal nature of fallen humanity, there can be no harmonious unionSITI December 24, 1885, page 777.2. The carnal mind is inherently at enmity with God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be Romans 8:7SITI December 24, 1885, page 777.2. Therefore, those who remain in the flesh cannot possibly please God or fulfill His righteous requirements Romans 8:8ST April 30, 1896, par. 8.

The Agony of Bondage and the Cry for Deliverance

The realization of this total helplessness leads to an agonizing internal conflict. The unconverted man, seeing the purity of the law but feeling the unyielding chains of his own sinful habits, experiences an unbearable slaveryBEST April 18, 1898, par. 4. The impossibility for the unrenewed man to do the good he desires to do proves that sin exercises full dominion over himBEST April 18, 1898, par. 4. This produces the desperate and wretched cry of the convicted soul, longing to be free from the body of this death Romans 7:24. The law holds the transgressor fast in this wretched union with sin, continuously declaring him guilty without offering an escape route through human effortSITI June 17, 1886, page 359.9. This vivid portrayal perfectly describes the state of every unconverted individual: possessing no hope, no true peace, and standing condemned before the Supreme Moral GovernorTTC 2.3+1.

The Transition to Glorious Liberty

The profound despair of Romans 7 is answered by the glorious deliverance presented in Romans 8. The sinner cannot free himself, but he can thank God for the rescue provided through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 7:25. When the unconverted individual surrenders fully to Christ, exchanging the carnal mind for the spiritual, a miraculous transformation takes placePTUK April 26, 1894, page 257.6. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit Romans 8:1PTUK November 29, 1894, page 757.1. The baleful law of sin and death is broken by a stronger, divine powerPTUK May 24, 1894, page 327.10. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes the believer completely free from the law of sin and death Romans 8:2ARSH March 14, 1899, page 168.22. Through genuine repentance, the sinner dies to his old life, is pardoned, and becomes a new creature empowered to live in perfect harmony with the spiritual law of God7Red 47.1.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the man described in Romans 7 is definitively the unconverted sinner, brought under the intense conviction of the law, yet lacking the spiritual power to overcome his carnal natureARSH August 18, 1896, page 521.2+1. This chapter does not excuse a life of continuous defeat for the Christian, but rather highlights the absolute futility of attempting to achieve righteousness apart from the transforming grace of GodYI November 1, 1857, par. 7+1. It is only when the wretched, unregenerate heart completely yields to Jesus Christ that the chains of sin are shattered, translating the individual from the bondage of the flesh into the glorious liberty of the children of GodARSH March 14, 1899, page 168.22.