Dead to the Law - Rom. 7

The saint is "dead to the Law" by the body of Christ - Rom. 7:1-5

Therefore:

1. The Law cannot justify a sinner before God because the Law is holy just and good but the sinner is not good - Rom. 7:1-13

2. The Law cannot sanctify a saved sinner before God because the Law is holy, just and good, but the unregenerated nature of man - the flesh - is incapable of conformation to the Law - Rom. 7:14-25

3. What the Law could not do (justify/sanctify) the Son of God did in His own body by his own life (justification) and through the indwelling Spirit of God (sanctification) - Rom. 8:1-8

4. Sanctification is by the Holy Spirit's power according to the grace of God whereby the deeds of the flesh - unregenerated nature - "the flesh" = "this body of death" is mortified - put to death BY FAITH just as we received the Lord Jesus Christ BY FAITH - Rom. 8:9-13/Col. 2:6

 

False! Paul does not claim that the unregenerated fallen nature within the saved man relates any better to the Law than the lost man - Rom. 7:18-25. The law of God is written on "the heart" of the regenreated man but not in his "flesh" or what he calls "this body of death". The saved man still dwells "in the flesh" and the law of sin, or the lusts of the flesh still operate within that unredeemed body.

The following verse is an exercise of futility if Christians were not still subject to the "lusts" of the fleshly fallen nature:

Ga 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Ga 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Again, these texts are exercies of futility if the saved person is not subject to the lusts of the flesh. We are no longer "slaves of sin" but we are completely able to serve Sin through the lusts of our flesh .

The saved man delights in the Law of God and thus desires to keep the Lord's Commandments out of love for God not in order to be saved. There are no conditional clauses provided here by John in regard to obtaining salvation. However, that is your unbiblical and ungodly inference.

 

The child of God is "dead" to the Law's jurisdiction, penaltes and condemnation. However, his inward new man (new heart) delights in the Law of God or the commandments of the Lord.

The Law can neither justify or sanctify the child of God. The Lord Jesus Christ satisfied all the demands of the Law against a child of God. Now the child of God is freed from the dominion of sin, the penalty of the law and freed to love and serve God willingly submissive to the commandments of the Lord without penalty or coercion or fear of judgment.

The difference between Bob's veiw and mine is critical to genuine salvation. Both of us see the law written on the heart, love for God's Word and willingness to obey the Lord. However, Bob sees this willing obedience as CONDITIONAL for ultimate entrance into heaven whereas I see it consequential to already obtaining entrance into heaven and only conditional for rewards in heaven. His view is just another way of saying one is "justified by works" but calling it grace as he merely includes "good works" in his definition of grace.

 

Tell us Bob, in what sense is the believer, the true child of God, the born again, justified child of God "DEAD TO THE LAW"???

 

Who disagreed with these points? Not I? I simply disagreed with the purpose you gave to them.

Better read all of chapter seven not just the first five verses. We are dead to the Law's jurisdiction (vv. 1-5) just as a corpose is dead to the jurisdiction of the law. No future condemnation by law possible (Jn. 5:24). No justification by law possible (Rom. 7:6-13). No possible sanctification by law possible (Rom. 7:14-25).

The only role of Law is that it is the LOVE of the inward man (Rom. 7:22) due to new birth.

Reading it won't help you! You need to understand it and you do not.

This refers to Romans 4-5 and dead by justification through faith in Christ's body (Rom. 7:5).

Water baptism is the perfect example of why justification by faith through grace (Rom. 3:24-5:21) does not promote sin (Rom. 6:1). We have judicially died to sin by the death of Christ's body to the law (Rom. 7:1-5) as seen in burial of our body in baptism and we have been regenerated by the power that raised his body from the grave as seen in raising up of our body from the water in baptism.

Thus in baptism both the doctrine of justification and regeneration is illustrated. We are positionally dead to sin by the body of Christ through faith and we are personally regenerated or raised to life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hence, both our position and our person has been changed in regard to sin. His dead body is the basis for our changed position to sin judicially by faith. His resurrected body is the basis for our changed person in regard to sin by the power of the indwelling Spirit.

Regeneration provides the HEART/love for God's law but this requires that we put on the inward man through faith while "reckoning" ourself dead to sin and yeilding to the power of the Indwelling Spirit (Rom. 6:10-14). Regeneration has changed us personally from a servant of sin to a servant of righteousness but that service must be in the power of the Spirit rather than in the power of our own strength (Rom. 7:14-25).

 

Well Guppy, black and white does not always convey what you think is being conveyed. However, I am always willing to do better especially when you ask so nicely. However, your request went on to more sound like an accusation. I will ignore the rest and try a little harder simply because you asked so nicely at the first.

 

Matters in regard to what? Certainly as Christians this is what matters in regard to honoring and pleaseing God. No sane person could deny that. Jesus says if you love me keep my commandments. Hence, there is no argument that keeping his commandments matters in regard to fellowship, Christian growth, blessings, rewards and many other things. However, what it does not matter or make a difference is in regard to justification and entrance into heaven as we are justified "WITHOUT WORKS." Obviously Paul is not talking about "BAD" works but what men would consider to be "GOOD" works as no one in their right mind would attempt to please God by "BAD" works. So you are making an INFERENCE with this verse that the verse does not state and rest of scripture denies. I get the verse and I agree with the verse.

Again, the verse correctly identifies Christians. They are the ones who keep the commandments of God. However, this verse says nothing about WHY they keep the commandments. The reason cannot be in order to be justified as scriptures deny that reason. The reason the scriptures give repeatedly is that they obey God's commandments due to LOVE and the desire to PLEASE God. Again, you quote a verse but then infer what it does not say.

Have you seriously read this particular Baptist Confession where it explicitly deals with justificaiton before God and commandment keeping? If you had, you would not be so eager to refer to it as this confession completely repudiates your inferences and YOU KNOW IT. So you do to it what you do to scripture - you cherry pick and make inferences that are simply not there IN CONTEXT.

Here we do find the precise CAUSE for keeping commandments explicitly stated - "LOVE" not in order to enter heaven or obtain ultimate justification, etc..

Again, there are no conditions given here. He is speaking about those who repudiate keeping the commandments of God. There were those during apostolic times who echoed Romans 6:1 and had a view of grace that exalted sin as proof of grace and therefore were described by the term "laciviousness" as they gloried in disobedience as proof that where sin abounds grace much more abounds. No, I do not believe in that.