Paul's Epistle to the Romans — page 26

The King James Version says: “Married to another...”. This is mentioned three times in this passage referring to Christ, but the word “married” is not actually in the Greek text. It should say: “Belong to another” (W. Kelly Translation). This is because our relationship with Christ at present is that of one betrothed to a husband; we are awaiting the marriage that will take place in the future (Rev. 19:7-10). (It is true that in Ephesians 5 the Church is already viewed in union with Christ, but that epistle presents the truth from the perspective of God's eternal purpose – as something complete and wholly outside of time.)

Paul concludes his thought by saying: “That we should bring forth fruit unto God” (v. 4). The “fruit” referred to here is practical righteousness manifested in holy living. This is God's goal in freeing the believer from sin and the Law. However, true fruitfulness can only be produced by living in the conscious enjoyment of eternal life with “Him who was raised from among the dead”. When we abide with Christ in this new sphere of life, the Spirit of God is free to work in us to keep the flesh under control and produce fruit in our lives in the path of practical righteousness. Paul will say more about this in chapter 8.

Chap. 7:5 – Paul reminds the Jewish believers that when they were “in the flesh” under the Law, their efforts to keep it failed; they did not produce holiness in their lives. In fact, instead of the Law controlling the flesh, it did the opposite – it provoked the flesh! Paul mentions this fact: “For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins, which were by (provoked) the Law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death” (AIBB). As soon as the flesh is instructed not to do something, that becomes the very thing it wants to do. J. N. Darby said: “If I said to a lover of money, ‘You must not desire that gold,’ it would only stir up the desire in him” (Collected Writings, vol. 26, p. 158). Those who apply legal principles to restrain the flesh will find that the flesh will lift its ugly head in a more vigorous way than ever! Believers from among the Jews should know this better than anyone, having been formally under the Law.

We know this by experience, even if we have not been formally under the Law. If we place some restriction on the flesh, it immediately rebels against the restriction. This is because “the mind of the flesh is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be” (chap. 8:7). Thus, placing oneself under legal restrictions in an effort to perfect holiness is counterproductive, because keeping the Law only produces “death” morally in those who place themselves under its demands. Legalists evidently do not know this and continue to place their converts under the Law. The sooner we learn this the better; then let us stop seeking success through law.

Paul uses a phrase here (“in the flesh”) that is unique to his doctrine. There are other phrases of this kind:

• “In Adam” is our old position before God (1 Cor. 15:22).

• “In Christ” is our new position before God (Rom. 3:24).

• “In the flesh” is our former state or condition (Rom. 7:5).

• “In the Spirit” is our new state or condition (Rom. 8:9).

It should be noted that, although we are not in the flesh, the flesh is still in us. It will not be removed until we are with the Lord.

Chap. 7:6 – Paul summarizes what precedes, saying: “But now we are delivered from the Law, having died to that wherein we were held; so that we serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter”. In this, he reaffirms the great principle contained in these chapters. It is simply that we cannot be alive in that in which we died – whether in connection with sin or with the Law. The Law has not been set aside, invalidated or revoked; it is the believer who is gone. He is dead by virtue of his identification with the death of Christ. The Jewish believer, therefore, is no longer under the Law.

Thus, God's way for practical sanctification is not by keeping the Law. Keeping the Law for holiness is a carnal principle that presupposes that there is strength in man to produce good. This is not God's way for practical sanctification. The legalist argues that the believer can keep the Law because he has a new nature and the Holy Spirit who dwells in him enables him to do so. It is true that the new nature (which gives us right desires) and the Holy Spirit (who gives the power) enable the believer to walk in holiness, but the believer does not do so because of legal demands, but because Christ is his object. When occupied with Christ, the believer in practice far exceeds the moral demands of the Law. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists several things that are “the fruit of the Spirit” in the believer – “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance [self-control]”. He then adds: “Against such there is no law”. That is, there is no law that can be placed on the believer that produces these things! In God's system of grace, the believer moves forward under a principle much higher than legal obedience to the Law of Moses.

An Illustration of the Power of Love

The following illustration gives an idea of this new principle of Christian living. A man of considerable standing hires a maid to clean his house while he is at work. Her responsibilities are set out in a detailed list of ten things, which he hangs on the wall. Under this contractual agreement, she is required to do those things to the best of her ability, for which she is respectively paid. As the days pass, the man takes an interest in the young woman and they fall in love and marry. Returning from their honeymoon, he promptly takes down the list hanging on the wall, for their relationship is now no longer on the terms of a contract. But when he returns home from work, he discovers that she has done those very things on the list, even though she is not under that contract! In fact, she has done things for him that were not even on the list! And everything was done with more enthusiasm and joy than before! What had happened? The power of the grace and love of the man who had won the young woman's heart was poured out upon her, and this made her want to please him – and she found joy in doing so.

Thus, through the reign of grace in the believer's heart through righteousness, we have God's way of sanctification, accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. On the basis of this principle, we are able to serve “in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter”.

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A Brief Review of the Doctrine of Deliverance in Romans 5:12-7:6 In considering the many details that Paul addressed in this part of the epistle, it is quite possible that the thread of his teaching on deliverance has been lost; therefore, a brief review should be made.

In chapter 5:12-21, Paul taught us how we obtained the nature of sin, from which we so desperately need deliverance – it was through Adam's fall. He also taught us that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are no longer under Adam's headship and, therefore, are no longer in that old race, as far as our position before God is concerned. He also explained that we are now “made righteous” and are part of a new race of men under the Headship of Christ, where grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life.

In Romans 6:1-10, he explains how this transfer from Adam's headship to Christ's Headship took place for the believer. Acting as our federal Head, Christ, in dying, separated Himself from the whole system of sin under Adam, and in doing so, He separated us as well. Through our identification with Christ's death, God sees us as “dead” and, therefore, disconnected from Adam's race and the principle of sin that dominates it (v. 7). Paul pointed to our baptism as signifying this great fact. He also pointed to the cross as being the place where God judged that whole sinful order of things, in the crucifixion of the “old man”. Furthermore, being “raised from among the dead” (JND), Christ entered into a new sphere of life where He “lives to God”, and that sphere is now open to all who are in His new race, where “we shall also live with Him” in freedom from sin (vv. 8-10). Then, in verses 11-12, Paul exhorts the believer to “reckon” with God that these things which are true of Christ are also true of us. Thus, because of our identification with Christ's death, we have the right to reckon ourselves “dead indeed to sin”, but “alive to God” in that new sphere in which Christ lives to God.

Then, in chapter 6:13-14, having our occupation with Christ and His interests, where He lives to God in resurrection, we are exhorted to present ourselves to Him and to begin practicing righteousness, one act at a time. And, by the repetition of good habits, we become servants of righteousness. Thus, under the principle of displacement, the flesh has no opportunity to act in our lives.

In chapter 6:15-23, Paul warns that if we choose to live our lives in the sphere of the flesh, the flesh will gain control over us, and we will come under its slavery. It is, therefore, imperative that we live in practice in the right sphere of life, where there is a new order of objects (“the things of the Spirit” – chap. 8:5) to occupy our hearts. He also shows that walking in holiness is something progressive: the more we practice righteousness as a habit, the more holy we become.

Finally, in chapter 7:1-6, the principle of the believer's identification with Christ's death is applied to those under the Law. Since they are dead with Christ, and the Law has no dominion over a dead man, the believer is freed from the slavery of the Law.