Romans 7

B. The believer’s relationship to the law ch. 7

Having explained that we are now under grace (ch. 6), Paul explained that we are not under the Law (ch. 7; cf. Romans 6:15). He followed a similar pattern as he unpacked his revelation in this chapter as he did in the former one. He began chapter 6 by explaining that we are no longer the slaves of sin because of our union with Christ (Romans 6:1-14). He then warned us that we can, nevertheless, become slaves of sin if we yield to it (Romans 6:15-23). In chapter 7 he explained that we are no longer under obligation to keep the Mosaic Law because of our union with Christ (Romans 7:1-6). He then warned us that we can become slaves to our flesh, nonetheless, if we put ourselves under the Law (Romans 7:7-25).

Paul needed to explain the believer’s relationship to the Law because of people’s natural tendency to view keeping laws as a means of making progress. The apostle had already shown that the Law has no value in justification (Romans 3:20). Now he spoke of it in relation to progressive sanctification. If believers are not under the Mosaic Law (Romans 6:14), what is our relationship to it?

"Something in human nature makes us want to go to extremes, a weakness from which Christians are not wholly free. ’Since we are saved by grace,’ some argue, ’we are free to live as we please,’ which is the extreme of license.

"’But we cannot ignore God’s Law,’ others argue. ’We are saved by grace, to be sure; but we must live under Law if we are to please God.’ This is the extreme expression of legalism.

"Paul answered the first group in Romans 6; the second group he answered in Romans 7. The word law is used twenty-three times in this chapter. In Romans 6, Paul told us how to stop doing bad things; in Romans 7 he told how not to do good things." [Note: Wiersbe, 1:534.]