Grace Abounds; Empowered For Living
Romans 7:6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
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Grace is the divine influence upon the believer’s heart. God’s grace empowers believers to live in the newness of the Spirit. Walking with God is a supernatural lifestyle. Salvation can not be behavior modification of the sinner; salvation is a newly created spirit of man renewing his soul by cooperating with the work of the Holy Spirit. We have been brought into union with Christ!
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2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves,but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
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Grace brings us to a complete reliance upon God. Grace leaves no room for self sufficiency! The law is holy and serves its divine purpose in a awesome way. The law was created to expose sin and make sin exceeding sinful. Here is in 2 Corinthians the law is called the ministry of death and the ministry of condemnation. The law has glory but don’t miss the point, there is a greater glory. Being joined to Christ brings the greater glory. In fact this chapter 3 ends with an awesome truth about the greater glory.
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2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
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Because of the new covenant the glory of the Lord provides transformation power; this transformation power brings power over every sin, bondage, and strong hold in the believers life. Learning to live in the greater glory found in the Lord Jesus Christ is our only source of victory over every weight and sin that might holds us.
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Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.
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The law exposes sin and makes sin exceeding sinful. Romans 7:6 “But now we have been delivered from the law”. The law in and of itself is not sin. When the commandment of the law comes it stirs up the power of sin. The law was never intended to set you free from sin; that is what Jesus did. He who the Son sets free from sin is free indeed.
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1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Those who try to walk with victory over sin by the performance of the law or some religious rules and regulations are doomed to failure over and over. Why? The strength of sin is the law! Preaching the lesser glory stirs up sin and gives sin strength; preaching the greater glory of grace brings freedom for transformation!
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Romans 7:9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. 13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
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Here is Paul ’s testimony and how God shared the grace message with him. Paul came to Christ and was free from the law. He begin to try and serve God by the commandment of the law. Paul put it bluntly “sin revived and I died”. The law is holy and good but it can never bring life. The strength of sin is the law. To completely understand Paul ’s testimony you must rightly divide between the spirit, soul, and body of the man.
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When Paul came back under the law the old man he died to gained strength. Yes I understand I am repeating this truth! The law comes to make sin exceedingly sinful! At this point, Paul was not reckoning himself dead to sin and alive unto God. Thank God the message does not end here!
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Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
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The minute we put ourselves under the law we are forgetting the new creation God has made us and we are walking in the weakness of the old man. The law is holy the old man is not; the law will give sin strength in our life 100% of the time! In verse 17 Paul concludes it is no longer I (new creation) who do the sin, but the sin that dwells in me (old man).
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Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
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Paul is dividing between his spirit, soul, and body making it very clear. In his flesh, the old man, no good thing dwells! In Paul ’s spirit and soul he wanted to live right; however he found in his old man no way of doing that which he wanted to practice. In verse 20 Paul repeats his words of verse 17. The old man can’t perform no matter how much effort is applied. Salvation is not behavior modification of the old man; salvation is learning to walk in the newly created man.
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Romans 7:21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to 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 will deliver me from this body of 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.
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We the believers delight in the law of God according to the inward man. That is the perfected work done in our spirit. However the other law (the law of Moses) is warring against the law of the mind. If any man be in Christ He is a new creature. Which law will you serve? That which marries you to Jesus or that which keeps you bound to the law of Moses. There is only one way of victory.
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We have seen in 2 Corinthians the law of Moses is called the law of condemnation and the law of death. When we come up under that law we find no way of victory, we give sin strength by living our lives in the lesser glory. Victory over this body of flesh is found in Jesus Christ alone. Paul taught us to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive unto God.
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Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
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We are under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus! This is the empowering grace of God. Hallelujah we are free, free, free!
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Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
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