The Weakness of the Law
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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.
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.
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.
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.
In trying to comprehend this chapter, as with any scripture, context is key. We could break down the chapter into three sections, 1-6 We are free from the law, 7-13 a defence of the law. 14-25 the weakness of the law. You could go straight into chapter 8 after verse 6 and it flows perfectly. But Paul gives us verses 7-25 as a parenthesis to make sure that we don’t misunderstand his position concerning the law.
So in order to grasp the meaning of 7-25 I must understand the main idea given in verse 6 which is later picked up in chapter 8.
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.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
This is the main flow of thought we serve in newness of Spirit not in the oldness of the letter. We walk according to the Spirit because the old letter is weak on account of our flesh.
However what the Law could never do because of our weak flesh God has done through Jesus Christ! This is the Gospel! God sent Christ in the likeness of sinful flesh so that He could condemn sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the Law would be fulfilled in us and there would be no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus.
So this is the context, the main flow of thought, so then what is all this struggle that Paul is talking about in our passage?
I believe that Paul is demonstrating why the Law is weak. We already know that no one will be justified through the deeds of the Law but now Paul show that no one can be made holy through the Law either. And so I believe that Paul is giving us a picture of his own life or any Christian’s life when we attempt to live according to the oldness of the letter rather than the newness of the Spirit.
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.
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.
I believe we can all relate to what Paul is saying here. If we have ever truly desired to be righteous and tried to live a holy life then we’ve probably experienced this to one degree or another. This battle, this inner struggle. We were just talking about this at our prayer meeting last Thursday. About how often we start a new year with great plans to read the Bible every day so we fine a read the Bible in one year plan. A week goes by and maybe we do pretty good, then something distracts us one morning and we forget, no problem we think I’ll just read twice as much tomorrow. Then we miss two or three days in a row and before long we are so behind that we get discouraged and before long we’ve scrapped the whole idea until next Jan.
Why is it a battle to do a good thing?
I know that anyone who has struggled with an addiction of any kind can relate to what Paul is saying. We try with all our resolve to quit smoking, drinking, drugs, pornography, whatever it is that has a grip on us. And time and time again we yield to temptations. The evil that we will not to do, we do it. We can’t seem to control our anger, our tongue our l passions. This problem doesn’t seem to go away once we are Christians in fact it seems worse than before we were Christians. So what’s the problem?
The Law Itself is Not the Problem
The Law Itself is Not the Problem
In verse 13 Paul raises another objection that his audience might have. This objection would come from his statement in...
10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.
How can Paul say this about the Law of God. God people are to delight in the Law
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
So he know the Law and he agrees that it is good and yet he still can’t do what he should and he does what he shouldn’t
In fact it is designed to bring life. It is God’s perfect, holy Law, and it is not the problem. So what the problem?
Sin Dwells Within Us
Sin Dwells Within Us
Sin is the problem
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
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.
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.
Sin is the problem in particular sin that dwells in us.
This is what Christ came to save us from.
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
The deliverance from Sin in Christ Jesus is our only hope of salvation from the body of this death.
So what is it that sin does...
Sin Deceives Us
Sin Deceives Us
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
Sin is a big fat liar. Sin whispers in your ear telling half truths and using reason seduces you causing you to yield and as soon as you yield It grabs hold of you and takes you down. You’ve had such a hard day you really deserve a glass of wine, in fact why don’t you have 2 or 3 you deserve it.
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging:
And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
You have every right to be mad who does that person think they are anyway? You should go give then a piece of you mind. Your husband or wife hasn’t been giving you the attention you deserve. You should be happy and if they aren’t making you happy maybe this other person will.
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;
4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
Her steps lay hold of hell.
Sin is a deceiver, It’s crafty and subtle. It uses what sounds like good reason and it preys on us using our deepest desires. Don’t listen to it. don’t yield.
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Sin Uses The Law to Kill Us
Sin Uses The Law to Kill Us
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.
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
The Law which was to bring life becomes death because Sin welds is as a weapon against us to kill us. I heard John Piper put it this way.
The law is like a scalpel purposefully designed for the surgeons hand in order to be used to operate on a patient and bring healing and life. But just before the surgeon begins Sin barges through the door of the theater snatches the scalpel out of the surgeons hand and uses it to slice the throat of the patient. So that Sin might become exceedingly sinful because it uses that which is purposed for life to cause death.
So if the Law can’t make us holy and only becomes the instrument of death in the hands of Sin, then who will deliver us from the body of this death? Not the law or any other moral code or rules that we strive to adhere to.
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
It is through faith that we are justified and it’s through faith that we are sanctified. You will not be made holy by keeping a set of commandments. Draw near to Christ believe that He has already accomplished your righteousness. Walk in the Spirit who will teach you all truth. Know the truth and you will be set free. The only reason we sin is because we have been deceived. If you know the truth about sin you would be revolted by it and not touch it. Not because of your great will power to resist but because your eyes were opened through faith by the Spirit. Once we know the truth abstaining from what is evil and the doing of what it good is natural.