A children’s picture book is coming out soon entitled, America’s White Table. It’s a book that describes a little known military tradition of setting an empty table with a white tablecloth, a black napkin and white candle, and a plate with only a slice of lemon and salt with an empty chair leaning against the table. The purpose of the tradition is to remember prisoners of war and those missing in action. The tradition had its beginning with a group of fighter pilots who flew in Vietnam (WT, 5/28/05, A1). A white table; that’s a good picture of what Memorial day is – empty, black napkin, slice of lemon, salt, vacant chair leaning – a good reminder of the tremendous cost of our wonderful freedom. Memorial day is a day of honoring those who have served our country, especially those who have given their lives to win what we enjoy. It’s a day of remembering the cost, a day of contemplation of what these people have done, who have sacrificed themselves for this great country. It is a day of respect for their gift to us of their lives.

It’s appropriate that our passage today is about conflict – a series of battles that may be taking place in you, with the intent of taking your life away. The passage develops out of 6:14 "sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace." I’m sure that as we read that verse two weeks ago your response was, "what does that mysterious statement mean?" And then 7:5 says, For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. The truth of these verses is that there is some kind of mysterious connection between God’s Law and sin. It’s a totally unexpected connection since the Law is Holy and Righteous and Good, as 7:12 says. How can something good encourage or strengthen sin? The answer to that question comes in our passage today. We will learn how Law leads to sin, how those who set out to obey the law make a gruesome discovery, that not only can they not obey the law, but that the law actually strengthens that anti-law sentiment within them, so that as a result of the law, the "sinful passions" rule them (as 7:5 says).

I think I see in this passage at least three discoveries that come from the Law:

A. The Law introduced Paul to himself. Apart from the Law he didn’t recognize his sinfulness. The passage begins with a huge contrast between Paul and the Law. "The law is spiritual" (described as holy, righteous and good in verse 12). Spiritual means that it is not external but internal; it is not connected with the senses and the body, but with God the Spirit. "On the other hand," Paul says, "I am material, focused on the external because of my five senses and because of my natural view of everything. I am of human nature." He is not speaking of his character here ("carnal" meaning sinful) as much as the weakness of his human nature. Because we are human, we focus on what we see, what we feel, what we taste. We have trouble understanding the spiritual, and generally have little interest in it. "Give me something I can see and touch," we ask.

In addition, Paul says, "my fleshliness has resulted in my being sold to sin," a passive verb. Someone else has sold me. It has gone against my will. I don’t want to be a slave to sin, but I have been and am repeatedly double crossed by my body, which has sold me out.

Thus Paul sees a huge divide between what is Spiritual and what is Flesh, what is internal and what is external, what is Divinely powerful and what is humanly weak. The story line reveals how the Law works on us to demonstrate to us this divide.

I don’t think that this passage is talking about the normal Christian life. People say that this section represents the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. No it doesn’t. The Holy Spirit doesn’t appear in this section. What appears instead is "I." Chapter seven is the "I" chapter of the Bible. The word "I" appears 38 times and the Holy Spirit never shows up (except in 7:6 newness of Spirit as the hope). Why "I"? Because of the Law, for a person who wants to obey it, turns life into "do-it-yourself" religion. That’s its purpose, that’s its design – to get us thinking about what it means to be right with God. And the first response of any person, believer or unbeliever to the Law is to say, "Oh, I can do it." The Law comes and says, "since you can do it, here’s what to do." And we say to God, "thank you, I will show you how good I can be." Like Israel said in Exodus 19:8, "all that the Lord has spoken we will do." And as we try to fulfill the Law we find that "do it yourself" becomes "undo it yourself." And we discover, as Paul is going to say in vs 18, in him "dwells no good thing" (7:18). And we cry as Paul cries in verse 24, "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" We discover the awful truth that our lives are ruled by our bodies. So there is conflict here between the old nature and the new nature, but it arises because the new nature is trying to live the Christian life in its own strength, by means of obeying the Law. End result? The old nature is more than a match.

B. The Law introduced Paul to frustration. "What I am doing I am not understanding" (15). Present tenses verbs place us in the middle of the action. Paul is talking to himself as he does something, and says, "what in the world am I doing?" "Why am I doing this?" "Is this me, Paul, or is this someone else?" He is doing what he doesn’t understand; he is doing what he doesn’t approve of, and the only sensible theory that answers why this is happening, is the slave theory – he has been sold, as he says in 14. He has become the instrument of someone else’s will.

Sin does not come to Paul and ask permission; "can I make you do something wrong?" It enters without permission and takes over. "For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." Paul says, "I have plans to do right, to obey the Law, but I do not practice those plans and intentions. They always fall aside and I never get them done. On the other hand, there are things that I hate, and that’s the stuff I do as I fail to fulfill my intentions and aspirations.

This is the language of a frustrated man. "What I am accomplishing by my life and actions, I do not understand." It makes no sense. "I can’t get done what I set out to do because I sit around dabbling in the diddily-squat that I hate."

C. The Law is beyond him. "If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good." There is a progression in his thinking. He comes to understand that the Law is good, the Law is the best. At the same time he recognizes a large separation between himself and the Law. At the beginning, he and the law were buddies. But now there is a split because the Law is good, the Law is spiritual, but he is doing what he wills not to do. He’s not even close. Paul has no problem with the Law. He agrees with it. The fact that he disobeys it doesn’t mean he has a bad attitude toward it. What’s changed is his understanding of himself. The good that the Law speaks of is distant from his abilities.

We had some young ladies at our house on Friday for a birthday party. Two of them worked together to create this delicious cake that probably had a name like, "double decadent, double chocolate chip, chocolate cake." In their celebration, each took a thin and proper slice of the cake and when they left Friday afternoon, almost half of the cake was still sitting on the kitchen counter top. I could tell from looking at that cake that it was not good for me. I knew it contained 100 calories per crumb. I understood fully that I am still on the South Beach diet – at least two or three hours per day. So what did I do?

To begin with, the cake was not cut cleanly. The lines were a little crooked, so I just straightened up the line with the cut of a sharp knife. And then I straightened up my straightened up cut and ate another piece, and so on. I nibbled on that cake Friday night and all day yesterday, knowing that it wasn’t good, knowing that I was being enlarged with every bite – and even feeling the enlargement. I kept eating. This morning, less than 48 hours later, all 27,299 calories of that cake are gone. And my stomach is probably still processing the final 7537 calories.

Why did I do that? Because it was there. And whatever sweets are sitting there on the counter top need to be eaten. It’s my responsibility. I understand that it is bad for me but I have to make the sacrifice. Do I have that same attitude toward left-over asparagus? And broccoli? Not at all.

The problem? I have a command – "stay away from the fattening stuff; don’t eat every sweet thing in sight." I agree with the command; it is good. I don’t obey the command.

APPLICATION - Have you ever done this? Said, "yes, I can do that. I will obey." The command comes, "love the Lord with all your heart." And you say, "OK." "Don’t covet." And you say, "OK, I’ll stop. I don’t think I do, anyway." If we are honest, we will find that there is no hope of us fulfilling those commands. We are far short of obeying, even when we are at our best.

Why? By design. The Law reveals God’s standard for the purpose of showing everyone how far short they come. Even in the Old Testament as soon as God finished giving the law in Exodus 23-24, the next thing He did in Exodus 25 was take an offering. For what reason? To build a tabernacle. What was the purpose of the tabernacle? Sacrifice for sin; forgiveness of sin, cleansing from sin. Why did sin need to be forgiven? Because the Law revealed the awfulness of sin. One of the purposes of the law was to make the tabernacle necessary! Apart from the law people would think that they were good enough to approach God in their own worthiness, apart from any sacrifice. The law makes the sacrifice to remove sin wonderful.

We have Christians who think that now that they are saved, their responsibility is to go out and obey the Law. They don’t understand the law, that its very purpose is to wipe them out, burn down all their carefully constructed religious shrines and bring them to ashes. The Law was designed as a pre-Christian school system. As Galatians 3:19-25 says, "What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."

The purpose of the Law was to show us our sin, our need of forgiveness, our need of a Savior. What happens when a Christian takes up the law again as his goal and object of life? It shows him his sin and weakness and need of a Savior. It works! Just like it did before. "But I thought the Law was a guide to help me become more like Jesus?" No, it was never intended to do that. That’s the job of the Holy Spirit.

A. SIN is a part of him. (17, 20). Twice he emphasizes this striking statement.

17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. "I am indwelt, and it is not the Holy Spirit!" Paul has a "roommate" who uses Paul’s name and answers to Paul’s "I." He is facing up to stolen identity. The law has now split him into two "hims," the good him that wanted to obey, and the bad him that wanted nothing to do with the law.

Think of the amazing difference between this statement and Galatians 2:20: ". . . it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." In Galatians it is "no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." Here, "it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me." The "I" is emphatic. "I set out to obey," Paul announces, "and not only did I not obey, but I actually did the opposite of what I set out to do. Consequently I realize that I am no longer in charge. It is my roommate, and I am simply a slave."

Is Paul a believer here? Is he actually saved? How can he be when he calls himself "carnal, sold under sin?" "Indwelt by sin?" "Nothing good in him?" Can a believer be described as carnal and sold to sin? The answer is to look at the other statements he makes. How can an unbeliever say, "to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not?" (18). "The good that I would do . . ." (19). "I delight in the law of God according to the inward man . . ." (22). These phrases don’t fit the first three chapters of Romans where Paul describes the unbeliever in opposite terms. What we need to remember is that there is more in Paul than the slavery and the sin. There is something in him that passionately wants to do right. Where did that come from? That only comes from the Holy Spirit’s presence, and I think that Paul was a believer as he penned these words..

B. Goodness is missing (18). As a result of Paul’s roommate, he can’t get anything "good" done. His personal attempts to obey the law always result in zero, nothing good. Good dwells in his mind, but his roommate has all the good locked in this bedroom where it can’t get out and fill the rest of the house.

What does Paul mean when he says, "good?" He is using the word in the sense that God would use it – the activities that God would call good. Although we can do things that we would define as "good," there is always a mixture of other motives and activities in with our "good." It’s basically good, it’s mostly good, it’s very good, it’s as good as it is going to get. But when God speaks of good in the Law it is total good, absolute good, unmixed good, in a word, perfect. It’s the kind of good that is completely beyond us. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Well I can love my neighbor as much as I love my car, and let him borrow it. I can love my neighbor as much as I love my house, but as much as I love myself? That’s well nigh impossible. In fact, that IS impossible. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart." ALL my heart? Good is beyond our abilities.

What the Law demands is a level of performance unmatched by anyone on this planet, other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who performed it completely. When "good" is defined this way, that specifies in a new way the definition of "evil." Evil is a much broader term, especially if it includes anything that is not "perfect." What that means is that when we set out to do it on our own, everything we accomplish fits in the category of "evil."

C. Paul’s roommate is out of control. His body (flesh) is a law unto itself. He can’t accomplish what he wants to do because of a balky body. His mind says, "OK gang, are we ready to go? We are going to serve the Lord!" And the body says, "I’m tired; I’ve had a long day, and I’m going to get some iced tea, recline on my lazy boy, and watch survivors tonight." On the other hand, after he gets the iced tea and sits on the lazy boy, the telephone rings and the boys on the bowling team need an extra person to roll three games. What does the body decide to do? Get up and go bowling! The body runs on its own agenda.

Can you relate to this description of life with the Law? Are you governed to some extent by the desires of your body. Have you said, "I should get up and pray," only to have your body reply, "no, I’m sleepy?" That’s life with the out-of-control roommate.

The comparison is between the inside, in his mind, and the outside, in his "members," his body. The two are fighting each other. His mind is focused on doing good, but his eyes want to look at something else, his tongue wants to taste, his ears want to hear, his hands want to touch something, someone. And those members in his body say "NO, here’s what we are going to do." As I read two weeks ago the testimony of the compulsive gambler, at 8 am he said, "no," at 9, 10, 11, even 11:30 he said "no" to the desire of his members for sin. But shortly after noon he was entering the race track preparing for the daily double. His mind had met the onrushing train of his body.

How can this happen? How can the Holy law serve to help out sin? Because of the deceptive power of sin. It can take that which is good and trick us to do the opposite. God said to Adam and Eve, "don’t eat of that tree; the day you eat you will die." Satan happened along and said, "die? think about that word die." "That’s not an entirely accurate statement. God knows that instead of death, you will become educated in the knowledge of good and evil. That’s why He is keeping you from the tree." Satan twisted the very words of the command to deceive them and to question God’s intent in giving the command.

Hasn’t Satan twisted your thoughts? "Why is God trying to keep me from having fun?" "Why do these things happen only to me?" "Why doesn’t God answer my prayer?" "Why does He make me so weak, with such strong desires?" Those types of questions are directed at the character of God. He is not trustworthy; He doesn’t have our best at heart. Satan uses the law to call into question the character of God.

The end result = O wretched man = "O miserable man I." The desperate cry of a person who wants to be righteous and who has only thousands of failures. "Who shall deliver me?" is probably very close to "who can deliver me?" Who is able to interrupt this awful process, and "who will deliver me?" Who will deal with my huge need? What’s the sense of trying when I am locked in this body? Where is the hope?

Do you see that "by the law is the knowledge of sin" means more than just, "oh yes, that was a sin." The Law is an introduction to the tremendous power sin has in our lives. Your will and your abilities are no match. And sin is living IN you, in your eyes, in your hands, in your ears, in your mouth, in your heart, and it wins all battles with your mind.

And the reason why this happens, is that THAT is the PURPOSE of the Law, and it works well. There is only one answer to a person who has been brought to that awareness – come to Christ. He is the One who can free us from the Law.

There is a way to live the Christian life that will bring you to total frustration. A way that will make you say, "if this is the best God has to offer, it isn’t much." Ever been there? Are you there now?

It’s life in the big "I." You are trying to do what is right and good. And you intend to please God with your behavior. And the bottom line is that you have to lie about what’s really going on, because you are a prisoner to your body. You are under house arrest. Solution? "I thank God, through Jesus Christ."

How many new Christians follow Paul and live this way? I would guess 90%. What do we tell new believers? "Be good, obey the 10; go to church and get baptized. Obey." That’s LAW.

What should we tell new Christians? We will learn that in two weeks as we study the first 13 verses of chapter eight – perhaps 13 of the most important verses on the Christian life in the Bible. So what should we tell new Christians? Well, what should we tell a newly married couple?

05/29/05, BBC am

14Rom7'14-25.MEF, 06/10/05