Is the Law Sin?

Romans Chapter seven. We've come to that paragraph in Romans chapter seven, the second paragraph here, verses seven through twelve. Romans Chapter seven, verses seven through twelve, And as you open to Romans Chapter seven, verses seven through twelve, let me take a moment and deal with something that is only related, only tangentially, but it's very important. We've talked on a number of occasions about our culture and things that are happening in our culture. And one of the things that I have tried to inform you about and warn you about is the insidious advance of the homosexual agenda in our culture. And if you'll remember, I shared from you from the book After the Ball that was published in nineteen eighty nine, I've told you about the strategy of homosexual activists sort of bring the homosexual lifestyle to normalcy within American culture. And there are a number of strategies that were outlined in that book. It was a book of propaganda strategies. Again, they wrote out their propaganda strategy in nineteen eighty nine and have executed that with the idea that in the decade of the nineties, by the end of the decade of the nineties, there would be major progress on that front. And one of the goals we talked about was the idea that they would bombard the culture using media in order to make homosexuality more acceptable and in order to make those who oppose homosexuality feel outside of the mainstream, shunned by the mainstream. Well, this Week Entertainment Magazine special report Gay teens on TV. But listen to the subtitle, how a bold new class of young gay characters on shows like Glee is changing hearts and minds in Hollywood. That's the propaganda agenda. How the presence of this and the bombardment with this over and over and over again changes hearts and minds. And then US Weekly again, front page of US Weekly Elton's baby at Home with Elton John, David Furnish and baby Zachary. So now we celebrate when two homosexual men bring a baby home to raise. Now I say that this is related tangentially, okay. But the way that this is related, and we'll get there momentarily, is that sin in our culture, in our lives has a foothold, and when it's not confronted, it is considered normal, normative, and there is something that changes when sin is not confronted with the law, Well, we're going to find out that the law doesn't make sin go away. That's not the point here, okay. But when it's not confronted, it creates a different baseline. That thought is going to be very important momentarily. Romans, Chapter seven, the Game, Verse seven, there is another one of his questions. And these are not just rhetorical questions. These are legitimate questions. Paul has made a statement about the law, several statements about the law and sin and death. And now because of the statements that he's made about the law and sin and death, he knows that he's speaking to an audience that is comprised in large part of Jews who think very highly of the law, very highly of the Torah, and that as he's making these statements. And remember, as Paul writes Romans, this is not the first time that he has shared his theology. When he goes somewhere and teaches for six months, twelve months, eighteen months, this is what he lays out. So he faces these questions again and again and again. So by the time he writes Romans, these are actual questions that he has faced in place after place after place, and you remember his pattern is he always goes in reasons in the synagogue with the Jews, and then he goes in reasons with the Gentiles. So as he has reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews, he's faced these questions from Jews who love the Law. So when he writes Romans, he does not ignore these questions that are asked by the Jews when they are confronted with his gospel. So when we come here to this question beginning of verse seven, know that it's not a rhetorical question. This is an actual question that people who think deep theological thoughts ask when they are faced with the gospel that Paul lays out here in the Book of Romans. And he says, what then shall we say that the law is sin? Remember what we read earlier. In fact, let's back up to that paragraph before verse four. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For why we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions aroused by the law. We're at work in our members to bear fruit for death. There's the law and death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the spirit and not in the old way of the written code. A Jew who loves the law, who strives his entire life to be righteous before God by knowing the law and keeping the law. Here's Paul say that, and his immediate thought he is, wait a minute, are you saying that the law is sinful? Because it sounds like to me, that's precisely what you're saying, Paul, that the law of God, and specifically here in this paragraph he's talking about the Mosaic law. He's talking about the decalogue. Paul, are you so saying to me that no other gods before me is sinful? No graven images, it's sinful. Don't take my name in vain is sinful. Honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy. That's sinful. Honor your father and your mother, that's sinful. Do not murder sinful? Can I commit adultery sinful? Do not steal sinful? Did I bear false witness is sinful? Do not covet what is your neighbors. Are you saying to me that those things are sinful and that those things lead us to death? Surely, Paul, that's not what you're saying. Please tell us that you, a Jew, a Pharisee, a Benjamite, are not saying that. And before he answers the question, let me add something here. That is what many Christians today say that the law is sinful? Oh no, no, no Christian would ever say that the law is sinful. Yes, Christians say that that it's sinful. That there is a ministry that we hopefully will have an opportunity to partner with to do some Bible translations. This ministry has a partnership with another ministry that translates a very famous film on the Life of Christ. And this very famous film that's used in the mission field all over the place, the Life of Christ is usually attached to their translation projects. We were talking with them about doing a specific translation project in a specific area where we are very intimately involved, and our response to them was, we love the idea of the translation project. You do this very inexpensively. We could probably sponsor this project as a church, but not if it means that you translate that film on the Life of Christ. I think, why because of the Second Commandment and graven images? What what did you just say? Yeah, because of the Second Commandment in graven images. These people don't know anything about God. You show them a film about God in Christ. There is a person who's playing God in Christesus. You are calling them to be worshipers of God in Christ Jesus, and you've given them an image of him in a film. We believe that's a violation of the Second Commandment and we don't want to fund that. The response, oh, that's legalism. Legalism is sinful. The law sin Somebody sends a text and he put, OMG, go wait a minute, you can't do that. Why because you just took the name of the Lord in vain. The response to the person to whom you say that is, that's legalism. The law is sin. That's what many Christians today believe. And if you want to test the theory, just talk to people about some of these things that I've just raised here today. We actually believe that it's the law that's the problem. And so some when we hear that we're free from the law, no longer slaves to the law, that there was death under the law, but now there's life in Christ. Immediately the response is yes, that's right. Law bad. Be very careful because I don't just assume that that's not what Paul is saying. I can guarantee you that that's not what Paul is saying. Why because Paul guarantees us in this very paragraph that that's not what he's saying verse seven, What then shall we say that the law is sin? There's the phrase again, may ganoita absolutely not about the strongest phrase he could put right there, that's the strongest negation in the Greek language, mayganoit ta. I'm saying that the law is sin. Absolutely not no way know how. The answer is no, bold italic underline, triple exclamation point at the end. No. Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin, for I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had said you shall not cove it. Kind of like the principal there, you're walking through a park. You walk through the park, you never ever ever think about touching the benches in the park. In fact, if you think anything, you think that's nasty. I don't want to touch the bench in the park. But all of a sudden there's a sign that says, wet paint, do not touch. What's the first thing you want to do? Why something was awakened in you when you saw a code. It's fine for you to walk the long way around on the sidewalk until you see a sign that says do not walk on grass. Now you've at least got to get part of your grass side foot on the grass. But sin seizing an opportunity. Notice how Sin is personified here. Sin seizing an opportunity through the commandment produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin dies. I was once alive, apart from the law. But when the commandment came, Sin came alive, and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin seizing an opportunity through the commandment deceived me, and through it killed me. So the law is holy. Underline that, please, So the law is holy. His reference here is to the Mosaic law, to the ten Commandments. The law is holy, and the comm the man meant is holy. While you're underlying and just underline that too, And righteous, just keep moving your pen and good. The law is holy, the commandment is holy, it is righteous, it is good. That's what Paul says. So here's the question, and this is the question of chapter seven. Remember we're in this section on sanctification, this idea of progressive sanctification, and here in the midst of it, Paul is clarifying the relationship between sin, law and death. Because there is a relationship between sin and law and death. But if we're not careful, you just take sin, law, death, put them all over here under the category of don't want that. Paul says, if you do that, you've gotten rid of something that you should not, under any circumstances get rid of. And that is the law loss, holy, commandments holy, it's righteous, and it's good. So that leads us with a question, if the law is holy and the commandment holy, righteous and good, how do we have this relationship between sin and death and law because it seems doesn't just seem I mean, Paul has basically said, and it's the law, it kills me, but it's good. How does that work? I'm glad you asked. First, let's look at what Paul is not saying. Paul is not saying that people do not have awareness of sin before the law. Okay, Paul is not saying that people do not have awareness of sin for the law. We know that people have awareness of sin before the law. Go back to chapter five. Look at twelve through fourteen. In chapter five. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sin for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given. But sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Note here also that what Paul is talking about here, because Paul is talking about the law and the mosaic law, he's specifically talking about sin here, not in the sort of nebulous idea that people have a sin nature. He's talking here about actual transgres of the law of God. It's very important to note that we're talking about actual transgression of the law of God. There is the law of God, and you, by your will, by your volition, violate the law of God. Transgress the law of God because something in you desires to do that, and that something in you is called sin. So specifically, here he's talking about transgression, the idea of violating God's law. He's also not saying that people are guiltless before God prior to the law. How do we know this? Well? Back up some more. Go to Romans Chapter one. It's God urse eighteen, for the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men who by their un righteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them, for his visible attribution, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made, so that they are without excuse. So just because there's not specific transgression of specific mosaic code does not mean that people are somehow guiltless before God before the law. Also chapter two. Look in chapter two and verse twelve, for all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. Look at verse fourteen, for when gentiles who do not have the law by nature do what the law requires they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. Verse fifteen. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience all bears witness. And sorry, you know what, I put a mark underlining something on one seat, and it's bled through here and has marked out that word. So somebody give me that word, and they're okay, thank you. They're conflicting thoughts, accuse or even excuse them. Okay. So again, Paul's not saying here that people are guiltless before God prior to the law. That's very important. And the reason that is important, and the reason that we see this is that he's talking specifically here about the Mosaic Code, not the law written on man's heart. He's talking specifically about the Mosaic Code. That's very important if we're going to understand Romans chapter seven, that specifically he's talking about the decalogue, those ten words that transcendent law of God. There's another question that needs to be answered as we deal with this particular passage of scripture, and the question is whose I I don't you think that's grammatically incorrect, but actually it's correct. Who's the eye in this paragraph when he says in verse seven, Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known Sin, For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said you shall not cove it. It seems clear enough that well Paul says I. Therefore the I is Paul. Not so fast. Some would argue that the eye here is Adam. Paul's using an illustration, and in the illustration the eye is Adam. Why well, because there's a statement here apart from the law, sin is dead. If Paul's talking about himself and he says, apart from the law, sin is dead. Is there a time when Paul's living apart from the law. Nope, But there's a time Adam's living apart from the law mosaic code. There's no mosaic code with Adam. Therefore we can take that literally. And in verse nine when he says, look, for example, in verse nine, I was once alive apart from the law. Boy, who does that fit better than Adam? Then it says Sin killed me. Actually for Adam. That's very literal. I was alive, then Sin killed me for me. I was never alive. For me, I've always been dead in my trespassors, and Sin I was born in my sin. Adam was not. There was a moment when Sin killed him. There are objections, however. The objection, for example, is the fact that Paul's talking about the Mosaic Code. So whereas these statements really fit when you're talking about this experience of being there before the law and then coming in contact with the law. Paul talks about the specific commandment number ten, don't come it. Adam didn't have that one. Therefore it's difficult to say it was Adam. Some argue, however, that Paul's talking about Israel. Israel is the one who was without the law. Then they got the covenant at Sinai. So again that fits. They received the law Sini. Subsequently they disobeyed and then they experienced the same kind of death that Adam experien It's because they disobeyed. Again, there's difficulty here because the claim is I was alive before the law, and really this nation that is covenanted with God can't make that statement because it's the law that brings him into that covenantal relationship. Then there's the argument that it's Paul, The argument that it's Paul's easy enough. He uses I the Greek ego E is me. It's very personal, especially when we get to the paragraph that we're going to talk about on next week, when it gets to this sort of crescendo of anguish and then deliverance, that is very personal. Paul's talking about himself. Difficult though, because when is he without the law? The other question, of course, is there's a reference here to having life and then having death. How do you get that if you believe that you're born in sin, had life and then the law brought death? That becomes difficult. So then some argue that it's actually more of an existential use of eye, and Paul's using an illustration here that is true of every man. Finally, there's the argument that it's a combination. Some argue that basically Paul's talking about himself and he's talking about Israel. So what's the answer, Because I know that's what you want me to know. What you want me to tell you. What you want me to do is you want me to sift through all of these people who've had this argument for hundreds of years and just tell you, with absolute certainty, who's the eye? Okay, let me tell you with absolute certainty, I don't know. I believe the eye is Paul. But Adam is included in this experience because Paul's experience is not unique. Paul's a man just like the rest of us. Israel's experience not excluded. Why because Israel's experience is mirrored in this experience of Paul. The idea of every man that's not excluded. Why because Paul's using this particular illustration. Because every man can put himself in the shoes of the eye here. So I believe that Paul here is using this eye to refer to himself, but he is speaking broadly about what sin does. Because he's speaking broadly about what sin does, and he's making a universal statement about sin and the law, it's easy to apply this the sea adams experience here, though not perfectly. To see Israel's experience here, though not perfectly, see Paul's experience here, see my experience here. So Paul's not talking about a story of something that happened to him uniquely that's never happened to another person, so that another person can't really identify Paul's talking about the experience that he has. Here's the other thing. Paul is speaking as a believer, and as a believer, he is taking his new insight and looking back over his relationship with the law and making a statement that you can only make as you understand sin from this side of the cross. Got to understand Paul's purpose three things. Here his purpose number one, and he does this immediately. This is what I love about these Meganoita statements. When Paul raises these questions that have been asked to him, and then you get Meganota. Here's what you get. You get his answer in a nutshell, and then you get the theological explanation for his answer. What's his purpose? His purpose, first and foremost is to exonerate the law. His purpose is to exonerate the law. In his first statement and in his last statement of this paragraph, he exonerates the law. First statement of the paragraph and verse seven. What then shall we say that the law is sin by no means? There's the answer. That's the short answer. Now let me give you the theology behind the short answer. And at the end, I'm going to come to the same place. Where does he come to look at the last verse, verse twelve. So the law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Here's the question. Let me give you the short answer, let me give you the theological explanation for the short answer, and at the end, let me come back and reiterate my answer. So his purpose is to exonerate the law, but he has to explain the relationship between law and sin and death in order to exonerate the law. Finally, we have to remember and keep this in context. He's advancing his teaching on progressive sanctification. He wants you to understand this process of sanctification and what role the law plays in sanctification. And this is crucial because if we miss this point, then we go on trying to obey God but not having a standard by which to judge obedience. And you can't get there from here. So there's a ditch on both sides of the road. On the one side, there's the ditch that says, the law will make me righteous. On the other side, there's a ditch that says, the law is evil, I need to stay away from it. On the one side, you get legalism. On the other side you get antonomianism. In the middle of that, you get Christianity. First, exoneration of the law. We see that in verse seven a, the law is not sin. We also see that in twelve Paul exonerates the law. The law is not sin. The law is holy, the commandment is holy, the commandment is righteous, the commandment is good. That's his statement, that's his answer. He exonerates it. But what about the theology that exonerates the law. You've got to explain it in light of the statements that he's made earlier. Well, Secondly, he says that the law reveals sin, and that's what makes transgression possible. Remember, transgression is this act of open defiance against the particular code that God lays down. And it's only when you see the particular code that this thing can come alive. There's something in you that is at enmity with God, and it is not until you come face to face with this perfect law that you know. This sin lies dormant and your remembers ruling you by default. See that in Ephesians two one through three, with no opposition until the Law of God lays down the gauntlet. See, your sin nature is just ruining you. It just has you, and everything is fine. The culture continues to sear your conscience over and over and over again, and everything's just great, and you go along and you're a good person and you're a decent person. In fact, you're even a more decent person than other people. Your sin nature, when you're out there in the world, trust me, here's how bad it is. Your sin nature when you're out there in the world will have you looking at this. And you know, Klin High School next week, And when the conversation comes up and somebody actually says that there's something wrong with this, those who are ruled by the sin nature actually look at them and see the enemy and see evil, see the sin nature. It's fine when your relationship is like that. But when God's law says no to what your sin nature wants, it wakes up and it fights. It tries to exert its ownership and its claim on you, and it says no, not by that standard, by my standard. And it's only when your sin comes face to face with the law that it wakes up like that, and it fights like that, and there is this open, declared war against God. It's as though sin just infringes upon your territory, God's territory. And you wake up one day and realize that the fences have been overrun, and Sin looks back and says, how dare you claim that this is not my territory. Secondly, this is why it's important to preach the law and the gospel. Let me say that again. This is why it's important to preach the law and the gospel. This war has to be declared. It is unfortunate that in many instances and in many places, in many circles, the idea is that you stay away from the law, which by the way, comes from the idea that the law is bad. Again, where you read these statements from Romans out reading the whole letter, and you go, law bad, law kills death on the law. So one's on and so on, and so stay away from the law. But grace, So what do you do. We're gonna major on grace. We're gonna major on grace. Or as our neighbor Joel Olstein says, people know how bad they are. They don't need to hear that. That's a lie. People have no idea how bad they are. They think they're good because they tolerate sin, like the culture says they're supposed to tolerate sin. It's not until someone stands up and proclaims the law of God, that they realize they're outside of the camp. And it's only when they realize that they're outside of the camp that we can he began to deal with them. But as long as man thinks he's okay, there is no sense of urgency in his heart. But when he realizes that he has offended a holy and righteous God and that God will consume and destroy him unless he repents, now it's time to do business with God. So the adversary has coaxed even those who call themselves Christians into treating the law like a pariah. When Paul says in Galatians, it's actually a tutor. It exposes our great sin and our great need do this. Beyond his exoneration of the law, there's also this explanation of the relationship between sin and law, and specifically transgression and law. Children, Catechism for boys and girls. Okay, nice and loud, children, are you ready? What is sin? Altogether? Sin is any transgression of the law of God. That's sin. Sin is any transgression of the law of God. Folks, if you don't think it's important to catechise your children, I want you to know here and now it is they need to know what sin is. That sin is transgression of the law of God. By the way, if you don't think it's important to catechise, you know now that it is amen. Listen to the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God. See Catechism for Boys and Girls gives you the simplified version. Okay, not just transgression, but any want of conformity to So, either by omission or comission, it's sin. If you are not conforming to God's law, or you are actively violating God's law, you are in sin. Now, sin produces desires contrary to God's revealed law. There's a relationship between sin and the law. The law is held up like a mirror, and what it does is it produces allows sin to awaken and produce those desires that are contrary to God's law. That lets you know that you have a problem, that you are at odds with God. We think we're okay with God and alt here's what people believe. Generally. We believe that people are okay with God unless and until they become Adolf Hitler, I mean that's what we believe. Hell is really small. It's like six seven eight people there tops Okay, I mean that's what we believe. And we believe that most people are basically good. We believe that man is basically good. You know what the law does. The law comes along and you hold up the law, and all of a sudden, these people who say we're all basically good see the law of God and on the inside of him something says, we don't like that. By the way, it says we not because it's French, but because it owns you and it wants you to know that it owns you. Love God. We don't like that. We need to find a way around that. That can't be good. In fact, this can't be Christianity. We need to get away from these people because these people don't they know that we're not under law. Don't they know that the law kills? Don't they know that the end of the law is death. Sin takes the opportunity. Look at verse eight, But Sin seizing an opportunity through the commandment produced in me all kinds of covetousness specific to the commandment. Then look at versus nine through eleven. Sin goes and deceives and kills. It's active. It's active. Look at it. Verse nine. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, Sin came alive and I died. There's a mini chiasm there. I'm alive, Sin is dead. Sins alive undead. We can't both work this thing out together. One of us has to die for Sin. Here's that phrase again, seizing an opportunity through the commandment deceived me and through it killed me. This is one of the problems here, the idea that it killed me, that somehow that you were alive and then you were dead. Well, wait a minute. You're dead in your transgressions, dead in your trespasses and sins. How do you get alive and then get made dead? Paul's making the theological statement here. There's an illustration here. The illustration is we both can't live. The illustration is that before Sin meets the commandment and there's this actual transgression, you don't realize, you're not even aware of the fact that you're at enmity with God. All of a sudden, you wake up one day and you go, you know what, I think God hates me because I'm a transgressor he's angry with the wicked every day, and I'm wicked. I spent my whole life thinking that I was all right, But now all of a sudden, something is awakened in me, and it hates the law law of God. And where I once was alive, I'm dead because we both can't live. That's the statement here, his final statement, because what's happening here is that the law is this objective reality, and sin merely seizes upon the opportunity presented by the law. He makes his statement in verse twelve. So the law is holy, the commandment is holy and righteous and good. The law is holy. Commandment is holy and righteous and good. Think about it this way. You are walking and you're not paying attention, and there's a speed bump, and you walk over the speed bump and you fall and you break your wrist. Classic wrist break. Trying to catch yourself break your wrist. You look back and you go, ah, that speed bump. No, speed bump's doing exactly what it's supposed to do. You've tripped over it and you were crushed because you tripped over it. But it was there doing exactly what it was supposed to do. Now this illustration, of course breaks down. Why because the speed bumps just there. The law it's actually good, it's actually righteous, it's actually holy. Here's the other thing with the speed bump. You just weren't paying attention with the law. You hate it, you despise it because of sin that is in you. Note also the specific sin that he uses. It's coveting. Now here's what's interesting about him using coveting. First, Coveting is the only commandment in the decalogue related directly to the heart and its desires. It's the only just like you know, out of your father and your mother, Paul says, it's the first one of the promise. It's really the only one of the promise. Okay, you shall not covet is the only one related to your desires. Think about the second table of the law, the second table of the law. There's just these statements. Don't do this, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this. With covet it says, don't on the inside of you, yearn four. Not just don't do something. Don't in your heart, on the inside of you, yearn four. It's strategic that Paul uses do not covet here at this point, he didn't just randomly pick one of the ten. He specifically picks the one that goes to the issue of the heart. Listen to Hendrickson on this. It's not surprising that it was especially this tenth commandment that stopped Paul in his tracks. The other commandment superficially interpreted forbid transgressions that are or seem to be of more or less external character, especially those of the second table. By the way, James identifies this tenth commandment with murder. Look at what James says James Chapter four, verses one and two. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this that your passions are at war within you. You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight, and quarrel. Murdering, fighting, quarreling. These things are connected to the tenth commandment. Jesus identifies coveting with adultery. You've heard it said, don't commit adultery. I say, if you've lusted after a woman in your heart, what's that it's coveting. You've already committed adultery with her. Paul identifies it more broadly with idolatry, which takes the tenth Commandment up into the first Table of the Law, the first four commandments, Paul says an Ephesians five to five. For you may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous, that is, an idolator, has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. Then again Colossians three five put to death. Therefore, what is earthly in you sexual immrality, impurity, passions, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Paul is not just picking out covetousness because that happens to be the commandment that he ran up against when this sin thing came alive in him. He picks covetousness because it is at the root and the core of all of our sin and transgression of the Law of God. Either you want what your neighbor has second Table of the Law, or you want God's throne first Table of the Law, and in either instance it's covetousness. It's the root of all of our transgressions of the Law of God, no matter what they are. I am God. You shall have know the Gods before me yet, but I want to be first. I covet that honor your father and your mother. No, no, no, no, no, no no no. I want to be in charge of my life. Did not commit adultery. How I want, what I want, and whom I want, Do not lie. No. I desire to protect myself from harm and from other people knowing my guilt. Therefore, it's all rooted and coveting after something. It is the core of our sinful nature and our sinful desires. Paul says that when it meets the law is what kills you on the spot. Listen to the Heidelberg Catechism, because I think it gets this quite well. What does the tenth Commandment require of us? That even the smallest inclination or thought contrary to any of God's commandments never rise in our hearts? But that at all times we hate all sin with our whole heart and delight in all righteousness. You've never done that a day in your life, and you won't until the day of your death. So then what do I do. I give you that next week, But let me give you a preview. I wanted you to have that moment of despair, because that's what we're coming to. In the next paragraph, there's that moment of despair, and Paul asked the question, what will deliver me from this body of death? His answers Jesus, And it's a beautiful play on words, what will deliver me from this body of death? A dead body. Here's how he advances his teaching on progressive sanctification. In this paragraph, he lets us know that the law does not sanctify. He makes that clear. The law does not sanctify. We need the Gospel to sanctify. Legalism will not do. That's that first ditch. Legalism will not do. You cannot get there from here. But on the other side, Paul wants us to know antonomianism will not do. We must keep the law. We must we must be holy, we must be righteous, and the standard for holiness and righteousness is God's law. Well wait a minute, I thought you just said that we don't keep the law. No, I just said you can't be justified by the law. But when you are justified, you are declared righteous. How do you define righteousness by God's moral code? How are you going to be declared righteous by God's moral code, and then your life not be configured in accordance with God's moral code. Yeah, but I thought you said that the law would get Yeah, all that's true about the law. We're free in Christ, free from what Well, we're free from the penalty that is ours for not keeping the law. But we're free to what keep the law, but not by our own doing or to our own merit. And again we'll get there in chapter eight. But remember we're being conformed to the image of His son, who's his son, the Holy, righteous, good, spotless, sinless, lawkeeping Lamb of God. Boy, there seems to be tension there. Exactly what you see in the next paragraph. Exactly what you see in the next paragraph. Listen to this from Tom Schriiner. It's a little extensive, but we just we have to Those who believe that the answer to human evil is to teach the Torah are simply mistaken. According to Paul, sin subverts the Torah to advance its purpose and actually stimulates and provokes the desire to sin through the Torah. This is not to deny that the law promises life to those who keep it Liviticus eighteen five, nor does it lead to the conclusion that the law is evil. The law and the commandments are good and a revelation of God's will. But Paul's point flies in the face of the defender of the Torah, who teaches that the law is the antidote to human evil. The law itself does not supply any power to human beings. Those who have the law but lack the spirit, cannot keep it, and are destined for death. Let me leave you with this. If you hear this, don't parent like a legalist. Are you giving your children the law and raising them in such a way that you are teaching by default that lawkeeping is what being a good person is all about. Do your children get from you law, law, law, law, law, and gospel? Hope not hope. Not because the law kills. It's the spirit that gives life. I hope you are putting the law before your children and the threatenings that come with it. What God says about those things that we do in violation of His law. But I hope that at the same time you realize that what we must do is not end there. We have to get to a place where we cause them to realize their great need for Christ and his redemption. And that that is their deliverance, not the hope that someday they'll stop being disobedient on their own, because that day, theologically speaking, ain't coming. And if we're raising our children to hope for that day and yearn for that day and believe in that day when they can somehow stop being obedient by the exercise of their will, we are raising legalists who are storing up wrath from God. Do they need the law, Yes, they do, but they need to know that it's not enough, and they need to know that it is a tutor, and it's a tutor to lead them to the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is their ultimate and only hope. The law is good, the law is righteous, the law holy, and apart from the Gospel, it is nothing but death. Let's pray