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There Are Only Two Laws

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Romans 7:24-8:2 (NIV)

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 

CONSIDER THIS

Yesterday, in the Second Half Challenge, we dug in deeper to the First Half reality. The necessity of fully embracing the first half of the gospel before forging into the territory of the Second Half cannot be overstated. And the truth? Most of us have not adequately grasped the first half. At least I know I didn’t for the longest time of trying to follow Jesus. 

We were taught the gospel mostly at the level of the problem of “sins” rather than the problem of “sin.” As a result, we have mostly adopted what I call a “believe and behave” approach to faith. And the outcome is we have settled for a never-ending, rarely successful battle with our sins. I call it the Romans 7 doom loop.

19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

More sins . . . more forgiveness . . . more re-commitment . . . more sins . . . more forgiveness . . . more forgiveness.

Friends, this is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the slavery of sin management. Romans 7 describes “the old way.” But remember, the old has gone. Behold, the new has come. Romans 7 is not intended to describe the Christian life (a.k.a. “the life hid with God in Christ). In Romans 7 Paul shows us the utter futility of living at the level of trying to deal with our “sins” before letting Jesus deal with our “sin.” 

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Then Paul, in the language of the ballpark, “goes yard.” (For those from other countries and cultures— “going yard” is a baseball reference which means he knocks the ball out of the ballpark.) 

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 

Romans 7 is straight up prison. Romans 8 is a 100% “Get out of jail free card.” 

Romans 7 is the doom loop. Romans 8 is the fly wheel of freedom. 

There are only two laws: The law of sin and death, and the law of the Spirit who gives life.

Which one are you living under? Which one do you want to live under? You have to choose. Not choosing is choosing, and I think you I know which one that means. 

I’ve got good news. We are about to get free up in here. 

THE PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I’m sorry for the way I get so stuck in my sins. I am ready for you to deal with my sin. I am ready to receive forgiveness for the problem that is bigger than my behavior. I want you to deal with my fundamental brokenness. Deliver me from the law of sin and death and into the law of the Spirit who gives life. Come Holy Spirit and make me ready for the second half of the Gospel—for my good, for others benefit, for your glory. I pray in Jesus name, Amen. 

THE QUESTION

So have you thought of Romans 7 as a description of the Christian life? Are you ready for Romans 8 in a whole new way? Can you begin to picture what that might look like? 

For the Awakening,

J.D. Walt

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WHAT IS THIS? Wake-Up Call is a daily encouragement to shake off the slumber of our busy lives and turn our eyes toward Jesus. Each morning our community gathers around a Scripture, a reflection, a prayer, and a few short questions, inviting us to reorient our lives around the love of Jesus that transforms our hearts, homes, churches, and cities.

Comments and Discussion

2 Responses

  1. More than just thinking about whether Romans 7 is a description of the life of a believer, I know this question has been hotly debated amongst theologians for years. In other words, was Paul describing his current life or his pre-conversion life. I believe that most of us can more easily self-identify with the former. I’m aware that Paul wrote in Romans 6:11 “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus “. I find this much easier to believe (because I believe all Scripture is true) than to actually experience. That’s my struggle. Lord Jesus, Son of God,have mercy on me a sinner.

  2. I have spent this week struggling with this concept in a very practical way. This morning I finally put things in their proper perspective: Because of who I am dealing with and what I will be receiving, I need to step up, meet their price and throw in a little more. This is not the moment to let my thriftiness prevail. This is going to be fun! If there is one thing I have learned running an antique mall, it is everybody appreciates “getting a break” from time to time and it is as much fun being on the giving end as it is to be on the receiving end.

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