THE S.I.N.

1
(Romans 7: 1-25)

I recently read the mountaineers guidelines: (1) Scatter nothing but imagination; (2) Take
nothing but pictures; (3) Kill nothing but time; (4) Leave nothing but footprints. These
important rules if properly observed will definitely preserve the astounding beauty of nature
whether it’s a garden, a mountain resort or a mountain range. As I reflect on the human
experience pertaining to the story presented in Genesis chapter three, I see that these principles
were apparently violated. When sin entered paradise through our first parents it scattered
nothing but depravity, it took nothing but paradise, it killed nothing but our very lives, and it
left nothing but chaos. My friends, sin distorted the marvelous beauty in us and in our world. It
left a permanent mark of an ugly past that continues to haunt every human being born in this
world. Tonight, exposition seven based on Romans 7:1-25 which I entitled ‘THE S.I.N.’ will
tell us of our constant struggle with sin. This is our status since we experienced “justification by
grace through faith.” This will be our condition until we leave this mortal body and be with our
Lord forever. Let us pray…
Chapter seven of Paul’s epistle to the Romans is a continuation of Paul’s theme on
sanctification. The first half presents sanctification in relation to the Law (vv.1-13). The second
half (vv.14-25) is Paul’s testimony of his personal struggle with the sinful nature. On the outset
let us be reminded that sanctification is a process and partnership. As a process it doesn’t
happen automatically or overnight. It’s a lifetime discipleship. As a partnership, first, we are
sanctified by the work of the Triune God (Jude 1; Heb.2:11; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:2) – this is
all by grace. Second, we are sanctified in this life as we continually submit ourselves to the
cleansing work of the Holy Spirit. The commands in the Bible “be holy” (Lev. 11:44; 1 Pet.
1:15–16); “be perfect” (Matt. 5:48); and “present your members as slaves of righteousness for
holiness” (Rom. 6:19) point to the human task in sanctification. Chapter seven will tell us that
the work of sanctification as a human task can be both difficult and easy. Before dealing with
that subject let’s consider first God’s work of sanctification.

1
Ptr. Jun Hernani Expo 7 for Berean Fellowship, August 20, 2010 UCCP Davao City.

1
God freed us from the Law, vv.1-4
1
Do you not know, brothers and sisters for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the
law is binding on a person only during that person's lifetime? 2Thus a married woman is bound
by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies, she is discharged from
the law concerning the husband. 3Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with
another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and
if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress.4In the same way, my friends, you 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.(NRSV)

In verses one to four, Paul presents a legal principle which is acceptable to both Jews and
Gentiles. He drew particular example from marriage where one can commit adultery if one
marries another while the spouse is still living. But if the spouse dies, the marriage contract
loses its binding effect, vv.2-3. Marriage contract is life-long but death has an effect of
abolishing a legal contract.2 When one partner dies, one is free to marry. And so the marriage
vow states, “For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health, till death do us
part.” In the same manner, our salvation by grace through faith in the redemptive work of Christ
is death to sin and freedom from the Law. Through our baptism in Christ’s death, we died to sin
and are free to live in righteousness through His resurrection. Verse four is a picture of
remarriage. Since we died to sin and became free from the Law we are now married to Christ
and are ready to bear fruits for God. Our new relationship with Christ becomes the starting
point of bearing fruits of righteousness which leads to sanctification. In other words, the starting
point of sanctification is our salvation in Christ.

The Two Types of S.I.N.

In verses 5-6 Paul presents the two types of S.I.N. The first type refers to the Sin-Infected
Nature. 5While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work
in our members to bear fruit for death. Paul reminds the believers in Rome that before their
conversion their partnership with sin produced fruit that led to death. The old sinful nature
never produced a sanctified life rather it produced more sin that leads to death. The presence of

2
“Romans” in The Living Word Commentary Series in Theophilos 3, CD-ROM.

2
the Law did not save any of them from the bondage of sin, on the other hand it worsened the
fallen human condition by arousing the sinful nature. Sinful nature has different names in the
Bible: a. Flesh (Gal.5:17); b. Body of sin (Rom.6:6); c. Outer man (2 Cor.4:7-18). This Sin-
Infected Nature is considered as the inherited and deeply ingrained drive to rule our own lives,
rebel against God, protect and exalt ourselves, and meet our own needs our own way apart from
God.
The second type of S.I.N. is the Spirit-Infused Nature. 6But now we are discharged from
the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old written code
but in the new life of the Spirit. The moment we experience ‘justification by grace through faith’
we receive a new nature - a Spirit-Infused Nature. That’s why Paul in his second letter to the
Corinthians chapter five verse seventeen declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation,; the old has gone, the new has come!”(NIV) When Christ, by faith, becomes our
Lord and Savior we receive a Spirit-Infused Nature. We become, according to Paul, a new
creation. But being Christians does not exempt us from struggling with sin. As long as we are in
this world, the Sin-Infected Nature continues to persist in our mortal bodies even if we already
received a Spirit-Infused Nature. Paul describes this on-going conflict in his letter to the
Galatians, “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what
you want.” (Gal.5:17, NIV) We will consider Paul’s personal struggle in verses fourteen to
twenty five after dealing with the brighter side of the Law and the darkness of sin.
Before Paul’s recipients can raise the objection that he is supporting the doctrine of
antinomianism (doctrine of anti-law), he gives the positive purpose of the Law. First, it reveals
sin. 7What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the
law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not
said, "You shall not covet."(NRSV) In the Bible translation ‘The Message’ verse seven is
rendered, “The Law code had a perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for
right and wrong, moral behavior would be mostly guesswork.” Ethicists believe that the ‘Ten
Commandments’ or the Divine Law is one of the highest standard of Ethical codes ever
promulgated in the history of humanity. Second, the Law reveals the character of God. 12So the
3
law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just good.(NRSV) We become conscious that we
fell short of God’s glory because of the Law. And as an indirect result the Law becomes the
signpost that points one to the Savior. Again in his letter to the Galatians, Paul says, “But the
Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being
given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.”(Gal.3:22, NIV)
If the best work of the law is to point us to the Savior its most practical contribution is
that it revealed the darkness of sin. 8But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment,
produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead.9I was once alive
10
apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died, and the very
commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.11For sin, seizing an opportunity in
the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.
A Biblical scholar considers the Law as a launching pad of sin to attack humanity.3 In
other words, it provided an opportunity for sin to attack us. Without the Law, sin lies dormant
but when the Law appeared, sin is revived, all kinds of covetousness appeared including
deception and death. In this way, the ugly work of sin is exposed. In verse thirteen Paul
concludes, 13Did what is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death
in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the
commandment might become sinful beyond measure. (NRSV) Paul in a way was saying, “Law
did not bring death rather sin’s darkest nature was revealed through it.” According to Barnes, a
Biblical Scholar, the purpose of the Law “was not in fact to produce peace, but agitation,
conflict, distress.”4 The intent, I believe, is for us to be desperate enough to look for a Savior
who can rescue us from this body of death.
Now let’s proceed to the second half (vv.14-25) which is Paul’s testimony of his personal
struggle with the sinful nature. In discussing about struggle with sin, Paul avoided using the
second person plural (we) but opted to use the first person singular (I). For Paul, the best
testimony is one’s personal experience. In this way, he is laying down in the open his own
humanity. Paul presents the paradox of Christian living in verse fourteen to twenty five.

3
Ibid.
4
“Romans” in Barnes Notes on the O.T. and N.T. in Theophilos 3, CD-ROM.

4
 In relation to his struggle with sin, Paul has to affirm that the Law is spiritual (holy and
pure) but his flesh is sinful or carnal. Law is not to blame for his tendencies to sin but the flesh
14
or his sinful nature. For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into
slavery under sin.(NRSV) In the following verses (vv.15-22) Paul echoes the struggle of every
Christian while they are still living in this fallen state. He says, “15I do not understand my own
actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.16Now if I do what I do not
want, I agree that the law is good.17But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells
within me.18For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what
is right, but I cannot do it.19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I
do.20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.21So
I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.22For I delight in
the law of God in my inmost self, 23but I see in my members another law at war with the law of
my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (NRSV)
In this passage Paul admits that he is confused that he decides one way but then acts
another, doing things he absolutely despised. This shows a constant inner struggle. For Paul, he
doesn’t have what it takes to conquer the lure of sin. He wills but can’t do the good he intends
to do. He avoids doing evil but does it anyway. Paul asserts that he delights in God’s law but
part of him rebels and doesn’t want to submit to it. Friends, Paul’s struggle is a picture of the
Sin-Infected Nature. It is a common human experience. For us, Christians, after conversion, that
sinful nature still lurks and waits like a roaring lion ready to devour and attack. The reason that
we easily fall to temptation is that we have from within the Sin-Infected Nature which
welcomes the temptation from without.
This is indeed a desperate situation. Paul exclaims, “24Wretched man that I am! Who will
rescue me from this body of death?”(NRSV) But he ended with a positive note, “25Thanks be to
God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but
with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.”(NRSV) The Sin-Infected Nature can only be
overcome through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who provided the Spirit-
Infused Nature. Christians have the power to overcome the tendency to fall into sin through the
empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, gave a command saying,
5
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the
sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful
nature. (Gal.5:16-17a, NIV)
The picture of the Sin-Infected Nature and the Spirit-Infused Nature is like having two
pets in a separate cage. The first pet is a wolf – carnivorous and highly dangerous, the other is a
lamb – meek and lovely. Feeding the Sin-Infected Nature is like feeding the wolf making it
more dangerous and threatening. Feeding the Spirit-Infused Nature is like starving the wolf to
death and making the innocent-lovely lamb grow stronger. This illustration might be inadequate
but the point is, every day, we are faced with the decision to feed the wolf and starve the lamb
or starve the wolf and feed the lamb. The decision to live for God or live for sin is a daily
struggle. Every second, minute, hour and day is an opportunity to live for God or for the enemy.
Living for God’s glory is not anymore impossible because we have the Spirit of God that
produces a life of righteousness. (see Gal.5:22-25)
Paul’s testimony tells us that in this world, we cannot attain perfection. We are in
constant struggle with sin. The Bible did not hide the failures of God’s people. Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob fell into lying; David, the man after God’s own heart, committed adultery; Moses, the
prophet that no one can equal, became so angry and disobeyed God’s command; Peter, the
leader of the pack, denied the Lord three times, all the disciples deserted the Lord. Even Paul
had a bitter quarrel with John Mark and many others. Friends, this is not to encourage us to
court sin and live in sin. This is just to remind us that to overcome sin we need God’s guidance
and empowerment through the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is a daily decision to live for God
every moment. We must choose to pray, to fellowship, to study and meditate on God’s word, to
serve others and to love God. Remember, sanctification is a gradual process and it is a
partnership between God and us. Let me end with Paul’s exhortation to the Philippian believers,
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on
things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst, the
beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned
from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work
together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies.” (Phil.4:9). Let us pray…
6