Unpacking Romans Chapter Seven
And and Eight
(The Storm and The Peace)
So now, lets unpack Romans chapter 7:14-25. We're at port now getting off this ship and we're going to take a walk down Victory Lane until we come to, Real Talk at Bible Hub Overcomer Event Center. I hear hoots and roars and you know what this means ! The extremists who are like us are intoxicated with the Holy Spirit. They started without us and are realizing there's a verse that has been overlooked for generations, which means, multitudes of hungry souls were fed deceptions.
For well-studied concerned believers, right teachings on sin have found heresies instead in many churches and pulpits with a few exceptions, teaching that we all sin every day and even Paul said he struggled with sin, and who others mostly stay clear of this ice burg they fear will loose them supporters ow what they teach. The Law and The Spirit of The Law put in their right places and understood biblically, are capable of steering this ship right into The Eye of The Storm. HANDLED CORRECTLY AND RIGHTLY DIVIDED (2Tim. 2:15), is a unifying PEACE where hearts and minds are willing and eager to STUDY scripture
Lets not forget the scribes who with one slip of the pen with The Words of God, had to discard the entire scroll as tainted. They took God's Word as His Most Holy Word meant to be meditated on day and night, said to be the blueprint for generations to come. That's how serious the reading and STUDY of God's Word was taken at one time. And steering this ship headed in the wrong direction, will find travelers with us entering to The Storm's Eye where Jesus is our PEACE waiting for us.
They, the first writers of scripture, would have never settled for what we see happening in many, if not most, churches today with the many friendly seeker comfortable bibles that have twisted the true intent of a chapter or verses, for settling for anything other than that which is determined to be the closest to the original scrolls. I'm not saying it has to be the KJV. But it is closer to God's intentions than most of our modern day bibles, that take scripture out of context or cherry pick verses and discard other verses as unfit for our modernized times.
God wants His warnings, instructions, counsel, literary styles of writing, Paul's play acting in chapter seven of Romans, as he's let us know he is a crafty and often misunderstood character to recon with, to read and be understood as He intended His Word to say. It is the job pastors and teachers of HIs Word, to get there as best as we can.
So what are pastors and teachers saying when they ignore altogether Rom. 14 that clarifies Paul is not speaking as a born again believer, but rather as a pagan? The much needed context of Rom.7:14-25, teaching these verses apart from vs. 14 up front, where Paul is clarifying he is not without self control because he's speaking as an unbeliever, not as a believer. Have these careless pastors and teachers missed the mark in what Paul was trying to convey? I am not saying ALL pastors/teachers are mishandling scripture this way. I know a few who take very seriously making God's Word say what He intended it to say.
If you know some things about Paul for a committed life to studying the bible, you know he's a very crafty person. He told us he was. This means he knows how to stir the pot with skill (create a kind of storm we might get caught up in) to get information he needs to correctly handle a situation for the best outcome. So should we be surprised with his play-acting in this chapter? He knew how to be factious as well, saying what he needed to say another way. With his dramatic scene in chapter seven, he was trying to say, I understand the struggles of the flesh and for the one in the church struggling (it's believed this entire scene, making himself appear a train wreck out of control, was for the benefit of a believer in the church struggling with sin issues). Paul, the gracious and understanding Shepherd he was and still is as we learn from his writings, tries to relate the true message of, I understand struggles with the flesh, been there done that. He then closes this scene with, BUT we have The Mind of Christ complimenting vs. 14.
Having The Mind of Christ while speaking and acting as a pagan (non believer) in a way that delivers The Truth with a very vivid picture of what a struggle (a spiritual storm) looks like, is a smart delivery and most likely was very well received for the one in the church who needed this.
As I unpack Romans 8 for you, we'll see what Paul delivers as, THE SOLUTION to this struggle kind of storm. He delivers it as a peacemaker would do. There's PEACE in The Eye of The Storm, and Jesus is our Peace.
But think about it. When pastors and teachers are heard saying, Paul a Bondservant of Jesus Christ just couldn't help himself with his daily sinning struggles for he was only human, a reader of this chapter whose taken seriously their long-time cultivated fruits of the spirit including self-control, would wonder if Paul just ran out of gas with a detour away from The Highway of Holiness he's faithfully traveled with all his contrasting messages.
As a side note diverting briefly from the focus of this post, lets continue to not only pray fervently while entering the Promised Land of Blessings and answered prayer before we teach and preach, but let us KNOW if the bibles we are teaching from are reliable and true to the intent of the original texts. As we pray that God gives us His Mind and Understanding rather than cherry picking verses to get God to agree with us with self-created storms, we are growing in the faith UNTIL we become unified in the faith growing into maturity (Eph.4:11). These equipping ministries mentioned in this chapter and verse, are prepared to equip the saints for spiritual growth with Christ as The Head.
Examining Chapter 8
The Solution, Life Through The Spirit
Verses 1-3
"There is therefore now, no condemnation to them which are IN Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the law of The Spirit of LIfe (IN Christ) has set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending HIs Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh." Rom. 8:1-3
We have just felt a spiritual storm for which Paul was describing as if he were an unbeliever in chapter seven. He was demonstrating what it is like living as pagans do with this emotional and spiritual train wreck he portrayed. But then he makes it clear that IN Christ and for those who walk not after the flesh but rather the spirit, there is no condemnation. We are free in Christ.
However, let me emphasize that with every freedom a believer has been given, there are qualifiers and the qualifer to this freedom is living IN Christ, the solution to the inner conflict we see in chapter seven. where so many leaders and those taught by them, totally ignore verse 14 and other clues in the chapter, letting us know this entire play acting that extends understanding in unforgettable ways, was speaking to someone in the church who was struggling with sin issues. "I understand," Paul was saying. I understand the struggle with sin as he related to someone specific or to those currently trying to pull themselves out of a pit of separation from God with their choices. He took his message to a next step level, , in a way the church could receive while the soul in the church /she understood, they were not without hope for a solution.
The Peace in The Eye of this vicious storm is, Christ suffered a death where he didn't even get a fair trial, on that bloody cross so that you and me could be set from the bondage to sin. And those who say we are just human and we can't help ourselves have not read 2Peter 1:3 where God assures us we have been given everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Christ Jesus. Neither have they read and embraced, with first studying God's Word to KNOW God as Moses and David both prayed: "Teach me your Ways O God so that I may KNOW You and continue to find favor with you" (Ex. 33:13) and David, Ps. 86:11, "Teach me your Way O Lord, I will walk in thy Truth, unite my heart to fear thy name."
What PEACE we have knowing we, by how we choose to live, can break those chains of bondage that separate us from God, by what we do. The Grace of God is given us so that we would not sin. David committed: "I WILL walk in thy way" and his prayer was, "Unite my heart to fear thy name." For those new in Christ or those who have not realized how you can pray where God will hear and will answer, you too can ask God to give you peace in the storm as He will gladly answer and unite your heart with His so that HIs Ways and Will become yours because you love Him, heart, soul, and mind. Jesus said: IF you love me you will keep my commands and they are not burdensome (not hard to do IF we love God - 1Jn.5:1-5, Jn. 14:15-31). Jesus said, "MY Yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30). "But if you are led by The Spirit you are not under the law (of sin and death Gal. 5:18)."
And we can ask God to help us to develop the "fruit of The Spirit" self control. Spiritually mature believers who have been put to the test, given trials by God to help them grow, have learned to say no to anything that diverts from our daily communion with the Risen Life Changing Lord and God who is our solution IF we remain IN Him and HIs Word remains in us. IF we ABIDE IN Christ not just visit Him now and then, we can ask whatever we wish and it shall be done for us (Jn. 15:7).
The way to be set free from bondage to sin and that is to make right choices, to put to death daily the desires of the flesh, and to live by the spirit of Christ which is NOT HARD TO DO, contrary to what is often taught at the pulpits in some churches saying, Oh but, we are just human and we all sin everyday, we just cant help ourselves. These who teach like this are preaching pure heresy, false teachings and not feeding the flock the lush green pastures of God's Word - HANDLED CORRECTLY !!!!
Only those who CHOOSE to do right will be found on this highway of holiness. Jesus has a word of encouragement about this: "IF you love me you WILL keep my Word (Jn. 14:15) and his commands are not burdensome (1Jn. 5:3). Jesus taught contrary to what we often hear at the pulpit or in casual seeker churches. He assures us, it's not hard to do the right thing in any difficult cross road of life, IF we love Him. This is not what I've heard most of my years in christian churches, my last church which the pastor said one Sunday, "is there anyone here today who has not already sinned today raise your hand. This pastor just quenched the spirit with what he did. He clearly was not well-versed in scripture on what the entirety of 1Jn and 2nd Jn teaches, the one verse 10 in total contrast to the rest of these chapters.
"My yoke is easy and my burden is light." What has been taught nearly non-stop regarding the christians ability to STOP sinning is, we are just human and we just can't help ourselves. Never in scripture do we hear Jesus or Paul even as much as imply, something like this. And let's not forget about what Peter teaches. Let's not bypass 1Pet. 1:3 that lets us know "[we] have EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Christ Jesus." We don't hear him saying, oh, but we are just human and we just cant seem to get the fruit of self-control.
Sin is a choice. You can dance around this all you want but scripture is clear. It's all here.
Many times when some of us have listened to twisted sermons on Roman's Chapter 7, we have envisioned Paul holding up a bible that seems to suite him well with this drama of the struggle. It's leather bound of course, the best of the best cover with an imprint saying: "Holy Bible Happy Version." "Hot Price !" Then we see the footnote at the bottom in small print that is intended to encourage say: "All potentially upsetting verses carefully redacted."
I was in a Baptist church once several years ago for I did like most all this pastors teachings. We have to admit, for the most part, Baptists do know their bibles and teach it well, except when it comes to sin issues. I did not know then, this is a problem for us who KNOW God's Word regarding sin issues and know when something is not being taught correctly. Being the peacemakers many of are, we will often seek out a reasonable dialogue with someone in error about this topic, to show them where and why they are wrong about specifics that come up. But when this pastor said one Sunday, "Is there anyone here today who hasn't sinned already, please raise your hand," and when he had just quenched the spirit in me with doing what he did, I knew it was time to move on.
And of course, I did not raise my hand for I knew the onslaught of rejection and unfounded correction that would have followed. While eliminating verses like the Words of Jesus: "If you love me you WILL keep My Word (Jn. 14:23)" and Jesus referring to The Moral Law of God with this understanding, nothing but divisions result. They must have redlined this verse from Galatians: "But if you are led by The Spirit, you are not under law ( Gal. 5:18)" along with Rom. 8:1-3 that agrees.
. This is not even as much as implied in scripture. The qualifier to being able to say and know we are righteous, holy and blameless and God is our witness as the church is as well, can only happen as we remain IN Christ. And when we find out that loving God is not a chore or challenge, and that intimacy with the Living, Breathing, Gift Giving God who created us to bless us with eternal value, is what we were created for.
I do not sin everyday nor any day. I have equipping as is laid out in scripture to keep me from sinning, and so do you. "God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowing of Christ Jesus (2Pet. 1:3)." I don't have to sin - sin is a choice, and you don't have to either. Sin is an outright betrayal of God, an intent to do another harm in one way or another (James 4:17). It is an outright intent to not do the right we know to do. Sin is not an oppsy or a mistake.
We must first love God with ALL our hearts, ALL our souls, and ALL our minds, before we can live our lives on that highway promised us. The Promise of these blessings on such a highway, also promises that no unclean thought, life, or unrepentant heart will survive, and that only The Righteous IN Christ (doing right equals righteousness) will ever be so blessed to travel. "If you know that He is Righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of God - 1Jn. 2:29
Living in sin and experiencing a successful life, is an oxymoron. Righteous living is a decision, just as it is with living in sin. But before any of this will make sense to the mind not well-studied on sin issues, we must first know what sin is and is not - James 4:17
"If anyone knows the good (the right thing) they ought to do and does not do it, for them this is sin."
Romans 8 in the next message, will further explain The Law of Sin and Death vs The Law of The Spirit and Live while it delivers THE SOLUTION to sin.
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