Every Day Devotion

Romans 7:13 [13] Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing 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. (ESV) The opponents of the Apostle Paul's doctrine of grace would claim that he had disdain for the Law. Paul was no longer adhering to a religious system that the Jews had followed for centuries. Paul himself was a "pharisee of pharisees." He was one of the most devout followers of the Law that had ever been. Now, it seems like he is abandoning the Law and treating it with contempt. Paul's response is to defend the Law. Did that which is good bring death to me? When he says, "that which is good" he is referring to the Law. The answer? By no means! Paul's defense of the Law is emphatic. In Paul's efforts to explain the sinful nature of mankind and God's means of salvation he is in no way impugning th

Romans 7:12 [12] So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. (ESV) When your child is punished for doing wrong there are a couple ways that they can respond. A child may look at their punishment and resent their parents for the discomfort brought to them. They can blame the parents. After all, if they would not have punished them they would not be in discomfort. This view assumes that the "law" given by the parents is evil because it brought them pain. That childlike view is foolishness. As a parent I am sure that if your child responded to the punishment they received by resenting you, you would not be impressed by their folly. You would likely explain the reason for their punishment in greater detail so that they can understand just how proper your rules were that were broken. Consider our view regarding God's Law. We sin against God and receive the natural punishment that is due those who violate God's Law. We can either resent

Romans 7:10–11 [10] The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. [11] For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. (ESV) I have heard parents say to their children, "Child, you are going to be the death of me." It is usually the reckless behavior of children that would cause a parent to say that. The worry and concern that comes along with parenting can be intense. We want what is absolutely the best for our child and yet they often choose the very thing that would destroy them. Paul is speaking of the Law and says, "You were going to be the death of me." Why is he saying this? Let's look at the idea that the commandment promised life. If it were possible for someone to fully keep the Law the promise would be holiness and life. What is the reality that Paul experienced? The Law was the death of him because it was impossible for him to keep it. Sin enters the picture for Paul in rela

Romans 7:9 [9] I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. (ESV) I am not a doctor. Nor do I play one on TV. I can calculate that the distance between a person's head and their heart is roughly twelve inches. The distance between the head and the heart in a spiritual sense might as well be thousands of miles. There are many people who only have an understanding in their heads. That understanding never reaches their heart. Let's look at Paul himself. We know from his own account in the New Testament that the Apostle Paul was a "Pharisee of Pharisees." When it came to head knowledge of the Law there was no one who could compare. In Philippians 3:5 Paul gives a list of all his qualifications regarding the Law. He even refers to himself as blameless as to righteousness under the Law. Head knowledge. This is what Paul is talking about when he says that he was once alive apart from the Law. He is saying that he di

Romans 7:8 [8] But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. (ESV) I love bonfires. There is nothing like a cool crisp fall day in New England with a bonfire roaring outside at night. Truth be told I should probably not be allowed anywhere near flames. I am accident prone and I do not always follow proper fire safety guidelines. I want the fire to be big and I want it to be big right now. What do you do when you want a fire to get larger? Some foolish people like myself apply gasoline to a fire. Consider a smoldering pile of coals when wood soaked in gasoline is applied. Not only are you going to have a large fire, you are going to have it immediately. I do not recommend that anyone try my methods. Paul is telling us that sin is kind of like my picture of smoldering coals. Sin lies dormant, until the Law is applied. The Law is like gasoline. It fuels the fire of our rebellious heart. W

Romans 7:7 [7] What then shall 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. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (ESV) It would be easy for Paul's readers to be confused. He spent a few verses talking about how the Law held us captive. He mentioned that the Law aroused in us every desire to do evil. The natural conclusion may be for someone to think that the Law itself is evil if it stirs up a desire in us to do evil. In today's verse Paul makes clear that the Law is by no means sin! The Law is anything but evil. Rather, it is the perfect description of God's holy standard. It is the very thing that stops us from saying, "I did not know I was in violation of God's Law. As soon as we look at the Law we immediately feel the guilt that comes from being exposed as the actual sinners we really are. Paul uses the illustration of coveting. In th

Romans 7:6 [6] 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. (ESV) When Jesus came the Earth the "spiritual leaders" had a really hard time with him. He was speaking of a new way to be made right with God. This new way was in Him! The Jews had only known the Old Testament Law for many centuries. Jesus had more authority than the Law because he was before the Law. He was the author of the Law. And in his life and death he fulfilled the Law for us. The Law had rules and obligations. There were judgments and punishments for those who broke the Law. Before a person took too many steps on a Sabbath day they were thinking about whether or not they would be breaking the Law. Eating a ham sandwich was not going to happen. Ever. A person's life was regulated by the Law. Imagine what would happen to a person who was bound by the Law if they no longe

Romans 7:5 [5] For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. (ESV) There is an amazing thing that happens in the heart of an unregenerate sinful man. When the sinful man encounters God's Law they are drawn to rebel against it. Instead of looking at the holy standard of purity as something to attain they become drawn to direct defiance of that standard. The Law does not make them holy, it arouses their unholiness even further. If you question me consider a young child. When you tell them they are not permitted to do something you will find them wanting to do what you do not want them to do. Later in this chapter Paul will talk of his own struggle with the sinful nature. He tells us that the things he knows he should not do he finds himself doing. We are all wired that way. This leads us to question whether the Law is effective in curbing man's sinful behavior. The answer is no. The L

Romans 7:4 [4] 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. (ESV) My brothers. The Apostle Paul is addressing every blood-washed believer in Jesus Christ. He is about to speak to you if you belong to Jesus. His instruction in this verse is not just for a select few. Paul is not talking to the spiritual elites in the kingdom of God. He is talking to all of us. We need to heed what he is saying. We who belong to Jesus Christ have died to the law through the body of Christ. This verse follows the last two verses which gave us the illustration of a marriage relationship. Paul said that the wife is no longer bound to her husband after the husband has died. Because of Christ's death, we are no longer bound, or married to the Law. We are now married to Christ. As Paul puts it, "we belong to another." Have you consider

Romans 7:2–3 [2] For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. [3] Accordingly, 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. (ESV) The time of the Early Church was a challenging one. For the Jews who had been given the Law this new covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ was a challenging one. A typical Jewish boy would have not only been taught the Law from his earliest years but would have memorized large portions of it as well. The Law had such a bond on the people of Israel that Paul is able to use this illustration from marriage. Imagine that you had such a relationship with the Law of God. To set it aside for a new way of understanding your relationship with God would feel like a divorce. It would almost seem like you were

Romans 7:1 [1] Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? (ESV) If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, Paul has a message for you. You are not under law but under grace. It has always amazed me how Christians who have been saved by the grace of God feel the need to put themselves back under law. In this chapter of Romans Paul speaks extensively on the law and its relationship to the believer. I have known Christians who have gone back into the Old Testament and decided that they should celebrate Jewish ceremonial laws, observing dietary restrictions, and participating in all the feasts and festivals. Is this truly necessary? Is it offensive to God if we go back and try to fulfill the law? How does grace change our approach to the law? These questions will be looked at throughout Romans 7. The first concept that we need to understand about the law is that it is binding on people as long

Romans 6:23 [23] For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV) I have had jobs that I have enjoyed. I have been employed at places that tried my patience. In every place I have worked I have been very intent on knowing what I was getting paid. In some instances a person might be willing to endure an unpleasant work environment as long as the pay is sufficient enough. Imagine getting a paycheck from your employer and instead of a dollar amount it says, "Death." That is a profoundly morbid thought. Paul is making a point here in this verse. He reminds us that those who live a life of slavery to sin will ultimately receive a paycheck from their brutal master, Satan. It will say, "Death." It might be time to find a different employer. Paul describes the contrast of those who belong to the Lord. Instead of earning eternal death and punishment for our sin, we are offered a gift. First of all, note that Go

Romans 6:20–21 [20] For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. [21] But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (ESV) Paul is being a bit facetious here. When you were slaves of sin you were free? Free in regard to righteousness. In other words, there was no righteous standard that you held yourself to. You followed your master, the Devil. You were free to plunge yourself deeper and deeper in sin while rebelling against God's holy standard. I can hear Paul saying, "How was that working out for you?" It is amazing how many people cling to their life of wickedness thinking that they are truly free when the opposite is true. Paul raises the question concerning what fruit came from that life of shameful behavior. It might be helpful to take a quick look at the fruit of sin. Imagine that young man who makes a priority of being with as many women as he

Romans 6:19 [19] I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. (ESV) I love how Paul approaches his audience. He tells them he is using human terms because of their natural limitations. At first this sounds like condescension or arrogance. Paul was incredibly intelligent and much of what he understood would have been over the heads of many of the people who would have listened to him. Even the Apostle Peter spoke of Paul's intellect: 2 Peter 3:15–16 [15] And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, [16] as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to

Romans 6:18 [18] and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (ESV) The very word slave is offensive to us. Rightfully so. While we struggle to make sense of Paul's use of this word let's take a look back into the history of "slavery" in the Old Testament. It was not uncommon for an Israelite to find himself in debt beyond what he could possibly pay for. The Old Testament Law allowed for a person to submit to being a servant, or slave. This kind of slavery that the Old Testament recommends is far different from someone being taken against their will and sold as property to another. In fact, there were guidelines in Scripture for how the slave was to be treated. There was not to be abuse of slaves in any way. They were also commanded to be freed after 6 years of service that they willingly had provided. Listen to what Exodus tells us about a slave's option at the end of his six year term: "But if the slave plainly says, ‘I

Romans 6:17 [17] But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, (ESV) There are so many reasons to give thanks to God. Paul is thanking God because of the transformation that he has seen take place in those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. Scripture says that even the angels rejoice when a sinner comes to Jesus. We ought to always be full of thanks when we see lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul reminds us that the former way of life was a life of slavery to sin. Those who do not know the Lord are not "good people," but rather slaves of sin. Their master will bring them to eternal death unless Christ intervenes in their lives. We come to Christ, willingly, to serve a master who brings life, and forgiveness of sins. Notice this contrast between being a slave to sin and becoming obedient to teaching. The teaching of the truth of G

Romans 6:16 [16] Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (ESV) We do not like the word "slavery." With good reason. A few years ago I visited the slavery museum in Charleston, South Carolina. I looked at the images of black men treated as if they were less valued than animals. As my family made our way through the exhibits we realized that there was not a dry eye in the building. Slavery was cruel. Brutal. Deadly. How is it that Paul chooses to use the image of slavery? The mere thought of this word being used offends our senses. Let's take a closer look. Paul is using slavery in terms of the believers relationship to sin. Slavery is a reality for us. We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness, but either way we will be enslaved. It is fascinating how unbelievers will say that they reject Ch

Romans 6:15 [15] What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (ESV) When Jesus stepped into time and gave his life for mankind's sin everything changed. For centuries the way to be made right with God was only found in an effort to keep the Law given by Moses. What people did not fully understand is that it was impossible to keep the Law. Christ came to set us free from the curse of the Law and make a way to righteousness by fulfilling the Law in His body. It is hard to teach old dogs new tricks. The Jewish people had the Law. Even though they could not keep the Law their pursuit of trying to keep the Law was their identity. Now, Jesus Christ comes and says that the Law is ineffective and that salvation is by faith in him alone. Many Jews rejected their own salvation because they could not leave their life of pursuing the Law. This is important background as we look at today's verse. Those who loved the Law were challenging Paul&

Romans 6:14 [14] For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (ESV) As you read this verse it is easy to find encouragement in the idea of sin not being allowed to have dominion over us. The initial recipients of this letter were still having a struggle with the rest of the verse. Paul says that because we are under grace sin has no dominion. For some of his readers they would have argued that we are under law and that is why sin will have no dominion. Let's consider for a moment what Paul is saying here. First of all, we need to talk about this idea of sin not having dominion. Does this mean that true believers will never sin again? We would have a hard time reconciling that with the rest of Scripture. In fact, Romans 7 would dispute that claim. Sin will still be a struggle for us, but Paul is saying that sin will not overcome us and rule us. For those who believed that it was the law that enabled a person to not be overcome by sin

Romans 6:13 [13] Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (ESV) We love the idea of having free will. That is until we realize that our free will gets us into a world of trouble. A proper understanding of the limitations of our will would show us that the only thing our will does without the Lord's intervention is sin! We are rebels to the core. If left to our own "free will" we will choose the bondage of sin every time. When we are saved by the grace of God we become new creations in Christ Jesus. Whereas, before salvation we were incapable of choosing anything but sinful behavior, we now have the ability to choose what is right. That freedom is something very new for us. With that freedom comes responsibility. Paul says that we are not to present our members to sin. This idea of presenting our

Romans 6:12 [12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. (ESV) In the first century church one of the biggest challenges was a group of false teachers called the Gnostics. The Gnostics believed that the only thing that mattered was that which was spiritual. If you were saved, your spirit was saved. Your physical body could engage in as much sin as it wanted. As long as you were spiritually saved, you were fine. Paul would have something to say about that. Notice there is a "therefore" in this verse. That word tells us that what Paul has previously said affects what he is saying now. What has he just been saying? Paul has been expounding on the truth that Christ died to sin for us, and he now lives life to God eternally. We also are to be crucified with Christ, putting our sinful nature to death and walking in newness of life in God. In light of this truth we are to not let sin reign in our mortal body, making us obey its passi

Romans 6:11 [11] So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (ESV) Paul begins this verse with this little word "so." This word, in this context, reminds the reader of the truths that he has just expounded upon in the previous section. He talked about how Christ himself died to sin once for all. Sin's power has been put to death and the power of the resurrection compels us to live for Christ in view of our own resurrection. In light of all that truth, how ought we to live? We should consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Paul is not suggesting that we deceive ourselves. This is not some kind of mind games that we are to play. The idea of considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God is based on the truth of what Christ has accomplished for us. Consider for a moment how you view sin. Have you considered yourself dead to sin? Or do you keep it on life support? Are you afraid to completely kill

Romans 6:10 [10] For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. (ESV) What is your view of sin? There are Christians who feel that sin is just a part of life. They believe that they cannot do anything about it. Is that reality? Certainly, we do struggle with the effects of sin in our life, but what was Jesus' victory on the cross all about? Paul says that the death Christ died he died to sin, once for all. What does that mean? The first way that Christ died to sin is that he paid the penalty of sin. The theological term for this is propitiation. Christ is the propitiation, or payment, for our sins. This is great news. Our sin brought total separation from God and placed us under the eternal wrath of God the Father. Jesus Christ, comes to the cross and takes the penalty of all mankind's sin upon himself. The second way that Christ died to sin is that he broke the power of sin over us. We were in total bondage to the enemy of

Romans 6:9 [9] We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. (ESV) It is said that there are two things that are certain:  death and taxes. We will ignore the taxes issue for now, but consider that death is something that haunts all of us. We all know that we are going to die. You can exercise. You can eat healthy foods. You may live a little longer than the one who eats a steady diet of junk food. You are still going to die. Man naturally fears death. We all do. It is primarily the fear of the unknown. We have not died yet and so we do not know exactly what to expect. Imagine if one could die for us, and come back to life? If that happened they could tell us what to expect. They could let us know if we should be afraid or not. Jesus died, and rose again. Paul tells us that Jesus will never die again. Death has no control on him. Just like we have died with Christ, we also will live with him. We look forward to o

Romans 6:8 [8] Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (ESV) Are you living your best life now? There was a book written with the title, Your Best Life Now . Dr. John MacArthur in typical witty fashion remarked, "If this is your best life now, you are going to Hell." Well, this begs the question, when is our best life to be lived? Is heaven the best life or do we live our best life now? Paul says that if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. This life that we live with him is lived both in the here and now, and also the future. MacArthur is right. Our best life is in eternity. We will be in God's presence. There will be no sin. No mourning. No death. Nothing compares to the wonder and majesty that will be Heaven. Our life now, however, should also be lived in such a way that we experience God's presence in our daily lives. Paul, in the previous verses has talked about how our sinful nature

Romans 6:7 [7] For one who has died has been set free from sin. (ESV) All of mankind are born as prisoners to sin. Our nature is corrupt. The great R. C. Sproul used to say that we are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners. What is the solution? Many people who do come to a realization of their sin condition attempt to solve it by their own efforts. That can never work. Paul helps us to understand the way that we are set free from sin. Death. That is kind of a morbid thought. In what way do we need to die? Our sinful nature needs to die. Paul has told us in the previous verses that we need to be baptized into Jesus' death. By faith in what Jesus did on the cross we are able to put to death our sinful nature. He paid for our sin by his death. We know that when we are no longer physically living, and are in heaven, we will be free from sin. One of the most wonderful aspects of heaven is that we will be eternally free from the temptations of sin. Yet,

Romans 6:5–6 [5] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. [6] We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (ESV) One of the greatest stumbling blocks for people in coming to faith in Jesus Christ is their belief in their own basic goodness. Men want to think that they are not that bad. They certainly are not as bad as those who populate the local jail. They are better than their neighbor and somehow that qualifies them for God's approval. As you look closely at the two verses we have before us today one thing becomes very clear. Our natural self was so sinful that we not only had to have it done away with, it needed to be crucified with Jesus Christ. Crucifixion was not just any death. It was the most gruesome, painful, humiliating way for any man to die. Our sinful nature needed to

Romans 6:4 [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (ESV) There is a wonderful quote I heard that goes like this:  "Jesus did not die to make bad people good. He died to make dead people alive." I am not sure who said it so I cannot give the proper person the credit for this statement, but it is so true. We often think of Christians as people who are trying to be "good." We tend to think only in terms of behavior. Christianity is far more than a behavioral change. It is about death and life. We were buried with Christ by baptism into his death. Consider for a moment that Jesus was on the cross dying for our sin. In fact, he bore our sin in his body, and then his body was put to death. He was buried in a tomb. Our faith connection with Christ includes our sinful life being put to death as Christ took our sin to the grave

Romans 6:3 [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (ESV) Christians throughout the years have debated the doctrine of God's grace. While we cannot argue that we are saved by the grace of God and not by works, there is concern by some that grace leads to excessive sinning. Paul's critics felt the same way. He has just declared in the previous verses that we should in no way continue sinning so that grace may more abound. In this verse he is giving us a greater understanding of why the doctrine of grace does not lead to excessive sinning. Paul gives us some very important information regarding the nature of our salvation. He tells us that we have been baptized into his death. Now, at first glance we think he is talking about water baptism. Not so fast. While Paul will certainly speak of water baptism, that is not what he is talking about here in this verse. He is using the word baptism in the context of i

Romans 6:2 [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (ESV) I live daily in awe of God's amazing grace. I love the doctrine of grace. It blows my mind that the Creator of the universe has declared me to be righteous in his sight in my very unrighteous condition. All of this is possible because of my faith in what Christ has accomplished for me at the cross. My righteousness is a gift of God's grace, received by faith. So, why wouldn't everybody love the doctrine of grace? One of the main criticisms of grace is that people think it leads to a life of sinful excess. The Apostle Paul, who could easily be called the Apostle of Grace, preached about grace all the time. He knew he had critics. He also knew his critics did not like the doctrine of grace that he taught. In the previous verse Paul sought to raise the question he knew his critics would be asking. He said, "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" That is the very questi