Understanding Paul's Struggle: Law, Sin, and Grace

I remind you once more that this section is a section that has led to a great deal of discussion and of controversy and that of course because it is obviously not an easy section. I want to say just a word about that before we proceed any further this evening. [00:50:31]

Our reaction to difficulty should be this: it should make us realize our need of the Holy Spirit and the enlightenment that he alone can give. That's a very good thing for us. Secondly, it should create within us a resolve and a resolution to apply our efforts more than we've ever done before to an understanding of these things. [00:59:04]

The Apostle Paul in this section and in every verse of it is justifying his own teaching about the law and especially he is out to show us what the law cannot do. Now then, that's the thing to hold on to. He is justifying his own teaching about the law and especially his contention that the law can neither justify us nor sanctify us. [01:11:28]

The trouble is that I am carnal. Now we dealt with that last week. I am carnal, but I'm not only carnal, I am sold under sin. Now then here's the phrase, here's our most remarkable statement. Everybody as far as I can make out, all the commentators are agreed that this is the most significant statement in the whole section. [01:33:20]

Sold under sin means that I am sold into a condition of slavery to sin. In other words, I am in a condition of slavery to sin or I am a slave to sin. Sin is the master and I am the slave. That is the plain meaning of the actual words used by the Apostle. [01:51:56]

The unregenerate person doesn't understand the nature of the law. No unregenerate man knows that the law is spiritual. The apostles already told us that in verse seven. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin but by the law. [02:41:12]

The regenerate man has still left in his mortal body, in his members still, and he has a fight to wage. That's why he's exhorted, as Paul exhorts him in verses 11, 12, and 13 of that chapter. But while I say that this is true in a measure and only in a measure of the regenerate, it is certainly not a description of the regenerate man as he is in general. [03:36:48]

This is not, I say, a description of the man to whom these exhortations are made and of whom these glowing wonderful statements have been made in chapters 5 and in chapter 6. The regenerate man falling into sin has to say that he has done something that he doesn't believe in doing. [03:58:40]

Verse 15 we can safely say is true of a man who has come to see the spiritual character of the law, that he should keep it. It is indeed a description of a man who desires to keep it but who finds in practice that he cannot. He sees the law is spiritual, he admires it, he wants to keep it, but try as he will, he cannot keep it. [04:32:22]

The law does not enable him to keep the law. I leave you with a question: is this verse saying anything more than that? Very well, we leave it at that for this evening, and God willing, we shall go on next Friday to consider the two inferences that he draws from this extraordinary statement in verses 16 and 17. [04:59:20]

Oh Lord Our God, we again come into thy presence. We thank thee, Oh Lord, that we can say in thy holy presence that we hate sin and that our desire is to keep and to honor thy holy law. Oh God, we thank thee for that, for we know that as we were by nature and in and under sin, we could not say that. [05:51:28]

We thank thee for the Blessed Plan of Salvation. We thank thee that we are dead to sin, dead to the law, that we are alive unto thee through Jesus Christ thy son, our blessed Lord and Savior. We worship thee, we worship him, we bring our adoration. We thank you for this new position in Christ Jesus. [06:21:04]