Sinner or Saint? Romans 7.

In the first 4 chapters of Romans, Paul shows that all of us, religious or not, are sinful and deserve judgment and death. He shows us that through faith alone, in Christ alone, we are forgiven, our sins are covered over, and we are justified before God solely by the death of Jesus.

In chapters 5-8, Paul begins to show us who we now are through the life of Jesus. We are not just sinners who are forgiven, who still have an old sin nature, who someday will get to replace it when we get to heaven. We have been filled with the Holy Spirit and as we learn to walk in faith in that Spirit, we develop character, perseverance, and hope. Not only were we reconciled to God, we became full of the life of Christ! (Rom 5) Not only did our sin nature die with Jesus, we are freed from slavery to sin, and our new spirit is alive and a slave to Christ alone! (Rom 6).

Romans 7 is perhaps one of the most misinterpreted and controversial passages in the bible. On first read it sounds like Paul is confessing to us what you and I often feel and have often heard taught – that we want to do good, but we are sinners by nature, and the sinful nature we have keeps us doing what we hate. I am altogether evil, and will be until I’m fully redeemed in glory, so I need to deny myself from acting out who I really am. That is not what this passage affirms! You do not have two natures battling within you, and living the Christian life is not about denying who you really are to attempt to become what you should be.

The confusion begins with the chapter divisions. Rom 7:1-6 is completing the thought from chapter 6 with an example. Rom 7:7- 8:11 is a new section emphasizing how different who we are in Christ is to who we were before. The second confusion is with the Greek words translated “sinful nature” in vs 5 and vs 18 in many translations, which should be translated “flesh”. It is just flesh, not a second nature battling within.

The next part of the confusion is whether Paul is referring to himself as a believer, or what he was like as a law abiding Jew before he knew Christ. Many might identify with and say this passage is just like how they feel as a believer. But that is not what Paul is referring to. Note in vs 5 he says “when we were controlled by” the flesh, ie. before we knew Jesus, back when we were slaves to our flesh. Vs 14 also affirms that he is speaking as to when he was a “slave to sin”, but in 6:22 he just told us that in Christ we are no longer slaves to sin! Therefore, this passage is written describing himself when he was a law abiding Jew, before he had a new spirit.

Now try reading the passage from this perspective – vs 1-6 as an a completion of chapter 6, and vs 7-8:11 as a new topic beginning with a review of his life before Jesus and a picture of his life in the Spirit, and inserting “flesh” when you see “sinful nature” in Chapters 7 and 8.

Rom 7:1-6 once our “sinful nature” was our flesh enslaved by the law to sin, but now that nature is dead, we are not enslaved to it, and we have no more obligation to it than a widow does to her dead husband – we are free to pursue a new life married to Jesus. We are now free to live by our new “nature” –our new Spirit housed until heaven in our flesh.

Rom 7:7-25. Paul contrasts this new life in the Spirit with the old life in the flesh by reflecting back on the frustrating conflict he felt trying to obey the law as a Jew. He willed to do good, but he was a slave to the sin that reigned in his body. Who will rescue him from this body of death? God will through Jesus! In fact, he will do it twice, or at least in two parts. First we are recreated in Christ and filled with His Spirit now (2 Cor 5:17, Gal 2:20), and later we will lose our flesh (I Cor 15:50-55). Both of these themes are emphasized in one of the most powerful chapters in the New Testament. But that is for tomorrow!

Let me end on a personal note. I spent many years struggling as a Christian to deny myself, reckon myself dead to sin, and freed from sin (when I was convinced that I was not), and feeling as frustrated as Paul did before he knew Jesus. Maybe that is where you are now. Romans 5-8 released me from that as I finally understood who I am in Christ and began responding to that in faith. I’m not a sinner, nor do I have a sin nature, nor am I even who I was before I knew Jesus. I’m more than forgiven and justified, I’m a new creation altogether, filled with the Spirit of God, a partaker of the divine nature, and am being conformed to the likeness of Jesus, my spirit crying out to know Him from deep within. I am a son of God, of a holy nation and kingdom of priests, an ambassador chosen by God and gifted to serve Him uniquely. My spirit doesn't even want to sin, so I ruthlessly starve fleshly habits and instead offer myself willingly, eagerly as an instrument of God. I am a saint, and in faith I will walk in the Spirit and the works He has given me! Once you see this, the entire New Testament will confirm that it is true. Walk on with me fellow saint!

hook's note: Mark Owen is an elder and community pastor for Ethnos.