Charles Spurgeon Commentary Romans 7
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Romans 7
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Romans 7
"Or are ye ignorant, brethren (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law hath dominion over a man for so long time as he liveth? For the woman that hath a husband is bound by law to the husband while he liveth; but if the husband die, she is discharged from the law of the husband. So then if, while the husband liveth, she be joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if the husband die, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she be joined to another man." — Romans 7:1-3 (ASV)
He merely states this as an illustration.
"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ; that ye should be joined to another, [even] to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit unto God." — Romans 7:4 (ASV)
While we were under the law, we could not come under the new covenant—the covenant of grace. But, through the death of Christ, we are dead to the law, and therefore we are set free from the principle and covenant of law, and we have come under the covenant of grace.
"For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were through the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." — Romans 7:5 (ASV)
Sin is the transgression of the law. Therefore, out of the law, by reason of our corruption, springs sin. And, in our past lives, we did indeed find sin to be very fruitful. It grew very fast in our members, and it brought forth much fruit unto death.
"But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that wherein we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter." — Romans 7:6 (ASV)
No longer is the message to us, This do, and thou shalt live.
No more are we slaves under bondage; but we have come into a new state, we are free, rejoicing in the glorious liberty of the children of God; and what we now do is done out of a spirit of love, and not of fear. We are not seeking after holiness in order to be saved by it, neither do we seek to escape from sin because we are under any fear of being cast into hell. We have another spirit altogether within us.
"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Howbeit, I had not known sin, except through the law: for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet:" — Romans 7:7 (ASV)
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid.
No, so far from being sin, the law is the great detective of sin, discovering it, and letting us know what sin really is.
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