Untangling Romans 7

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I have some thoughts to contribute to the interminable discussion of Romans 7:14-25. Of course, I would like to bring it to a satisfactory termination, but that would be naïve. Anyway, here goes. I think many commentators are asking the wrong questions: Is Paul describing a saved man or an unsaved man who is merely convicted by the law? If he is describing a saved man, is this the normal, life-long condition of a Christian, or should Christians experience a second work of grace that moves them out of the struggles of Romans 7 into the freedom of Romans 8? Let’s set those questions aside and look at the text.

The passage is not describing a conflict between the flesh and the Holy Spirit, such as we see in Galatians 5:16-17 or in Romans 8:5-13. In Romans 7:14-25, the conflict is between “my flesh” on the one hand, and the “inner man” or “the law of my mind” on the other. The wretched “I” is caught between these two forces. It is unhelpful to describe these two forces as “two natures” when “nature” is not adequately identified, so I won’t use those terms.

Though Paul uses the term “flesh” in several different ways, here he seems to mean our uncontrolled, but natural human desires, the things people want because of the way God made us—things like food, sex, approval from others, and the enjoyment of beauty. When those desires are not properly controlled, they become demanding. All they can say is “I want! I want! I want!” As Augustine noted, all sin is a twisting or distortion of legitimate desires. The flesh is human desire out of control—coveting things that are good in themselves, but wanting them in the wrong way, in the wrong measure, or in the wrong time.

What is the “law of my mind” or the “inner man”? I suggest that these phrases describe the conscience, the inner law which God has implanted in all men.

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them (Romans 2:14-15).

As Jonathan Edwards clearly demonstrates in The Nature of True Virtue, unsaved people can genuinely approve of the whole law of God. Conscience and a sense of the secondary beauty of justice are sufficient for this. Therefore, an unsaved man can “joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man” (Romans 7:22), as he contemplates how fitting and right God’s law is. However, since the unsaved man does not love God for the beauty of His holiness, his natural approval of the law of God is not truly virtuous. Ultimately, in its rebellion against God, the flesh is hostile to God. The flesh says, “I want! I want! I want!” and God answers, “Thou shalt not.”

   If the unsaved man can approve of God’s law, then, even more can the saved man joyfully concur with it. Therefore, the inner conflict of Romans 7 is heightened for the man whose conscience has been further enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Still, the conflict of Romans 7 is not directly between the flesh and the Spirit, but between the flesh and the more sensitive conscience of the man in Christ.

So, what is Paul saying in Romans 7? He is saying that the inner law, the conscience, is not strong enough to subdue the unruly desires of the flesh. This is true both for the Christian man and for the unsaved man whose conscience approves of God’s law. The unsaved man has no further resources above his conscience. Those who belong to Christ, however, have the indwelling Holy Spirit. By the Spirit they are able progressively to put to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13). (The words “putting to death” are a progressive present.)

Perhaps it will help if I paraphrase Romans 7:14-24 in Freudian terms. The flesh is the id with its demanding desires. The “law of my mind” is the super ego. The “I” is the ego caught between the urgent demands of the id and the finger-wagging disapproval of the super-ego. There is no escape from this tension apart from the gospel of Christ. Those who are justified by faith no longer need to fear condemnation (Romans 8:1). In addition, they are now able to obey the law in a new way as the walk according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4). The ego cannot win its battle with the id by strengthening the super-ego, but only by turning to and relying on the Holy Spirit.

What is the bottom line? To the unsaved man who is torn apart by his guilt and his moral weakness, Romans 7 says, “O wretched man, you cannot win this battle on your own. You are trapped between your distorted, sinful desires and the law of God, which you know is right and just. Come to Christ! He will remove your condemnation, and He will give you His Holy Spirit to help and strengthen you.”

To the pastor this passage says, “Do not think you can make your congregation holy by pounding them down with the law, hoping to strengthen their guilty consciences. Most of them already feel guilty enough and a guilty conscience cannot subdue the flesh. Point them to their freedom from guilt in Christ and to the power of the indwelling Spirit. Teach them to walk in the Spirit and you (and they) will do well.”

To the struggling Christian this passage says, “Do not think of your inner conflict as a struggle between your old nature and your new nature. (Those terms are vague and are not found in the Greek New Testament.) Think of your inner conflict as warfare between your twisted human desires and your conscience, which has been enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Then turn to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help you put to death the deeds of the body which come from these distorted desires.”

Brittany Maynard

The moral schizophrenia of our society has never been more obvious. As a nation, we agonized over the suicide of Robin Williams in August. Now we are applauding the bravery of Brittany Maynard who intends to kill herself in a few weeks. His suicide was a tragedy; hers will be a triumph.

Many of us who loved Robin Williams’ public persona were shocked and saddened to learn of his private inner torment. If you have watched Brittany’s video and you were not deeply stirred, you must have a heart of stone. We are human beings made in the image of God. Therefore, if God weeps over human suffering (and He does), so ought we.[1]

What ought we to think about suicide? How ought we to react? That word “ought” implies that some answers correspond better to the facts of human existence than others do.

A number of years ago, I stood beside a woman whose husband had suffered a massive heart attack. The attending physician was asking her to make end-of-life decisions for him since at that point he was not capable of making them himself. She asked the doctor for his recommendation, and his reply shocked me: “If he were my dog, I know what I would do.”

“If he were my dog….” That is the crux of the matter. If human beings are dogs, mere animals, then we may, without blame, agonize over one suicide and applaud another, depending on our emotional reaction to the individual circumstances. I cannot give any compelling arguments against suicide to those who think we are dogs.

On the other hand, if human beings are immortal souls, who will one day come face to face with their Creator, then it makes sense to find out how He wants us to respond to horrendous suffering. What is our Creator like, and what does He want of us? There are two basic ways of answering this question. The first is the great American way—to invent a fairy-tale god who conforms to the way you think God ought to act. To those who are satisfied with their own idea of God, I have nothing to say. You can make up a god who likes what you like and hates what you hate, and that’s the end of it.

The second way to discover what our Creator is like is to listen to what He says about Himself and about us. The Bible claims to be the message of God to us. Rather than defending that claim, which I can do, I want simply to draw your attention to some of its basic teachings about suffering.[2]

First, the human being who has suffered more than any other is Jesus Christ. The Son of God became man to suffer and die for the sins of those who believe in Him. His physical and mental suffering on the cross was horrible beyond our capacity to imagine it, but it was not unique because the Romans crucified many people. While Jesus hung on the cross, God poured out the full extent of His wrath against sin on the human soul of His Son. Jesus endured the agonies of hell as if He were all manner of sinners rolled into one agonizing bundle of spiritual pain. No one else has ever felt the wrath of God to such an extent. No sinner in hell will be condemned for such a weight of sins as Jesus bore. Each unredeemed sinner will feel the weight of his own sins. Jesus was weighed down by the sins of multitudes.

Second, because Jesus rose from the grave, He is able to transform the sufferings of His people into the gold of heavenly glory.

If [we are] children, [we are] heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:17-18).

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

In Paul’s case, those “light afflictions” included imprisonment, numerous floggings, being stoned and left for dead, three shipwrecks, and frequent physical deprivations (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation (1 Peter 4:12-13).

And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right (1 Peter 4:18-19).

The reasons for suffering are many, but the result of suffering for a patient believer in Jesus Christ is that we shall share His eternal glory. He suffered and rose again to bring us up out of suffering into joy.

We do not belong to ourselves. We do not have a right to do with our bodies as we please. We belong to Another, and it is His right to do with us as He pleases. If we submit to Him, we shall find that the lead of great suffering here is transmuted by the alchemy of the cross into the purest heavenly gold.

So glory in heaven is a reason for bearing suffering, but what about here and now? The apostle Paul suffered from a physical affliction, which the Lord refused to heal.

And He [Christ] has said to me [Paul], "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

The apostle testified that experiencing the presence and power of Christ in a greater measure was worth enduring the pain that humbled and weakened him.

Apart from Christ, there are only a limited number of responses we can give to people contemplating suicide. We can talk about the effect of their decision on their family, on their friends, and on society in general. We can mumble some vague platitudes about God. Sometimes these responses, along with love and compassion, are enough to thwart a planned suicide. I am glad for that, but we really ought to give these poor people more.

People in despair need more than a reason not to die. They need a reason to live. That is what Jesus Christ offers. For those who, by trusting in Him, endure great pain, He offers great glory in heaven, and He offers the power of His own presence in the midst of their trial.

Let us, therefore, bear with patience and trust the measure of pain that is our lot. The Great Sufferer, will lend us His strength in order that, as we suffer in imitation of Him, so with Him, we shall rise again.

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[1] For God’s tears see Isaiah 15:5; 16:9, 11; Jeremiah 9:10; 48:31-32; Luke 19:41; John 11:33-35. In all of these examples except the last, the Lord weeps over nations that He is judging for their sins.

[2] For a more complete discussion of suffering, see my book, The Beauty of God for a Broken World: Reflections on the Goodness of the God of the Bible.

Women in the Bible

The Apostles Creed, begins, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.” Over thirty years ago, I read a book that suggested updating the creed to, “I believe in God the Mother Almighty,” or better yet to “I believe in God the Parent Almighty.”

Our biblically illiterate and sexually confused age needs to be reminded that the Bible teaches God’s children to regard Him as their Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” “My Father” is the way Jesus regularly spoke of God.

This does not mean, as some have charged, that the Bible is patriarchal, misogynistic, and indifferent to the abilities and needs of women. Quite the contrary. Even in the passages modern people find most distasteful, we can see God’s deep concern for women.

When God chose the nation of Israel to be His Covenant people, He began to lift them out of a surrounding paganism that was horrible in the extreme. Against some forms injustice, such as child sacrifice, He spoke with fierce condemnation. Other kinds of injustice He softened and moderated. He moderated but did not abolish slavery; He waited until Jesus had come before He taught us that slaves and free men, men and women, are all one in Christ.

In ancient Babylonia, a woman who had become a slave-wife of her master could be sold to another man if her master was displeased with her. In ancient Israel, she had to be set free. The Lord was compassionate toward these poor, abused women.

The Bible honors and exalts women. Men and women are equally made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Because women are in God’s image, the Lord occasionally uses feminine imagery to describe Himself: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 66:13).

Mothers share equally with fathers in the instruction of their children: “My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother” (Proverbs 6:20). Scripture praises godly wives and mothers: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22). “House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord” (Proverbs 19:14).

The last chapter of Proverbs describes the “excellent wife” whose “worth is far above jewels.” She is a strong woman who rules her extensive household well. She is a diligent and astute businesswoman, who invests her money wisely. Martha Stewart would have to hurry to catch up to her. She is such an impressive woman that her reputation enhances her husband’s standing in the community (v. 23). “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” (v. 26). “Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: ‘Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all’” (vv. 28-29).

The New Testament also honors godly women. The rabbis frowned on teaching women, but Jesus praised Mary for sitting at His feet to listen instead of fussing over an elaborate dinner (Luke 10:38-42). Jesus’ first appearance after His resurrection was to a different Mary (John 20:11-18). The first convert to Christ in Europe was a businesswoman named Lydia (Acts 16:14-15). Paul’s young helper, Timothy, learned the Scripture from his mother and grandmother.

On this Mother’s Day, if you were raised by a godly mother, rise up and call her blessed. If you are a woman, I encourage you to center your life around the Lord Jesus Christ so that those around you may see Him shining out of your life and be drawn to Him. And if you are looking for a wife to be the mother of your children, seek a woman who loves Jesus.

(This post is an article I published in the Allentown Morning Call on May 10, 2014.)

Putting Sin to Death

Death is an essential part of the Christian life in at least three ways.

Ø  First, there is a death that we share with Christ when we are united to Him by faith. “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). This death is more fully described in Romans 6 where the “old man” is the old “I” that has died. (The “old man” is not the so-called “old sin nature,” an error which has led many believers into despair.) Our union with Christ in His death means two things: first, the penalty of sin has been paid; second, we are free from the tyrannical domination of sin.

Ø  Second, there is a death that we have accomplished: “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). If all Christians have done this, it must have happened at conversion. What do we do at conversion that is like death? We repent of our sins; we turn from sin to Christ. Our lives have taken a new direction. Even though sin still nips at our heels, and causes us painful wounds, we are headed toward our Savior. We have turned our back on our old way of life.

Ø  Third, there is a daily death that is our constant battle. Jesus said that we must take up our crosses daily in order to follow Him (Luke 9:23). “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:12-13 NASB).

This third kind of death is my subject for the next few paragraphs. Note the present tense of the verbs, “are living” and “are putting to death.” Unfortunately, most of the popular English translations do not clearly indicate the progressive action that is so clear in the NASB. They simply say, “if you put to death the deeds of the body.” This may imply, as one man said to me, “If you put a sin to death isn’t it dead and gone?” As a corrective to that notion, I offer a parable.

Sin is like a boa constrictor that is squeezing the life out of you. Some people think that killing sin is like chopping off the head of the snake with a machete. It is dead. It can’t bother you anymore. Here is a better picture.

The boa constrictor is trying to squeeze the life out of you. You have your hands around its neck, but you are not strong enough to save yourself, so you cry out to the Holy Spirit to help you. Then the invisible hands of God are placed over your hands, and you begin to strangle that snake. The Spirit doesn’t strangle the snake apart from your hands being on its neck. He only does it through your hands. Finally, it goes limp, so you let go and push it off from you.

Now you are walking down the trail glad and happy, but that snake is not dead. It begins to recover, and it slithers along the trail behind you and up into a tree. Then it drops down on top of you and begins to choke you again. It is not as strong as it was before because it feels the effects of being strangled, but it is still stronger than you are. You would surely die and become its prey except that you cry out to the Holy Spirit who puts His hands over yours so that you can strangle the snake again.

This process happens repeatedly. Each time you cry out for the Spirit’s help, the snake becomes a little weaker. It is not killed all at once, but you are gradually putting it to death by the help of the Spirit. There may come a day when that particular sin truly is dead in your life, but you can never let your guard down, and it is not the only snake in the jungle.

You cannot put sin to death by yourself, and the Spirit will not do it without you, but with His hands covering your hands you can strangle the snake so that it dies a bit at a time. If it does not die completely in this life (and few things do), sin and Satan will be utterly crushed under your feet when the Spirit raises your body to share in the glorious resurrection of Christ (Romans 8:9-11; Romans 16:20).