Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. If you
wish to Follow along, turn to Romans
chapter seven. We're moving on into Romans chapter
seven now. I will just mention one thing,
and that was a good message, Joe, that you preached about
Noah finding grace. There are those who believe that
Noah was somehow different from the rest of the world, and that's
why he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. But that passage
tells us, I mean it actually tells us, not the date, but the
era, E-R-A, not E-R-R, however you spell it. The time frame
in which Noah found grace and became a justified man. He was just in all his generations. So before his children were born,
at least the first one, Noah was not a just man. He was just
like everybody else, because he declared to be a just man
in all his generations. Not all generations, in his generations,
and it names the three sons. So it was right before he had
that first son, at least, is when God Almighty showed Noah
grace. I just thought I'd point it out, because this is something
I'd never seen until I sat right there while Joe was preaching.
Romans 7. Know ye not, brethren, for I
speak to them that know the law. Which gives clear reference to
me that there were some among the church at Rome that did not
understand or know the law. They had no upbringing in the
law. They were what we might call just rank Gentiles and had
no understanding of the law. But he says, no you're not brethren,
for I speak to them that know the law, how that the law hath
dominion over a man as long as he liveth. Paul is absolutely correct here.
He is being moved by the Spirit of God. But he doesn't then talk
about a man. He talks about the woman. He
talks about the woman. For the woman which hath a husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. But if
the husband be dead, and let's get this right, not divorced.
The law, Moses allowed for divorce. And I'll look at that later,
maybe I'll mention it again later, but Moses allowed for divorce
in the law because of fornication. But he said from the beginning
it was not so. God created a man and a woman,
and the two, one man, one woman, shall be made one flesh. And
Christ said this is the way it was from the beginning. So this
is not about divorce. Anyone, according to law, now
listen to me. Under law, if you're here this
morning and you were married and you've been divorced and
your spouse still lives, especially if you're a woman, that's what
this is saying, you are an adulteress. That's what the law calls you.
Is that not what it says? But if her husband be dead, that's
the only thing. If the husband be dead, she is
loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband
liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. It's just what she is. It's how
it is. That's the way it is under law.
No reprieve. But if her husband be dead, she
is freed from that law. so that she be no adulteress,
though she be married to another man. So when she has this second
husband, if the first husband is dead, then by law, she is
right. She is not an adulteress. Wherefore,
do you see that? Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead, to the law by the body of Christ. He does not
say the law is dead. And I have give antidotes that
illustrated that about the woman who had the husband, husband
dies, she remarries and then she sets out two or three plates,
one for her, one for the dead husband, one for the living husband.
And it's a valid truth, but it's not exactly what Paul's talking
about here. Because the law didn't die, We died, if we're brethren,
if we are believers, we died to the law by the body of Christ. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead. Not ye ought to be, but you are. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should
be married to another. Which lets me know at one time
there was a real sense in which I was married to the law. But
when God Almighty saves us, when God Almighty brings life and
conversion to us, we're freed from the law because we're dead
to it. And we're dead to it by the body
of Jesus Christ. Anything short of this is an
insult to the death of Christ. Any trying to join the believer
back to the law, or trying to claim the believer is still connected
to the law, in any way, is an insult to the second husband.
Wherefore, my brethren, y'all shall become dead to the law
by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another,
and there is no doubt as to who this is, even to him who is raised
from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. because when we were under the
law, we did not bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in
the flesh, the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work
in our members to bring forth fruit unto death, and that's
all it ever did. Even when Paul said, according
to the law, I was blameless, he's not saying he wasn't dead.
and he was still dead. Fruit unto death, but now we
are delivered from the law. Now, as I have tried to point
out when we began this study in Romans, if you have a thus
saith the Lord for any specific thing, it is absolute truth. and you can preach it and believe
it and give testimony to it with confidence, all the detractors
notwithstanding. But do not think then that you
can then say, since that is true, then this must be true. If you
do not have a thus saith the Lord for the this, you must leave
thee this alone. Now, I don't know if everyone
here, people out there, people here this later will comprehend
what I'm saying, but at one time we had a man in this congregation
that did comprehend what I was saying. He sat right back there,
and every time I said it, I would see his face grimace. I'd see
his face grimace. We have thus saith the Lord to
believe what we believe, think what we think, and walk the way
we walk, or we have nothing. And we're not left up for us
to fill in the gaps, because if there is a gap, it's because
God meant to keep that from us. That's right. The secret things
belong to who? The Lord. So as the one man told,
I think it was Henry, I don't remember, but said, we need to
figure out what the secret things are. They're secret, you can't.
That's the whole point. Ah, but the things that are revealed,
what are they? They're to us and to our children. So he goes on. For when we were
in the flesh, the motions of sin which were by the law. Somebody
says, well sin's our problem. Yes, but so was the law. So it
was not because the law is bad, the law's holy, just, and good.
But as Paul, it was a perfect analogy. The law's like that
x-ray you take. It can show you the problem,
but it can't fix the problem. And at best, it can show you
the problem, and it will never show you the problem unless God
Almighty gives you life from above so you can see what the
problem is. because most people think the
law is just a bunch of do's and don'ts, and if I got more do's
than I have don'ts, I'll probably be okay. This is not true. Did
work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death, but now
ye are delivered from the law, and I thank God for that. That being dead, wherein we were
held. This is captive language. Before God Almighty delivered
us from the law by regeneration and conversion, we were captives
to sin and the law. That, that we should serve, how? In newness of spirit and not,
and not in the oldness of the letter. Now I will not this morning
try to argue about what Paul's talking about. He's talking about
the law. He's talking about morality,
he's talking about righteousness, he's talking about that which
is holy, just, and good. And if you've ever been divorced,
if you've been married to more than one person at one time,
and I don't care what the law of the country says, I don't
care what the courthouse says, God said you're married to somebody,
they're still alive, and you marry somebody else, you are
guilty of adultery. That includes me, that includes
you, that includes anybody out there. But I thought, why this
legal illustration here? My flesh, as I began to read
this, my flesh was like, okay, why? This is odd. Chapter seven
and its beginning words are odd. In other words, why this dead
to the law gospel truth now? Why now? You see, the truth of
the gospel never suffers, it never allows, you can use whatever
language you want to, it never permits spiritual adultery. Never. If you're married to Christ,
you're not married to the law. If you're married to the law,
you're not married to Christ. And there can be no mixing of
those two. Because any mixing of those two
is spiritual adultery. It is forbidden, and that's my
title, spiritual adultery forbidden. And you know, most people don't
think about spiritual adultery, do they? They just think about
a relationship between one fallen man and one fallen woman and
how that all works. We're talking about a relationship
between fallen men and women with the holy, the thrice holy
God of heaven and earth. Paul is not bringing up a new
subject. He is just now delving into detail,
an old subject that he's already brought up over and over. That is, Paul has indicated this
gospel prohibition already. Chapter two, let me just read it, bear with me.
Chapter two, verse 12, for as many as have sinned without law
shall also perish without law. And as many as have sinned in
the law shall be judged by the law. So in other words, God will
not let sin go. Your ignorance of the law will
not set you free from God. It won't do it. But look, for
as many as have sinned without law shall perish without law.
As many have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. For
not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers
of the law shall be justified. You see it? It's not respecting
the law. It's not giving great credence
to the law. It is actually doing the law. And if you're gonna be just before
God by law, you've got to do the law. That's one thing he
mentions. Now look, here's another one. Chapter two, verse 17. Behold, thou art called a Jew
and restest in the law. Oh, how many people do that?
There's even a bunch of Gentiles now that are resting in the law.
Behold thou called a Jew and restest in the law and makest
thy boast of God and knowest his will and approvest the things
that are more excellent be instructed out of the law. Pretty sanctified
kind of guy. You know what he's talking about
there? Pretty sanctified kind of gal. We've had that happen
right here in this place too. Mm-hmm, yeah. And art confident
that thyself are a guide of the blind and a light of them that
are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish and a teacher
of babes, which has the form of knowledge and of the truth
and the law. Thou, therefore, which teachest another, do you
do the same things you teach somebody else not to do. And
anybody under law does. because no one keeps God's holy
law. James puts it this way, you know
of this one. You offend in one point, you're guilty of all. You are a law breaker. Look at what else Paul says,
chapter three, verse 19. Now we know that whatsoever the
law saith, it saith them who are under the law, that every
mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before
God. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Now folks,
we think this is primer. We've heard this here for more
than, you've heard it here for my 37 years at least, and some
of you heard it before that. This ain't no new message we're
preaching now. We've not veered away from the
truth we began to preach in the beginning. Therefore, by the
deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in God's
sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. But now the righteousness of
God, without The law is manifested. Now there's already three places
Paul's done dealt with this. Just brought it up briefly, right?
He's not done yet. Chapter three, verse 27. Let
me find my spot. Chapter three, where is boasting
then? It is excluded, by what law? By the law of works? No, but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without
the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles?
Yes, of the Gentiles also. See, it is one God which shall
justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through
faith. So what matters? Faith. And faith
is connected to grace, not law. Paul's clear on that in another
epistle. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid,
yea, we establish the law. But Paul's not done yet. Chapter
four and verse 13. For the promise that he, that
is Abraham, should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham
or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness
of faith. For if they which are of the
law be heirs, faith is negated as absolutely nothing. Faith
is made void, do you see that? Faith is made void and the promise
made of none effect. I have reason to believe that
I can state exactly where Paul stood on this matter. Believers
are not under the law. Believers are dead to the law
by the body of Christ. But he hadn't done yet, mentioning
this. Chapter five, verse 20. Chapter
five, verse 20. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace, do
you see it? There it is. There's the hope.
There's the answer. Grace did much more abound. So chapter seven, he ain't just
introducing the subject, is he? Chapter seven, he gets into some
of the nitty gritty of the subject, does he not? But he wasn't done
yet. Chapter six, look at it. Verse 14 and 15. For sin shall not have dominion
over you. Why? Because all of a sudden
now we're these righteous people. We're regenerated and converted
and now we just live like we're supposed to live. That's not
it. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you're not under
the law, but under grace. What then, shall we sin because
we're not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Whatever you yield yourself to,
shows it to be your master. That's what he says in verse
16. So when he says, no, you're not brethren, for I speak to
them that know the law. He ain't just now brought up
the subject of this thing, has he? You see the reformed ilk. I didn't say reformers. I didn't
say the reformers. There's a lot of people who think
that Reformed Baptists, Reformed Presbyterian, and I am not giving
a blanket condemnation or judgment of all people who call themselves
Reformers, or Reformed, I should say. But, aka, most Reformers
that I've heard, these Reformed people, another word for it,
they are the legalist of our day. because they'll use what
parts of the law they like, they'll use what parts of church rule
that they like, they'll use what parts of ecclesiastical rule
they like, and they'll throw everything else to the wind.
And they pick and choose what they want to put you under. If
you're a believer, you're married to Christ and nothing else. You're not married to the law,
you're not married to self, you're not married to your works, you're
married to Christ to bring forth fruit unto God. Now either you're
married to Christ or you're not. And you can't be married to Christ
and somebody else. Because grace don't bring that
about. So again, the reformed ilk, aka
the legalists of our day who teach salvation by Christ, but
maybe sanctification by law, commandment keeping, or those
who want a union to Christ and law, they are adulterers. Is that not what Paul's clearly
pointed out in Romans seven, verses one through six? Spiritual
adultery is more damning than natural adultery. You hear what
I'm saying? Now it's all damning, but spiritual
adultery is more damning because there is forgiveness for natural
adultery. You join yourself, you claim
to be joined to Christ and you join yourself to anything else,
you are an adulteress of which there is no reprieve. Either Christ saved you and redeemed
you fully and joined yourself to him and released you from
everything else, or you are not married to him. And that includes
me. Now what I want to do, and I'll
try to be as brief as I can, I want to read these six verses
again, but I'm going to do so, and I'm gonna, with each thing,
there's gonna be five scriptural facts that I'm gonna state here,
and then we'll look at how those facts are stated in these words,
in this portion of chapter seven. Here's the first thing. Remember,
there are three things, and before I go any further, let me remind
us all that yes, Moses allowed for divorce in the law, but that
didn't make it right. and the Lord himself said so,
and I'm not gonna take time to go back, I'm not here to argue
that, it's a fact. You can find that in Matthew
19, verses three through nine, Christ teaches this very thing. First of all, there's the first
point, the law, the law. Only one marital union concurrent
is allowed, period. Right? Only one marital union
concurrent, that is, at the same time, is allowed. Know ye not,
brethren, for I speak to them that know the law, how that the
law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth. But the
law had a flaw in it, and Paul even mentions that in Hebrews.
There was one flaw in the law. The priesthood came from Levi.
Under grace, the priesthood comes through Judah. And Paul says
there is a necessity, a change had to take place. But let me
tell you something, even under the law, even after God issued
forth the law on Sinai, no man was ever condemned for having
multiple wives at one time. Was he? No, he wasn't. In this matter, folks, the law
is one-sided. And somebody said, I don't like
that. It's the facts. Say what you will. For the woman,
that which hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband
so long as he liveth. But if the husband be dead, she
is loose from the law of her husband. But the law did teach
this, headship is what matters. That's an important lesson. I'm
not even going into that. So then, if while her husband
liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. So that's the first thing, the
law. Only one marital union concurrent is allowed, period. But now look,
the gospel. Only one marital union concurrent
is allowed, period. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law by the body of Christ. It's not
you ought to be. It's not you can pick and choose
which way you wanna go with this. People are still just like those
Judaizers in Galatia. You got to have Jesus, but you
need a little bit something more than Jesus. That's what those Judaizers were
doing in Galatia. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should
be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead,
that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Number three, under
law, flesh is paramount and death was the sure fruit. Again, for
when we were in the flesh, The motions of sins which were by
the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. That's the third thing. Under
the law, flesh is paramount and death was the fruit. Under grace,
we serve God. Being delivered from union to
the law, believers serve by an inner motivation of spirit, not
by outward conformity to rules. But now we are delivered from
the law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we should
serve in newness of spirit. And this world says, but you
gotta give men and women rules or they won't walk right. God
didn't give you any rule when he saved you, did he? What rule
did you have to fulfill for him to save you? The only rule that
was fulfilled was when Jesus Christ did the will of the Father
that died on Calvary's tree for you and sent his Holy Spirit
to you in power and his gospel to you in power and brought you
from darkness to light, from death to life. Now if he's able
to do that for me in my fallen state, he can keep me in this
state into which he's brought me now. This thing of trying
to mix a little bit of Jesus and a little bit of law is nothing
but an attempt by fallen men and women to say outright, to
teach what they won't say outright, God can't do it without you.
God needs your help in some way at least. Number five, believers
are dead to the law and married to Christ. We already read that,
verse four. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the
law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another. This is clear gospel truth. I
mean, unless you're just trying to find a way out, just trying
somehow to deny the truth that is here. You cannot teach that
the truth of God as taught by the Apostle Paul was that you
got a little bit of Christ and a little bit of law. You can't
even teach that you got a whole lot of Christ and a little bit
of law. It's either you're under the
law or you're under grace. You're either married to the
law or you're married to Christ. There is no in between in God's
way of grace. This is clear gospel truth. And
let's listen. I will try to move along. Let's
listen to confirming gospel truth.