In the seventh chapter of Romans,
Paul deals with the struggle that he had with sin, the wretchedness
of that sin which indwelt him, which though with an enlightened
mind to the truths of God, Though he had an enlightened mind, though
he came to know the truth, though he came to know what is right
and wrong, though he desired to do that which is right before
God, he found that the law flared up the sin within him. And he
found that sin in the flesh caused him to crumble, caused him to
rebel, caused him to do that which he hated. He says in verse
14, we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow
not. For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would
not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no
more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that
in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For to will is
present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do
not, but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that
I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me. I find then a law that when I
would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the
law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind. and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that
I am! Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Oh what a cry! And what a cry
that is born out of the struggle and out of the hatred that Paul
has with sin. It is no more I that do it, he
says, but sin that dwelleth in me. It is no more I that do it,
but sin that dwelleth in me. He says it twice. Such is his
hatred of that which he finds in his flesh. Though he has a
mind which has heard the gospel, though he has a mind which has
become aware of the law and the righteous demands of the law,
though he has a mind which has been enlightened by the Spirit
of God, he finds this sin in his flesh causing him to go the
opposite way. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? He cries out for salvation, for
deliverance. Not just from what he's done,
because he's not speaking here in this chapter of those things
he's done, but of that which makes him do
those things. He doesn't cry out, who shall
deliver me from my sins? Who shall blot out my sins? Who shall wash me clean? But he's dealing with what he
is. Who shall deliver me from this body? From the body of this
death? Who shall take away this sin
in my flesh? Who shall deliver me from this
flesh? It's one thing for Paul to have
his sins washed away. And he's spoken earlier in the
book of Romans about that. He's spoken of the death of Christ. He's spoken of the forgiveness
of sins. He's spoken of justification. He's spoken of the propitiation. He's spoken of the shedding of
the blood of Christ that washes away our sins. But here he's
going further. Not only that, Not only must
I be delivered from my sins, not only must my sins be forgiven,
not only must my record of wrongdoing be cancelled out, but I've still
got this body of death. I still have this awful thing
called the flesh and I still have that which dwells within
it called sin. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Oh, salvation runs deep. Unless we're delivered from all
that would condemn us and all that would separate us from God,
then we are lost. Then we are lost. And Paul knew
that though his sins be blotted out, if he remained in this body
of death, he would remain under wrath. He would remain a sinner. He would remain a slave, a servant
of sin. Oh wretched man that I am. But this cry comes out in the
middle of a passage, really commencing in the middle part of chapter
five and running through to chapter eight, in which Paul in many
ways is dealing with sin, dealing with what we are in the flesh
and dealing with our deliverance from it. He's opened up the Gospel
in doctrinal terms earlier in the chapters in Romans. He proved
all men in the first three chapters to be under sin. He proved that
all men, Jews and Gentiles, have committed sins and are under
sin and under the wrath of God. He showed forth the blessed hope
that they have in Jesus Christ. whom God set forth as a propitiation
through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. He showed forth the justification
of a sinner by faith. He showed forth David's hope
and Abraham's hope in the blood of Christ. And having shown forth
these glorious foundations of the gospel, He comes to that
which is in us, sin. And he shows that Christ's death,
Christ's death was not only the death of a lamb whose blood was
shed, but was the death in which the carcass of that lamb was
burnt by the fire of God's wrath to deliver his people from their
sin. What a display of God's love. What a display of the love of
God, that God should offer up his only begotten son to deliver
his people, not just from what they've done, but from what they
are. There's no greater display of
God's love than the death of Christ. that lamb nailed to that
cross, crucified, that lamb who in the darkness which came upon
the earth for three hours, suffered the outpouring of God's wrath,
was consumed by the fires from heaven, that lamb who had only
ever done the will of God, who was perfect in himself, suffered
as a sinner in the place of execution. He suffered the vindictive anger
of God's justice and he suffered the flames of fire from heaven
on high, which consumed the sacrifice as it were. As pictured in the
Old Testament, when the bullock was slain, And the blood of the
bullock was shed and sprinkled. And the flesh and the carcass
of the bullock was burned with fire. Because the blood would
wash away the sins of the people. But the sin, that which dwells
in the flesh, cannot be cleansed. It cannot be cleansed. It must
be destroyed. It must be condemned. It must
be burnt up. Which is why the carcass was
burnt outside of the camp. Oh what Christ suffered in order
to deliver his people. Oh what Christ suffered in order
to deliver his people from their sins. And in order to deliver
them from the body of this death. in order that the body of sin,
as Romans 6, 6 tells us, might be destroyed. In order that sin
might be condemned in the flesh, as Romans 8, 3 tells us. And
in order that we, so delivered, should never ever, never ever
in Christ, be separated from the love of God, as Romans 8.39
tells us. For this display of God's love,
God's salvation, God's deliverance from sin that we see from chapter
five through to the end of chapter eight, is sandwiched between
these two wonderful references to the love of God. For the first
time in the book of Romans, In chapter 5 and verse 8, Paul opens
this section by speaking of God's love. Until then there's been
no mention. He's described man's sin, he's
described the death of Christ, he's described the propitiation,
he described the faith of Abraham in that death, in that righteousness
brought forth through that death. He's described our salvation
from our sins but there was no mention of the love of God but
now he commences to show God's love and his description of it
both opens and closes this section where he deals with the greatest
display there is of God's love in that Christ in his death delivered
us from the body of death, the body of sin. Romans 5, 8. But God commendeth
his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but also we
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin and so death passed upon
all men for that all have sinned therefore as by the offense of
one judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the
righteousness of one by one righteousness the free gift came upon all men
unto justification of life For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. As sin have reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul goes on to speak of this
deliverance in chapter 6. Knowing this, that our old man
is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin. Sin shall not have
dominion over you, for ye are not under the law but under grace. 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. 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. But now we
are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held. that we should serve in newness
of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. How are we delivered? In Christ. O wretched man that
I am, Paul cries out later on, who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Christ has delivered me. He cries
out in victory in chapter 8. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh
but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus have made me free from the law of sin and
death. for what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in
the flesh. How was Paul delivered from the
body of this death? Through Jesus Christ, who was
sent the Son of God, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
and in whom God condemns sin in the flesh. Paul concludes
chapter 8 with these victorious words. What shall we say then
to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who
is He that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again. is even at the right hand of
God who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress
or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written
for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted
as sheep for the slaughter Nay, in all these things we are more
than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded,
says Paul, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Why not? How not? Because that
Lord, that Christ Jesus went into death, was plunged into
death at the cross to deliver us from our sin and to go to
such a length to save us. To go to such a length because
of his great everlasting love for his own. He will never take
that love away. He could not go to such a length. He could not die such a death. He could not suffer such a torment. He could not suffer the fire
of God against our sin and take that love away. That death displayed
his love. If Christ died for you, he commended
his love towards you in his death. He could do no more for you,
he could do no greater act for you, no greater display of love,
he could do no greater an act to display his love than to die
for you. God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? No one. No one. Because to take Paul's sin, he
had to take Paul with him into the grave. He had to take Paul
as he was in Adam, his old man, into the grave with him. If he
was to deliver Paul from his body of sin, if he was to deliver
Paul from that body of sin that he was in Adam, his old man,
then he had to take Paul into union with him and go to the
cross with Paul, as it were, wrapped around him, go to the
cross united with Paul and take that filth of Paul's sin into
death that God might destroy that sin. and God might slay
it and God might burn it up in Christ who was one with Paul
in the cross and if he was one in death he is one in life he
is one in life For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled
to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life. If we died with Him, we rose
with Him. If Christ died for Paul because
He took Paul's sin, and was slain for Paul's sin, and felt the
fires of God wrath against Paul's sin, then surely Christ rose
the other side of death with Paul. If he lives, Paul lives. If Paul lives, it's because Christ
lives. If when we were enemies we were
reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life. Because he rose again, because
he lives, we live. And because he lives, we shall
never, never, never be separated from the love of Christ. Oh what
a gospel. Oh what love. And oh what a display
of love that God should make Christ to be seen that we in
him should be made the righteousness of God. What a substitution,
what a death, what a deliverance. What a deliverance. Because what a thing this sin
is. Paul speaks of these chapters
of sin's entrance into this world, of its deadly and devastating
effects upon mankind, of its dreadful effects upon him as
he felt himself to be its servant. the deadly effect it has upon
a child of God who feels the weight of sin and the effects
of sin in their flesh. They feel it every day, every
day that they remain in this flesh until at last we go through
death as Christ went through death and we're raised up with
him the other side and we no longer have this flesh. Oh, how
we feel it warring against the Spirit, and how we feel the sin
causing us to do that which we would not. And then feeling this,
he cries out, who shall deliver me from it? And then in victory,
he cries out that Christ, Christ delivered him from sin. Christ delivered him from the
body of death. Christ delivered him from the
body of sin. God sending his own son in the
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the
flesh. He delivered me. He delivered
me. Did he deliver you? When Christ
was nailed to that tree, did he deliver you? Did he deliver
you from that sin, which by one man entered into this world? And death by sin, and death passed
upon all men for all have sinned, you and I included. Oh, what
a terrible thing to enter this world. But that's what Paul speaks
of in chapter 5 and verse 12. The entrance of sin. As by one
man sin entered. It entered. This rebellion. This hatred of God. This love
of self. This pride in man. and hatred to bow the knee to
Almighty God. This rebellion, this sin, this
which causes our every motion in this world, in our flesh,
to be ultimately against God. This which takes all we do this
which prevents us walking righteously, entered this world by one man. When God commanded Adam in the
garden and said, you may eat of every tree in the garden except
this tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And Adam's
wife Eve was deceived by the serpent to eat. And Adam joined
in the transgression with his wife, because she had sinned,
he took also and sinned. When he sinned, sin entered.
This influence upon man. Sin is not just what we do. Sins are transgressions that
we commit because of that which dwells in our flesh, which causes
us to sin. Now Adam was created in innocence,
but as soon as he was caught in the transgression with Eve,
who was deceived by Satan, who entered into this world, through
that man sin entered. and death by sin and that passes
by natural generation unto all men women and children from the
beginning of time to the end it's that which causes you without
instruction without outside influence to rebel against your parents,
to rebel against authority, and to rebel against God. It is that which causes us to
seek our own glory, our own will, our own end, without any instruction,
because it's within us. We don't sin because others cause
us to. We don't commit sins because
others lead us astray, though they may lead us astray. But
even left alone, if we were born alone in isolation without any
outside influence, we'd be born speaking lies, born raging against
God, born raging against authority, born sinners. We're sinners by
transgression and we're sinners by birth. We need our crimes
to be washed away by the blood of Christ but we need to be delivered
from that sin which entered into man. And to deny the presence
of sin in the flesh, that inclination which causes us to rebel God,
that which affects our thoughts and our feelings and our motives. That which causes us to sin is
folly and flies in the face of scripture, for this is what Paul
is speaking of in chapter 7. I am carnal, sold under sin. That which I do, it is no more
I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. O wretched man that I
am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Sin entered,
and it passed upon all men, and it entered into Paul. He was born in sin. Behold, I
was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me,
David cries out in Psalm 51. Psalm 58 tells us, the wicked
are restrained from the womb. They go astray as soon as they
be born, speaking lies. They're not taught to lie, we
lie. We're full of sin, we're born
sinners. And as such, we're the servants,
we're the slaves of sin. Which is what Paul shows forth
in chapter six. Slaves of sin. Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust
thereof. Neither yield ye your members
as instruments of unrighteousness under sin, but yield yourselves
unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members
as instruments of righteousness unto God. goes on verse 17 ye
were the servants of sin speaking to believers ye were but ye have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered
you you were your born servants of sin slaves of sin now in the
gospel We look to Christ who's delivered us from sin at the
cross and we walk in the spirit but we know that all the time
we live in this world until the day we die we have this thing
called the flesh which wars against the spirit and causes us to sin. At the cross Christ slew the
flesh but we will only know the ultimate fulfilment of that reality
in ourselves when we too pass through death and are risen the
other side into glory. But our deliverance from sin
is certain because of his death which already slew sin in the
flesh. Knowing this our old man is crucified
with him the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth
we should not serve sin. And our victory over sin as believers
in this world will only come because Christ delivered us from
sin at the cross. And it can only come when we
look to Him by faith and walk in Him by the Spirit. For sin
shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law,
but under grace. But Paul knew that he was born
a servant of sin. And even being brought to faith
in Christ, he knew the effects of sin in the flesh. And that's
the struggle he speaks of in chapter 7. That which I do I
allow not, for what I would that do I not, but what I hate that
do I. If then I do that which I would
not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no
more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Oh, wretched
man that I am! Oh, wretched man that I am! He hates it. Do you know it? Do you know it? Do you know the
struggle that he experienced? Can you cry out yourself and
of your flesh and of the sin that dwells in your flesh? Can
you cry out with Paul, oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? It feels at times when sin is
so strong When the fall is so great, when the shame is overwhelming,
it can feel at times like there is no escape. Paul writes as
a believer, and yet he sees the effects of sin in the flesh,
and he hates it. Where is his deliverance from
that sin to be found? In Christ. I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh
but after the Spirit. No condemnation. Why is there
no condemnation to those who are in Christ? Because their
sin has been condemned. Not only their sins, but their
sin. Their sin has been condemned
in Christ. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus have made me free from the law of sin and
death. For what the law could not do,
the law of Sinai, the law of Moses, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh. Yet he himself was without sin. He sent him in the likeness of
sinful flesh, a perfect sacrifice, an unblemished lamb. But he was
sent for sin, to condemn sin in the flesh. He was sent that
sin should be condemned, that therefore there should now no
condemnation be to them who are in Christ Jesus. We're delivered
from condemnation because a substitute was found who was condemned in
our place if we're Christ's. That's why Paul was delivered
from condemnation. That's why he can cry out who
is he that condemn if it is Christ that died. And wondrous truth
not only that he died but that he's risen again and because
he's risen nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Oh
Paul found his deliverer. He found the one who could deliver
from the body of this death. He found the one who had delivered
him from the body of this death. He found the one who delivered
him from his sin, who condemned that sin in the flesh, who took
that sin away, who was made sin that he should be made the righteousness
of God. He took it away. He took it away
because Paul was in him at the cross. By which he bore Paul's
sins and by which he was made sin and by which God condemned
that sin in the flesh. That's how Christ could be a
substitute for Paul because he was united to him, he took what
was his and he was made to be it and God judged it and destroyed
it. He took it away. And unless God
condemned that sin in the flesh, unless God made Christ to be
sin, unless God took Paul's sin away, then Paul would have yet
been in sin. It's not enough to wash the sins
away in the blood, that flesh must be burnt. As John said of Jesus when he
approached him in John chapter 1, Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world. Behold the Lamb of God. The Lamb came, its blood was
shed and its carcass was burnt. Like those sacrifices we read
of in old. Exodus 29, we read from verse
10. the instruction, thou shalt cause
a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation
and Aaron and his son shall put their hands upon the head of
the bullock and thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord by
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and thou shalt
take of the blood of the bullock and put it upon the horns of
the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the
bottom of the altar. The blood was shed, a figure
of the sins washed away. And thou shalt take all the fat
that covereth the innards, and the coal that is above the liver,
and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn
them upon the altar. But, it says in verse 14, But the flesh of the bullock
and his skin and his dung shall thou burn with fire without the
camp. It is a sin offering. The flesh,
the skin, the dung shall be burned with fire without the camp. It is a sin offering. You cannot
forgive the flesh. The sin in our flesh cannot be
forgiven. It cannot be washed away. It
must be burnt. And that bullet was burnt without
the cap, as an offering for sin. A sin offering. And when Christ,
as Hebrews 13 tells us, suffered outside the camp, he, as an offering
for sin, bore the sins of his people and was made sin that
he should be an offering for sin and that God in him should
condemn sin in the flesh. That's what took Paul's sin away. That's what delivered him. That's
what enabled him to walk in the spirit and no more in the flesh. Is that your hope? Is that your
hope? When you feel the wretchedness
of sin within, when you feel the deadly and devastating effects
of the flesh, when you cry out, oh wretched man that I am, ashamed
of what you've done, ashamed of what you are, unable to improve
yourself, unable to escape. Unable to stop sinning. Unable
to quench your temper. Unable to quench your frustrations.
Unable to cease from your pride and arrogant ways. When you feel
yourself striving to do good and only sinning. And striving
to avoid evil and only doing it more. And crying out, oh wretched
man that I am. Do you have an answer to your
cry? Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? For there is a Deliverer, and
His name is Jesus Christ. And He came into this world to
save His people from their sins and to condemn sin in the flesh. What a display of the love of
Christ. What a display of the love of
Christ who died for us his people while we were yet sinners. He died for you, He died while
you were yet a sinner, while we were yet full of sin, while
we were yet haters of God, while we were yet those who trampled
the gospel underfoot, while we yet despised Him, He died for
His own. He died. He took their sins upon
His back, He took their sin and was made to be it and condemned
it in His flesh. What a depth of love this is
to suffer like that. What a depth! God commendeth
His love toward us. He commendeth it in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Our old man was crucified
with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth
we should not serve sin. God sending his own son in the
likeness of sinful flesh and forcing condemned sin in the
flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us. Walk not after the spirit but
after the flesh. He took it away. Never to return. He delivered his people. He saved
them from their sins and delivered them from sin. Praise God. Do you know it? Have you been
delivered? Or is the condemnation of God
still burning from on high against you? In Christ, it was burnt
up. In Christ, it was quenched. In Christ it was answered. In Christ the fiery indignation
of God was propitiated. In Christ there is salvation. In Christ there is no condemnation. Do you walk after the flesh or
the spirit? Are you in Christ? Have you a
saviour? Have you? For he that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who is He that condemneth? There's no condemnation. It is
Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? no one if you're in him if he
died for you if he took your sins and your sin away no one
nothing shall separate you from his love shall tribulation or
distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword
no It is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for
the slaughter. We suffer for Christ's sake.
We know what tribulation is. We know what distress is. We
know what persecution and famine is. We know what it is to suffer
for Christ, but none of these things, nothing, will separate
us from His love. No, in all these things, We are
more than conquerors through him that loved us. In these things
we're more than conquerors through him that loved us. In the trials,
in the difficulties, in those tragedies of life, in the things
that go wrong, in the things that cause bring us to our knees,
we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing, child of God, in Christ. Nothing, nothing can separate
you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.