Sunday, April 26, 2009

Romans 7: Why Are Forbidden Fruits Sweeter? (Part I)

The latest Kairos magazine is out of the stove and here is the unedited draft from my article on Romans chapter 7.

Have you ever stolen mangoes or rambutans from a neighbour’s tree? If those adolescent exploits still make you chuckle, it may seem puzzling to see why Augustine agonized with guilt over some stolen pears in his Confessions. Was he indulging in a kind of mental self-beating?

Apparently not. Augustine looked back on his ‘fruitful’ endeavor and confessed that he was not even hungry that day. In fact, he gleefully threw his loot to the pigs. His desire was not the sweetness of pears, but merely the excitement of doing what was wrong! He asked himself, “Was it possible to take pleasure in what was illicit for no reason other than that it was not allowed?” Forbidden fruits taste better simply because they are off-limits.

This universal human experience seems to be on the apostle Paul’s mind when he wrote:

“What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet”. But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead.” (Romans 7:7-8)

Earlier in this grand epistle to the church in Rome, the apostle had argued powerfully that sinners are declared righteous by God’s grace through faith in Christ, not through obeying the law (3:27). Consequently believers are ‘not under law, but under grace’ (6:14). They are no longer trying to impress God or earn divine favor by keeping the written code and live under its condemnation. Instead, they depend on what Christ had graciously done for their salvation and thus set free from the power of sin.

If the law only brings us wrath from God (4:15), does that mean that Paul considered the Mosaic law to be responsible for sin and death? Was he casting a shadow against the law as the cause of sin and condemnation? (7:7, 13) In Romans chapter 7, the apostle would answer these serious objections and defend the role of the law in our discipleship.

No, he wrote, the law in itself is “holy, righteous and good” (7:12). On the contrary, it is our fallen nature which is the source of sin and death. Although the law reveals and condemns transgressions, our self-centered disposition is thus aroused to produce every kind of prohibited desires (7:8). For this reason, the law is unable to rescue sinners or make them holy. It can neither be the ground for our justification or sanctification.

Paul used marriage as an illustration to explain the principle that the law has authority over a person only as long as he or she lives. “For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage” (7:2). Similarly, believers have died to the law through participation in the death of Christ so that they may now belong to Him and bear good fruit to God. They were once controlled by the sinful passions provoked by the law, resulting in evil deeds that lead to death. But now they have been released from the law so that they may serve God in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. (7:1-6)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

cheap football shirts
louis vuitton handbags
pandora jewelry
hollister
mizuno running
links of london uk
coach factory outlet
kate spade outlet
pandora jewelry
mont blanc pens
oakland raiders jerseys
ugg uk
true religion
polo lacoste pas cher
swarovski crystal
salvatore ferragamo
ray ban sunglasses online
tiffany and co
oakley sunglasses
replica watches
los angeles clippers jerseys
thomas sabo
celine outlet
tods shoes
michael kors outlet
swarovski uk
michael kors uk
nike trainers
true religion jeans
gucci handbags
koby bryant shoes
dallas cowboys jersey
canada goose outlet
cheap oakley sunglasses
calvin klein outlet
ralph lauren polo shirts
michael kors outlet online
louboutin shoes
ray ban sunglasses
ray ban sunglasses
2015615caihuali

Unknown said...

asics, http://www.asicsisrael.com/
cheap ugg boots, http://www.cheapuggboots.net.co
manchester united jersey
jerome simpson jersey,marcus sherels jersey,phil loadholt jersey,tom johnson jersey
gucci outlet online
gucci shoes
cheap oakley sunglasses, http://www.oakleysunglasseswholesale.in.net
michael kors factory outlet, http://www.michaelkorsfactoryoutletonline.com
knicks jersey
mulberry uk
ugg boots, http://www.uggbootsclearance.in.net
troy polamalu jersey,ben roethlisberger jersey,antonio brown jersey,heath miller jersey,jack lambert jersey,le'veon bell jersey,santonio holmes jersey,kevin greene jersey,rod woodson jersey
lakers jersey
north face outlet
lance briggs jersey,martellus bennett jersey,jay cutler jersey,sylvester williams jersey
michael kors outlet
gucci handbags, http://www.guccihandbags-outlet.co.uk/
bottega veneta outlet
cheap jordan shoes
michael kors factory store,michael kors outlet online sale,michael kors,kors outlet,michael kors outlet,michael kors handbags,michael kors outlet online,michael kors handbags clearance,michael kors purses,michaelkors.com,michael kors bags,michael kors shoes,michaelkors,cheap michael kors
washington redskins jerseys
prada shoes
chanel handbags, http://www.chanelhandbags-outlet.co.uk/
ray ban sunglasses,ray ban sunglasses outlet,ray ban,rayban,ray bans,ray ban outlet,ray-ban,raybans,ray ban wayfarer,ray-ban sunglasses,raybans.com,rayban sunglasses,cheap ray ban
soccer jerseys,cheap soccer jerseys,cheap soccer jerseys for sale,soccer jersey,usa soccer jersey,football jerseys
coach outlet canada
ysl handbags
swarovski uk
hermes outlet store
mulberry sale