“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”‏ 1 Peter 4:18

You are not a “sinner” in Christ

Paul said:
Romans 7:14-15 “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand, For what I will to do, that I do not practice: but what I hate, that I do.”

This saying of Paul’s has been misunderstood for so many years by many Christians. It is not suppose to be for Christians trying to live a godly life but Jews trying to please God while still under the Law.

What Paul is doing in this letter to the Romans, (Chapter 2 - Chapter 8) is explaining to the Jews in Rome that they are not to live under the Law of Moses when they are under Grace.

These Jews were practicing the Law, “Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, and know His will, and approve of the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness” Rom 2:17-19.

Then Paul ends saying, “You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” as it is written” vs. 23-24.

Paul starts off in the next teaching phase saying, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!...But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart, that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin...” Rom 6:15, 17-18.

You have “been set free from sin” vs. 18 and expected to obey God as “slaves of righteousness”.

Paul speaks to the Jews who were still living according to the Law of Moses, “Oh do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?” Rom 7:1. In this Paul uses an example of the Jews trying to live by the Law of Moses and Jesus as a woman having two husbands. She commits adultery against one by having “another”. Jesus is the “Another” in Rom 7:4 in which we are truly and can only be married to (one at a time).

Paul then explains the Law of Moses a little further by saying, “I would not have known sin except through the Law” vs. 7.

Paul is now going to explain the journey of the Law of Moses. Listen as; Paul uses himself as an example 'before' the Law, 'during' the Law, and finally us being delivered ‘from’ the condemnation of the Law.

Paul after explaining this a little further says something very important that will help us understand what Paul is referring to in his frustration in the flesh to obey God (Romans 7:14-15).

“I was alive once without the Law” Rom 7:9a.

Paul says he was once alive without the Law. Paul uses himself as an example to explaining the judgment of the Law and the condemnation that follows. Before the Law came he would not be guilty of sin as a Law-Breaker. So, being free from the Law, made him free from sin; therefore, being “alive once”.

But Paul was not alive before the Law of Moses was given?

To prove a point, Paul is going to explain to these Jews that as far as judgment goes as if he were alive before the giving of the Law, he would be guiltless and would not have known sin “Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law…” Rom 7:7b.

“...but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” Rom 7:9b.

Paul is going to explain to the Jews, living under the Law, that it is impossible to please God and obey the Law.

“For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me” Rom 7:11.

Paul is not spiritually dead, but as he uses himself as an example again, showed that the Law of Moses killed him as if he were living under the Law. From this point on you will not see the Holy Spirit or Jesus mentioned by Paul, but only the Law, till the end of this chapter when he shows victory.

You must understand Paul is explaining to the Jews, which also he was once one of them, that even if he tried from the heart to obey the Law in the Law he would fail.

Although Paul is not speaking about himself in the past tense, Paul explaining himself figuratively (that is for any Jew living in the Law to put themselves in his place) how it would destroy him and thus it would destroy them as well.

Because we are not use to this style of storytelling, to bring conviction to others, we discredit this to mean anything other then Paul being unable to fully please God now.

This is the only scripture that we build the philosophy that we are doomed to be “sinners” who will always struggle with sin and doomed to fail. We say to ourselves, “if Paul does the very thing he hates, we too are doomed to repeat our sins”. If this were true then we would be sinners – those who, by nature, live in their sinful behaviors and truly cannot have victory over our flesh.

In which Paul said in an earlier letter (1 Corinthians 4:4) that he knew nothing against himself for judgment sakes. That is, Paul was referring not to be convicted, in his conscious, of any sin in his life.

Paul then switches his speech pattern from Chapter 7 (speaking only of himself) to us in Chapter 8 as “those...” who walk in the “spirit” and dead to our flesh. Not only are you not judged as a sinner by the blood of Jesus of the work of the Cross, but delivered from walking in our “old” sinful nature obeying the lusts of our flesh. We are commanded now to live righteously (Chapter 6). For whatever you do that in which you obey is truly your master.

Paul was pointing out the inability of fulfilling the Law through the Law, “who will deliver me from this body of death?” Rom 7:24a. But he shows there is a better way, so that we CAN become over-comers as the Scripture tells us, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” Rom 7:24b.

The next Greek word “So then...” is used to give the conclusion of the entire message of Chapter 7 and not to the conclusion of what Paul immediately said that of being delivered from his body of death. As to say to the Jews, ‘So then, you have only one conclusion that in the Law of Moses though with the mind you may “serve the law of God” you are doomed while in your flesh to serve the “law of sin” Rom 7:25’.

Next, Paul is not saying to Christians in Chapter 8:1 “There is no condemnation” because we are still sinners and sin “according to the flesh” vs. 8:1b but if we put off the sin and walk “according to the Spirit” living a righteous life. And BECAUSE of this, we have our hope.

Though it is by Jesus' Righteousness that we are saved, and in no way by our works, Paul goes on in Romans Chapter 8 saying we are not to live to the flesh which brings forth “death” where Paul says living in the flesh “you will die” Rom 8:13. But to put to death this flesh of ours once and for all, so that we may be able to be the “slaves of righteousness” Rom 6:18b he speaks of, and to fulfill the “righteous requirements of the Law” by walking in the true “law of the Spirit” (8:2) to accomplish them.

For “sinners,” those who live in or practice - that is, those who walk in sin - will not inherit the Kingdom of God, which were some of you but are now no longer 1 Cor 6:1.

Galatians 5:16, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” for the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, for these two are contrary against the other, “but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” vs. 17-18.