NGH BIBLE STUDY – ROMANS – OUTLINE #14
Outline #14: The Purpose of the Law – 7:1-13
Having established in chapter 6 that believers are no longer slaves to sin, Paul now explains the believer’s new relationship to the law. Through union with Christ in His death and resurrection, believers have died to the law’s jurisdiction and are now joined to Christ in order to bear fruit for God. However, Paul is careful not to mischaracterize the law. The law is not sinful but it reveals sin and exposes its true character. Sin exploits the commandment to produce death, demonstrating humanity’s desperate need for the grace of God. So the law serves God’s purpose by uncovering sin, while sanctification is accomplished through life in Christ and the indwelling Spirit.
Outline of Romans 7:1-13
Rm 7:1-6 – Freedom from the Law: the death of Christ releases the believer from the Law.
Rm 7:7-8 – The function of the Law: the Law reveals sin that was already present.
Rm 7:9-11 – Failure through the Law: sin revives, its rebellion exposed & energized by the Law.
Rm 7:12-13 – The fairness of the Law: the Law reveals sin’s wickedness and God’s holiness.
Themes to think about
- The fruitfulness of union with Christ
- The crucial difference between law and sin.
- The deceitfulness of sin
- The inherent goodness of the Law
Questions for discussion
- How is the analogy of the marriage relationship appropriate to Paul’s point about the believer’s new relationship to the Law in Rm 7:1-6?
- How consciously do we cultivate fellowship with Christ, depending on Him for spiritual fruit?
- How does sin use God’s good commandments as an opportunity for rebellion?
- What dangers arise when we lose a sense of our own sinfulness?
- If the Law reveals sin, how can the Law be put to profitable use in the believer’s life?