Romans 7: Growing Towards Sanctification

Romans 7: Growing Towards Sanctification

The journey of a believer begins with justification through faith in Christ, as described in Romans 5:1. However, justification is not the end—it is merely the beginning. Many believers, due to a lack of spiritual knowledge, mistakenly believe they can live for God while still being carnal and yielding to sin. This was the issue with the Corinthian church. Though saved and called saints, they remained entangled in sin and immaturity.

As explored in our previous post on Romans 6, Paul taught the Corinthians that the first step to spiritual growth was to reckon themselves dead to sin and yield to the Word of God, which produces fruits of righteousness. Now, in Romans 7, we discover the next logical step in our spiritual journey: being delivered from the law. This is a critical moment of spiritual growth, where we learn to rely not on our human efforts but on the transformative work of God’s Word and Spirit within us.

Delivered from the Law: The Next Step in Spiritual Growth

When a believer recognizes that they cannot live for God while yielding to sin, as Romans 6 teaches, human nature often tempts them to take matters into their own hands. The inclination is to attempt to overcome sin through self-discipline, rules, and law—believing this will produce righteousness. But this is a grave mistake! As Paul teaches in Romans 7, the law cannot save us; it only reveals our sin and, paradoxically, increases its hold due to the law of sin in our flesh.

Paul's letter to the Galatians addresses this error head-on. The Galatians, deceived by Judaizers, believed they needed to follow the law—such as circumcision—to be fully righteous before God. Paul’s words to them are sharp and corrective: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you…having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3). This same mistake confronts many believers today. By returning to the law, they fall into a cycle of condemnation and frustration. They find that their efforts to obey laws, rules, and expectations only lead to disappointment and wretchedness.

The Law’s Purpose: Exposing Sin, Not Producing Righteousness

In Romans 7, Paul explains that the law’s purpose is to reveal sin: “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Romans 7:7). While the law is holy and good, it has no power to save us. Instead, it exposes the sinfulness of our flesh, leading us to cry out like Paul: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24).

This desperate cry is not a sign of failure—it is the moment of realization that we cannot fix ourselves. The law shows us our need for a Savior and drives us to the only One who can deliver us: Jesus Christ.

Subject to the Spirit, Not the Letter

Paul provides a powerful illustration of this transformation in Romans 7:1-6. He likens believers to a woman who, upon the death of her husband, is free to marry another. In the same way, we have become dead to the law by the body of Christ so that we can be married to another, to Him who is raised from the dead—Jesus Christ (Romans 7:4). This union produces fruit unto God.

Being “delivered from the law” means we are no longer bound to serve God through the oldness of the letter, but we serve Him in the newness of the Spirit (Romans 7:6). This is not a call to lawlessness but to a life led by the Spirit of God, which is to be guided (influenced) by His Word.

Faith and the Work of God’s Word

How then do we live out this deliverance? Just as in the first step of reckoning ourselves dead to sin, deliverance from the law requires faith. It is not our work but God’s work in us. Philippians 2:13 reminds us: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Our role is to yield to His Word and trust the Spirit to lead us.

To remain delivered from the law, believers must:

• Immerse themselves in the Word: Renew your mind with God’s truth daily, letting the Word dwell richly in you (Colossians 3:16).
• Yield to the Word: Submit to its transformative work, allowing it to guide your thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
• Avoid the Trap of Rules and Expectations: Reject the temptation to set up laws or impose self-made expectations as a means to righteousness. Trust the Spirit of God to lead you into godly living.

Paul’s Experience: The Wretchedness of Relying on the Flesh

In Romans 7, Paul shares his personal struggle with the law: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (Romans 7:19). His efforts to obey the law in his own strength left him frustrated and defeated, culminating in his cry of wretchedness.

This is the inevitable result of relying on our own power to live righteously. But Paul’s testimony does not end there. He declares the answer to his struggle: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25). Deliverance is found not in self-effort but in Christ.

Encouragement: Embrace the Spirit’s Work

Understanding and applying the truth of being delivered from the law is vital to spiritual maturity. It frees us from condemnation, releases us from striving, and enables us to grow in righteousness—not our own, but the righteousness of God working in us. As we yield to the Spirit, the fruits of righteousness naturally emerge.

This knowledge equips us to avoid the pitfalls of sin and legalism and allows us to walk confidently after the Spirit (God’s words influencing you). As Paul writes in Romans 8:1-2, “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 hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

What’s Next?

Being delivered from the law is a crucial step in the believer’s journey. It teaches us to rely on God’s work within us rather than our own efforts. This truth prepares us for the next step: exploring how Romans 8 reveals the power of the Spirit to lead us into true freedom and victory in Christ.

Stay tuned as we continue this journey, moving ever closer to the deeper purposes of God’s calling for our lives.