How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 4 - Who is the husband and who is the wife?)

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 4 - Who is the husband and who is the wife?)

Start at part 1 here: Part 1

In Romans 7:1-4, Paul uses an analogy of a wife that is bound to her husband because of the law of marriage. In the context of the passage, the analogy helps us to understand that we are not bound by ‘the law’, since we have died to it by the death of Christ, as explained in chapter 6. In the context of our current study, concerning the structure of a human being, and concerning the heart of man (the outer man), and the spiritual mind (the inner man), this analogy perfectly describes the two ‘soul’ parts within a person. Before we dive into this lesson, let’s first read the analogy again,

Rom 7:1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 3 - The Spiritual Mind)

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 3 - The Spiritual Mind)

Start the series here: Part 1
Go to the next part here: Part 4

This study began with a brief overview of the three-part structure of a human being, spirit, soul, and body. It is the soul component that is the primary focus of this study since it is the part that is formed when God’s Spirit, His breath of life, enters into the clay shell of the flesh. It is the soul, and more particularly, the contents of the soul that is of significance, as it is here where the Word of God works.

The content of the soul forms the heart of the person, the essence of the person, and what flows out of them into this world. Part 2 of this study placed brief focus on the heart, to define it, and identify its role in the context of a person. It is vital that you clearly understand what the heart of a person is, in order to better understand this next part that I am going to introduce in this post, which is the spirit of the mind,

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 2 - The Heart of Man)

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 2 - The Heart of Man)

Start the series here: Part 1
Go to the next part here: Part 3

There is more to the design of man than just the three components of spirit, soul, and body. We need to go deeper to find these underlying parts that are the primary elements that define the individual. In the previous post of this series, I mentioned that the soul can be understood as a container that needs to be filled with the essence of that person. What a person demonstrates to the outside world, in character, personality, desires, fortitude, etc, is that which is stored, processed, and released from the soul. (Please note that this attempt to express the soul, and make it easier to understand, is my personal, and creative explanation based on what I learn from the Word.)

Now, what comes out of the soul of a person is expressed in a few different ways in the Bible. We have investigated some biblical references to things like, the heart of a man, the spiritual mind, the carnal mind, the natural man, the spiritual man, the new man, also known as the inner man, and the old man. Jesus hinted on the contents of the soul when he reprimanded the pharisees, saying they were like whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, in the soul, they were full of dead men’s bones, uncleanness, hypocrisy and iniquity, Matt.23:27-28.

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 1 - One Human, Three Parts)

How does Romans 5 to 8 work in a Human Being? (Part 1 - One Human, Three Parts)

The following post is a personal interpretation of my understanding of the tri-part structure of a human being, and how the living Word (or Spirit) of God works within these parts. The focus of the extended study is not so much on the different parts of the human, but rather to investigate how the Word of God works within the human, and which part of them it affects most. There is an interesting twist in the study, as Paul also introduces two lives, or two 'laws' within the human, that is of greater significance, and to which this study will invest more time to understand.

The Tri-part Structure of a Human Being

The Bible tells us that every human is a tri-part being. Spirit, soul, and body. Let's see what the Word has to say about this.

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Recognize the value and worth of this book

Recognize the value and worth of this book

My wife had run into the pharmacy, while I waited in the car. In the quietness of that moment, whilst looking out at the cars driving past, the people walking about, the clouds drifting on the winds, and the sun, soon to be setting over the green hills in the distance, I started thinking about how all this came to be, how that by words, God had spoken this all into reality.

My mind locked onto the Word of God. That book, the Bible, and all the words written into it. It’s amazing how much one’s mind can contemplate in a moment of quiet! As my thoughts drifted about, I settled on the fact that EVERY WORD in the Bible is true, Rom.3:4. Every word written in its pages is filled with God’s living Spirit and is alive, and active, Heb.4:12, and full of grace. Besides the cross of Christ, the Bible is the greatest tangible object we have in this world today. This book is given to us by God Himself. It is a gift of epic proportions, and its value is incomprehensible. Can you even imagine that when you flip through its pages, the words, as you see them laid out before you, are the very breath of God, His will, His thoughts, plans and desires. Can you even comprehend the worth of receiving these words into your mind and spirit and believing them and acting out on them. My mind raced about in this moment, just drowning in the significance and thankfulness of being able to quote some verses, or go home and read those words again.

It is not law, but rather the written Word within us that mortifies the flesh and defeats sin

... Continued from this post.

It is not law, but rather the written Word within us that mortifies the flesh and defeats sin

We, as humans, associate that which is good with law or morality. Society functions in relative peace and safety because of the law. We teach our children obedience to the law, believing it will protect them and serve them when they leave the proverbial nest. The law, rules, regulations, standards, general morality in practice, and any other term to describe a form of decency and acceptability in thought and action, is the base element that suppresses evil, curbs sins, and keeps us functioning in our relationships with others, and our faith in God.

Now, the law might be the common way that humans try to curb evil and keep morality in check, but the Word of God has different advice for this very issue. The Bible tells us that sin and evil is in the flesh, Rom.7:17-20, 24. It teaches us that although the law is good, Rom.7:7, 12, 14, it has little effect on the root cause of sin, Rom.7:9. The Word of God does not attempt to ‘band-aid’ the root of evil, it provides a different solution, one that mortifies the flesh, and in so doing, nullifies sin, Rom 6:7.

What is the LAW in the context of Romans?

What is the LAW in the context of Romans?

When we read Romans, the foundation book of our Christian faith, Paul speaks a lot about the law. For example, here are three verses that refer to ‘law’.

• 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
• 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
• 7:6  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.

If we had context of what the law refers to, we will be able to understand these verses better. I have had people ask, is it the Mosaic law? Is it the 10-commandments? Is it Israel’s 613 laws? Is it state or country laws? Is it church laws? Is it secular business rules and regulations? Is it my own personal rules I follow to be a good person and serve God?