Rom 7:1 Or do you not know, brothers – for I speak to those knowing the Torah – that the Torah rules over a man as long as he lives?
Rom 7:2 For the married woman has been bound by Torah to the living husband, but if the husband dies, she is released from the Torah concerning her husband.
Rom 7:3 So then, while her husband lives, she shall be called an adulteress if she becomes another man’s. But if her husband dies, she is free from that part of the Torah, so that she is not an adulteress, having become another man’s.
Rom 7:4 So my brothers, you also were put to death to the Torah through the body of Messiah, for you to become another’s, the One who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to Elohim.
Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins, through the Torah, were working in our members to bear fruit to death.
Rom 7:6 But now we have been released from the Torah, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in newness of Spirit and not in oldness of letter.
Rom 7:7 What, then, shall we say? Is the Torah sin? Let it not be! However, I did not know sin except through the Torah. For also the covetousness I knew not if the Torah had not said, “You shall not covet.”
Rom 7:8 But sin, having taken the occasion through the command, did work in me all sorts of covetousness. For apart from Torah sin is dead.
Rom 7:9 And I was alive apart from the Torah once, but when the command came, the sin revived, and I died.
Rom 7:10 And the command which was to result in life, this I found to result in death.
Rom 7:11 For sin, having taken the occasion through the command, deceived me, and through it killed me.
Rom 7:12 So that the Torah truly is set-apart, and the command set-apart, and righteous, and good.
Rom 7:13 Therefore, has that which is good become death to me? Let it not be! But the sin, that sin might be manifest, was working death in me through what is good, so that sin through the command might become an exceedingly great Sinner.
Rom 7:14 For we know that the Torah is Spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15 For what I work, I know not. For what I wish, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do.
Rom 7:16 But if I do what I do not wish, I agree with the Torah that it is good.
Rom 7:17 And now, it is no longer I that work it, but the sin dwelling in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good. For to wish is present with me, but to work the good I do not find.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I wish to do, I do not do; but the evil I do not wish to do, this I practice.
Rom 7:20 And if I do that which I do not wish, it is no longer I who work it, but the sin dwelling in me.
Rom 7:21 I find therefore this law, that when I wish to do the good, that the evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the Torah of Elohim1 according to the inward man
One of the most seemingly confusing passages in Scripture. Allot of people chop this section of Scripture up to try to show that Paul was teaching against the Torah (Law) of God. Completely ignoring – Acts and other Passages – many of them being right in this section of Scripture, that denies such a view. But still it does seem that Paul is contradicting Himself here doesn’t it?
So lets try to explain this in a way we can all comprehend.
The wages of sin are? Death!
An adulteress had to be? Put out, or put to death!
So if a woman was an adulteress could she come back into her husbands home and act like everything was OK? No! Even if the Husband wanted to he couldn’t without becoming an adulterer as well.
If the marriage covenant was to stand or be reinstated someone had to die. According to our Learned scholar Paul if the Husband died then the bride was released from the former marriage covenant, and the penalty for breaking it. Thus she was allowed to remarry. She was free freed from her past transgression, the death penalty was paid and she was no longer in covenant relationship to her Husband. Till death do us part!
So our Messiah came back for His adulterous bride, and could not bring her back into the covenant of marriage, which was done on mount Sinai. He had to first come as the Suffering Servant according to Isiah 52, and 53.
Isa 53:5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our crookednesses. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
He had to first redeem His Bride. So that when He does return we could be remarried in a covenant relationship.
Lets now look at this apparent contradiction in terms of the Law. For Paul seemingly goes back and forth on this idea of loving, keeping the Law, and saying that t is no more throughout Romans 7.
So which is it? Are we who are redeemed to keep the Law or not.
One of the biggest differences is that under the marriage covenant that was agreed to at the foot of mount Sinai. Where Israel agreed to do all that our God says, before we even heard it all the way through.
They had agreed to God's covenant and promised to abide by it before they had even heard the terms. Notice what they said in Exodus 19, before the giving of the Ten Commandments which comes in chapter 20:
Exo 19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people unto the LORD.
Let me be very clear. It was not wrong to accept all that God would say before He even said it. This should be a positive example for us all. We are to know that God is good, righteous, and just. He is only going to give us what is best for us in every way. Including His Laws, statues, and judgments. This is how we are supposed to view our faith. More specific we are to have faith like a child.
Luk 18:17 Yes! I tell you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it at all!"
This is what this saying means. To know, as a child knows, that his father has only his best at heart, and will never give them a command that will hurt them.
Once one has agreed to a marriage covenant one has to keep it.
We can all agree that Israel broke that covenant many times collectively as a nation.
Jer 31:32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD.
Let me very clear. Israel was not replaced by anyone. By definition they were adulterers.
Isa 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.
Isa 54:6 For the LORD hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God.
Isa 54:7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
So they where effectively what we would call today as divorced (cast off, put out). So how was our God supposed to reenter a marriage covenant with an adulterer? According to His Law he couldn’t. So as Sauel (Paul) so eloquently puts it, the husband died to remove the Bride from her transgression, and she can remarry the Risen King. Now it is our God who is doing the heavy lifting.
The Torah (Law) is at the moment not about “HAVE TO” it is about “GET TO”.
We are not in the renewed marriage covenant yet, that will be established at the Second coming, so until then we are preparing to be the Bride our God has called us to be.
Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
There are certain expectations put on an expectant Bride to be. There are certain obligations such as chastity - just to name one.
We see this with the earthly mother of our Lord. Mary was afraid, once she became impregnated by the Spirit. She was afraid that the community, and her Bridegroom would put her out as an adulteress. And if the the Angel had not appeared to Joseph that may very well have happened.
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
Mat 1:20 But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
So through this we can see certain expectations put on a bride to be.
We have to learn what our expectations are. We must learn the difference between being in a covenant and committing adultery.
We must be ready for our Bridegroom when he comes.
Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
Mat 25:3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward come also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
As we go forth and test these new ideas in Scripture let us pray that our Father gives us His Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and truth. So we may see and walk as our Messiah walked, and be true disciples in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus). May we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the glory of our God
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