GRACE UNVEILED, “Don’t Blame the Mirror for What You Look Like” #27 | Jim Hammond
Recap
Pastor Jim gave the 27th installment of his series on the book of Romans called, “Grace Unveiled.” We’re in the seventh chapter, nicknamed by scholars as “Law School.” Romans chapter six tells us that sin has no more dominion over you. The reason is because you’re not under the law; instead, you’re under grace. Yet, many believers are living as though they are under Old Covenant law. How does that happen? Their mentality is Old Covenant, not New Covenant. Pastor Jim explains how that happens.
Dive Deeper
Last week, Pastor Jim taught Romans 7:1–6, a text that Bible scholars have nicknamed “Law School.”
The chapter starts out with an allegory, which makes the point that the believer is married to Jesus Christ. If you’re identified with Christ, His death and resurrection, you’re no longer under the Old Covenant law. You’re under a different covenant—a New Covenant.
Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Pastor Jim says, “I feel this is what he’s explaining in Romans 7. How does sin get dominion over you.”
This scripture says that if sin has dominion over you, you are operating under the Old Covenant. You’re not living under a New Covenant mentality. In some way, your thought processes, your connection with God, your communion with God is Old Covenant based.
The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans to a group of little house churches in Rome. Not to one big church in Rome. These smaller house churches had both Jews and Gentiles in attendance.
In chapter seven (nicknamed “law school”), Paul explains how a Christian operating his life under the law winds up mired and dominated and controlled by sin. Paul explained the “how” and “when” of it all.
In the first four verses, Paul used the allegory of marriage to teach the difference between the Old and New Covenants. If you’re in Christ, you believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior. And you’re trying to keep all the Old Testament laws and regulations. Actually, this makes you an adulterer in the spirit.
The Bible is clear: the New Testament says you are dead to the law. You are under another covenant. And as a believer, you are married to one of the two. You’re either married to the law or you’re married to Jesus Christ.
If you’re married to the law, you get into a mindset of where “you’re doing to get.” And you’re doing and you’re doing and you’re doing… “Doing” is what you’re focused on. You’ve got to get everything right. The underlining thought would be “If I do that, then He’ll give me this. He’ll actually owe me. If I’m going to do, then I’m going to get.” That is a mindset under Old Covenant thinking.
Paul is using marriage as an example. What’s a perfect marriage in your mind? Perfect emotional connection. That is what God wants with you—a perfect mental connection, consistent communication. But he’s saying when you’re married to the law, that’s not happening. You’re into the “do’s and don’ts” in order to get. You’re “doing” but you don’t get it.
You know what happens? The book of Galatians says you’re going to be disappointed. They do and they do and they do but never get. That’s when they walk away from Christianity saying, “It doesn’t work!”
It didn’t work because the whole time they were operating under the wrong covenant, operating under the curse of the law, as it says in Galatians. Believers that are married to the law are all wrapped up in their “self-effort.”
When you study Romans chapter seven, you’ll understand why it’s an easy choice between Jesus and the law.
Romans 7:5 starts out “When we were in the flesh…” The flesh is another way of saying you’re under the dominion of the sin nature. Joseph Prince (pastor of 30,000-member church in Singapore) said that when you see the word “flesh” in the New Testament, you can replace it with the phrase “self-effort.”
The law cannot bring you to a righteous life. The only thing the law can do for you as a Christian is demonstrate to you your sinful nature.
That’s why 2nd Corinthians 3:9 calls the law the Ministry of Condemnation: “For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.”
The amount of condemnation you have is a measuring stick that will tell you how much of your mentality is based on Old Covenant mentality. The Apostle Paul called the law the “Ministry of Condemnation.”
Read About It
Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
2nd Corinthians 3:9. “For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.”
Discussion Questions
Why do Bible scholars nicknamed Romans 7:1–6 “Law School”?
The Bible says you are “dead to the law.” What does that mean to you?
Romans 7:5 says “When we were in the flesh…” What does the word “flesh” mean?