THE LURE OF FORBIDDEN FRUIT

Romans 7:1-25

By David Woodbury

Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? 2 For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. 3 So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:1-6 – NLT)

To understand this section of Romans we need to link it back to chapter 6, particularly verse 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace; unless we do we cannot properly understand the passage. Perhaps this chapter in Romans is one of the most difficult to understand and it may well be that Paul has written this in a hurry and ends up with a very complex text, however, it makes it abundantly clear the in the new relationship the born-again Christian finds new life in Christ. It describes the termination of a relationship by death, for death cancels all contacts, thus making possible a completely new lifestyle, the kingdom lifestyle. When that happens Christian obedience becomes, not an externally imposed obedience to some written code of laws, but an inner allegiance of the spirit to Jesus Christ. (William Barclay)

Under the old relationship, the law, righteous living was required as an action of our own will. As Paul has been at pains to point out, such a situation, which he often refers to as in the flesh, was totally unworkable and resulted in failure and frustration. The free gift of grace, God’s voluntary and loving favour given to those he saves, results in a righteousness that is not of our own making, but rather a righteousness that is assigned to us when we accept Christ as our Saviour.

When we decide, of our own volition, to accept Christ as our personal saviour, we die to the influence of sin over our lives and are raised to a new existence, a new life where the law has no hold over us. Now free from the bonds of the law we are free to embrace the new kingdom lifestyle, which is a lifestyle, lived under grace and not ruled by law.

The reality is that law has a habit of arousing evil within us. Right from the creation humanity has a strong tendency to want to do what it has been told not to do; it is within the nature of humanity. When a thing is forbidden it lends a certain attraction to it. Released from the restriction of the law: Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:6b – NLT) Now adherence to the letter of the law is replaced by the motivation of love and that motivation enables us to do what the law was powerless to do.

7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life,10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. (Romans 7:7-13 – NLT)

The purpose of God’s law was to enlighten humanity to his requirements for living a righteous life. The fact that it exposed the sinfulness of humanity did not render the law as sinful but rather revealed the sinful nature of humanity. Having had its sinful nature exposed humanity was left with the dilemma of how to address and resolve the situation. The reality is that the law enlightened humanity to God’s righteousness and the chasm humanity faced to bridge the gap between a righteous God and sinful humanity. The law demanded that humanity live a holy life but delivered no power that would enable humanity to achieve it. Here is the dilemma Paul faces in this chapter.

It is interesting to note that off all the commandments it is the 10^th commandment that Paul singles out as an example; “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17 - NLT) Of all the commandments this one directly touches the inner life of thought and motive and highlights the treachery of sin. He goes on to say that sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me. (Romans 7:8a – NLT)

“The lure of forbidden fruit” from the painting "Original sin"

by Jan Brueghel de Oude and Peter Paul Rubens.

Paul then moves on to the seduction that arises within the mind when things are forbidden. There is a sense in which forbidden things become fascinating and desirable than the lure of forbidden fruit,  and it could be argued that in such circumstances law produces sin. He acknowledges that God’s commands were good for humanity but the reality was that humanity was incapable of strictly observing them which resulted in spiritual death and separation from God. The real problem lies with the impact and influence of sin in our lives and its inevitable power over the outcome of our lives. Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. (Romans 7:13b – NLT)

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart.23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (Romans 7:14-25 - NLT)

Here is an example of brutal honesty and transparency, a path that all authentic Christians must travel; the no holds barred confrontation with the inner self. All Christians, at some point in their pilgrimage must come to this place of unrestrained honesty before God and themselves. If so great a saint as Paul struggled with the power and slavery of sin in his life it seems obvious that it is a dilemma that all Christians must encounter and resolve. He is to utter a thought to which honest Christians will resonate: I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. (Romans 7:15 - NLT)

If the fact that something forbidden immediately arouses a desire to do what is prohibited, it is an enlightening psychological fact, but it does not make the prohibition wrong. Consequently, the law is not wrong but rather our inability to fulfill it and this is the predicament that not only faced Paul, but all Christians regardless of their station in life or their progress within the kingdom lifestyle. It is the power and slavery of sin living in me that creates this dilemma. The law, says Paul, expresses something that is basically and essentially good; but the outcome has been to bring into the sharp relief the tyrannical power which sin possesses.

Perhaps no one had more knowledge of the law than Paul (see Phil 3:4-6) and still found it impossible to adequately fulfill is. If knowing the right thing was to do it, life would be somewhat simpler. Many a cricket fan knows all the rules and strategies of the game, but that doesn’t mean they can adequately play the game. Somewhere between knowledge and action there is a huge chasm and, for the Christian, it is this chasm that is bridged by the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

There is a very real possibility that verse 20 can be construed to suggest that we have no responsibility for the sins we commit. The reality is that we determine the mindset within; either controlled by the slavery to sin or the Spirit of God. We need to understand that we are not talking so much about actions of sin, but rather the mindset that controls our lives. In chapter 8 Paul will go on to talk about the life that is controlled by the Spirit of God and the distinction here is that either our lives are controlled by the slavery to sin, or the Spirit of God. Everything Paul writes about the law and sin need to filtered through the prism of grace.