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To: imardmd1

No, Romans 7 refers to Paul’s life as a believer.


101 posted on 09/09/2015 3:13:25 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration (Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people)
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To: fortheDeclaration; WVKayaker
No, Romans 7 refers to Paul’s life as a believer.

This cannot be. If so, that would be totally inconsistent with Paul's instruction in Chapter 6 to the ones professing salvation (made free from sin, Rom. 6:18,22), and the behavior of ones confessing unity with Christ ("in Christ," en being the dative of association, Rom. 8:1,2)(including himself) who walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (of Christ), because they cannot serve the Spirit's law and be concurrently under the law of sin that leads to death.

These Chapters bracketing 7, in which unit Paul describes himself as having been carnal, sold under sin (not freed from its power), and walking after the flesh, is Paul executing the duties of a Pharisee and killing Christians.

In Chapter 8, he has been freed from the bondage to the law of sin and death which he describes in 7 as his master, and has become a God-fearing Christ-serving Apostle demonstrating the sanctified lifestyle developed in a mature Christian.

You cannot have both. To teach Romans 7 as being typical of the life of a regenerated believer-disciple is to give a person who only professes Christ the impression that he possesses Christ, when in actuality he likely does not, and his self-confessed behavior shows it. And that seems to have been the case of the protagonist of this article, sadly.

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (2 Cor. 13:5 AV).

John tells us that a truly saved person does not habitually commit sin, and when guided into spiritual maturity, has overcome the Wicked One.

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (1 Jn. 2:3-6 AV).

This is what is to be taught by the faithful man of God.

The man as described in Romans 7 is not saved. Period.

137 posted on 09/09/2015 2:31:15 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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