The Regular Guys Bible Study
The Regular Guys Bible Study podcast -- RGBS -- is a podcast for regular guys by regular guys (not theologians) studying the Bible together. It's brought to you by a couple of goofy guys who just want to study the Bible together and show you that anyone can read and study the Bible. In fact, you SHOULD read and study the Bible yourself. We're here to show you how we do it, and, hopefully, we can have some fun along the way.
The Regular Guys Bible Study
Romans 7
We dive into Romans 7, exploring Paul's powerful message about our relationship to the law and the internal struggle all believers face with sin.
• Paul uses marriage as a metaphor to explain how believers are released from the law through death with Christ
• The law reveals sin rather than preventing it – we wouldn't know what coveting was without the command not to covet
• Even as Christians, we experience an ongoing battle between our desire to do right and our tendency to do wrong
• Paul's candid admission "what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do" resonates with every believer's experience
• Despite our struggles, there is no condemnation for those in Christ – we're free from the law of sin and death
• Our inability to perfectly keep God's law should lead us to grace – both for ourselves and for others who struggle
• The solution to our moral failures isn't trying harder but finding deliverance through Jesus Christ
Join us next week as we continue our study in Romans 8, where Paul develops the theme of life in the Spirit.
https://theregularguysbs.kas-m.com
You are listening to the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast, the Bible study for regular guys by regular guys. We are your hosts, ken and Steve, and we are just regular guys studying the Bible together not theologians, that sounds pre-recorded. Um, really Well, maybe we should practice it more so that it sounds a little less pre-recorded, maybe. All right, steve? Well, you know we are recording this on not our normal recording time, and I appreciate you being flexible so that I can go have fun next week.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you've got a boondoggle coming up, huh.
Speaker 1:I do, I do, I can't wait. You know, boondoggles? No, it's not a boondoggle, because boondoggles are paid for by the company. Fair by the company. This is there. This is not paid for by the company. So it's um, it's uh, it's just a, you know, hopefully a fun week and it might actually be a hard week of work, so you're gonna bring any games with you oh, I hadn't even thought about that. Huh, hmm, dang. Now I've got to.
Speaker 2:I don't know. Well, you know what I get to do today, Ken. What?
Speaker 1:Taxes.
Speaker 2:I thought you had somebody do your taxes for you. I still have to collect all the junk.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what, that's why I don't have someone do my taxes. I don't think that's any easier. I still have to collect all the junk. And yeah, you know what, that's why I don't have someone do my taxes. I don't think that's any easier. I still have to find everything. And then I have to go double check to make sure they didn't screw up my rsus or espp and all that stuff. You're just so it, um. So, if you recall, um, I, I was thinking about doing a home office, like declaring a seven foot by six foot area of my home as a home office, because I do nothing but either work for, for, for this chasm LLC, which does this recording, or my, my work. I I'll work here at my desk when I don't go into the office, which is quite often, but it didn't save me anything.
Speaker 2:I didn't think it would.
Speaker 1:Do you know why, though? Because the combination of my salary and my deductions. I think anyone who really tithes can't really take advantage of a lot of the deductions, because, um it you remove, you've already deducted, deducted so much that they're saying you maxed out your deductions. Yeah, you're not going to deduct anymore, so, oh well. So at least I mean it's good, at least I don't have to worry about that in the future, that's true. So all right, so you're working on taxes today.
Speaker 1:That's awful steve, I might do it tomorrow you're, I like to procrastinate and it's a really pretty day, it is a nice day, and tomorrow might have some storms. They said so, perfect, I'll pull, I'll postpone, yeah, postpone, put it off. I mean you've got until the 15th, right?
Speaker 2:I have until the 9th when I leave for Ireland.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, That'll be fun, all right, are you doing Ireland like on a tour thing, like a bus that goes around with a bunch of other people? Yeah, do you like those things Generally Really? Yeah, do you like those things Generally Really? Yeah, because you like to get to know people or because you don't have to?
Speaker 2:do anything, because I don't have to drive and I don't have to do anything and everything's already arranged.
Speaker 1:But isn't it kind of like don't you get tired of waiting on that one slow person?
Speaker 2:There's always one slow person right, yeah, that can happen, 'll see okay I'm thinking about doing something like that in uh maybe maybe, maybe we're the slow people and so I just don't notice uh, could be.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, if you're going. No, I never have to wait on anybody all right?
Speaker 2:well, guys, we should get going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we should.
Speaker 2:We're on roman seven today and I'm gonna read the first section and you're gonna read the second.
Speaker 1:No, let's, let's switch it up today.
Speaker 2:No, no, you agreed last week that you would do the second section this week but anyway, um, we're going.
Speaker 1:Roman seven uh, we just finished with Romans 6 last week. Well, that's kind of obvious. So if you haven't read Romans 7, I'm not talking to you, steve, I'm talking. Well, I guess I am. But if you haven't read Romans 7, you know, pause this, go read it, get it in your head and it'll be a whole lot easier to follow. So thanks for coming back. Now let's go, steve.
Speaker 2:Do you not know, brothers and sisters for I'm speaking to those who know the law that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?
Speaker 2:For example, by law, a married woman is bound to her husband as long as that person lives. For example, by law, a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress, but if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man. So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the written code.
Speaker 1:All right, that was um seven through 13, um Romans seven. One through six.
Speaker 2:by the way, Where'd the 13 come from? I don't know.
Speaker 1:I have no idea, Um, anyway. So I think it's interesting. Uh, in the very first verse, first verse, he's talking about the law, and then he's you know? So he says, for I am speaking to those who know the law, so, and we know from other references that this letter is really to both right, it's to the Jews and to the Gentile Christians, but a lot of it.
Speaker 2:Go ahead. I went back and I kind of looked to see who is he talking to, because this makes it sound like it's just to the Jews, because I wouldn't expect the Christians to know the law that well. But, maybe it's enough years later that they have learned it.
Speaker 1:I think they know somewhat of the law, but they definitely haven't studied the law, and um remember. A lot of this, though, is talking to the jews about why the gentiles are should be okay. When I say the Jews, I mean the Jewish believers. These are Jewish why the Jewish Christians should Accept the Gentile Christians as brothers and sisters in Christ and not as some secondary citizen, and so that's what he's. I think that's another. He's making another argument for that here, in that you know, when you die, you are no longer bound by the law. Yeah, I agree, and so when have we died as believers?
Speaker 2:When we were baptized.
Speaker 1:Yes, we have died with Christ, as he talked about. That last week, right, that last week, right when we talked about where some of when we go to a baptismal service, we hear some of these exact quotes from chapter six that we read last week. And so you know, we died and are buried with Christ and we rise again with new life in him. And so he's saying that you know, when you die, the law no longer applies, and he gives an example of a woman whose husband dies, which is interesting, because she didn't die.
Speaker 2:No, but the man died, and so that broke their binding.
Speaker 1:Right. The binding was broken by death.
Speaker 2:But I thought the example he chooses is a little interesting to me, because I'm guessing he's talking primarily to men here, because if he said this to women, at least in now, in this time and age, women would be offended by this, I think. Why are you saying it takes a man to make an adulteress too?
Speaker 1:I, I, yes, but I think he's not talking just to men here Because, remember, he talks about multiple things strong women in the faith that are very important to him, like lydia, who is the first, uh, the first female convert. That's recorded in the bible by from paul. So, um, I don't know, I, I don't think he's just talking to men. I don't, culturally, I think that this, completely this, does not offend any women there?
Speaker 2:Probably not. Probably not, then. And it's a pretty well-known law and one of the more strict ones, since it's punishable by death, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean, and he's also saying, hey, you know, but he is releasing this woman. I mean he's saying that the woman is released from that law, right. So this is a very positive thing for women in the culture that they are released from that law, that they are released from that law.
Speaker 2:But one could take what he's saying here and say, okay, so we've died to the law through the body of Christ, and so I'm really not married anymore.
Speaker 1:You know, but as we read last week. Steve does this mean okay, we just have full license to sin. So you know woo-hoo? No, by no means. He says Certainly not, certainly not. We have died to sin, so we've died to law and we've died to sin. Yeah, that's interesting Both. Actually, we can learn a little bit about that in the next section. Should we go on?
Speaker 2:Sure, please read it, ken. I want to see how well you do. You know what? I'm not going to laugh at all when you say doo-doo.
Speaker 1:Why would I say doo-doo, except if I'm just copying you. Just then, it was at the trick. Haha, you got me all right. All right, here we go. Steve um wants me to read this very long section because he thinks I can't read very well, and you know, that might be.
Speaker 2:I don't want to read it because it's going to be a challenge.
Speaker 1:It is, it is. There's some challenging stuff in here, so let's get going.
Speaker 2:But I think you can do it.
Speaker 1:Ken, I know I can do it All right. This is Romans 7, verse 7 through 24. Romans 7, 7, to the end. What shall we say then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not.
Speaker 1:Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law, for I would not have known what coveting really was, if the law had not said you shall not covet. But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment produced in me every kind of coveting, for, apart from the law, sin was dead Once I was alive, apart from the law. But when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death, for sin seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment deceived me and, through the commandment, put me to death. So then, the law is holy and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good then become death? To me? By no means. Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death so that, through the commandment, sin might become utterly sinful.
Speaker 1:We know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good as it is. It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me, for I know that good itself does not dwell in me. That is in my sinful nature, for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out, for I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do. This I keep on doing.
Speaker 1:Now, if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work. Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me, for in my inner being I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So then I myself, in my mind, am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature, a slave to the law of sin. You did it.
Speaker 2:Wow, I don't think you even messed up. You know what I'm shocked.
Speaker 1:That is a God thing right there. There is no way I deserved to be. There's no way I could read that cleanly on my own.
Speaker 2:I can't even read it in my head and keep it straight. You managed to do it though.
Speaker 1:God. Thank you so much for giving me the words when I read that. That is awesome.
Speaker 2:Man. How many times is the word do used in that paragraph, Ken?
Speaker 1:There's a lot of do in that paragraph. I do not do what I do want to do. Do, yeah, all right. So there's a lot in here, steve, but some of it I don't get in here, steve, but some of it.
Speaker 2:I don't get. I count 21 if you count doing, and does you actually counted I?
Speaker 1:just did yes, okay, okay. That's a lot of do-dos, that's a lot of do's and does yes, and you counted don't right, I might have missed a don't, so it would make 22?. There's several, oh, maybe do not.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I don't know if there is a don't.
Speaker 2:I bet there's not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't see a contraction. All right, so what does that?
Speaker 2:tell you yeah, that's a lot of stuff so he talks about. He's unable to do what is good, and to me this whole thing sounds like the devil made me do it, sort of a cop-out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean he ends this section with so then I myself, in my mind, am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature, a slave to the law of sin.
Speaker 2:It feels like he's just saying well, that's just how it is, which pretty much is true. We're unable to perfectly keep the law, and we always will sin.
Speaker 1:And he also says and this is more to your point, I think now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it yeah, that's the one so it's like I didn't do it. I didn't lust after that person. That was sin living in me, that did that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So is that what he means? Is he saying um, uh, not my fault?
Speaker 2:Well, that's the way it comes across. I don't know if if that's what we should take from this, though I mean, I guess that's having grace for yourself when you do screw up, maybe.
Speaker 1:I think so, um, and I'm going to just read the first verse of the next chapter, because you know, paul did not break this thing into chapters Um, and it's kind of a shame that we end where we end, um, because we are doing chapters Um, but you know, it says um. Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because Christ Jesus, uh, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. I mean, I don't know if that makes it better, but we are set free from this law of sin and death through Christ.
Speaker 2:See, now I think it makes a little difference to say from the law of sin and death, because sin and death sounds like one thing but sin and death.
Speaker 1:The consequences of sin are two things. Are you going?
Speaker 2:to say them Sin and death.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay. Well, I've always heard the consequences of sin are separation from God, spiritual death, spiritual I guess that's a spiritual death. So hold it. The consequences of sin Is death, is death Right and we're freed from both. And we are freed from both. And we are freed from both. In last week's chapter 6, it says we are given the right.
Speaker 1:Let me see For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord it says somewhere also that we are given the right to eat from the tree of life which was in the garden, or is that something else I was reading?
Speaker 2:No, I think it was in here. I don't see it, though when is that Talk amongst yourselves.
Speaker 1:Let's see Well.
Speaker 2:I see those Shoot Reap's holiness and eternal life I'm not very good at skimming, apparently.
Speaker 1:Where is the stupid tree of life? It's not stupid. Where does it talk about it? Okay, maybe it was the week before. It's not stupid. Where does it talk about it? Okay, maybe it was the week before.
Speaker 2:No, that was too long ago.
Speaker 1:I think it was a long time ago. Okay, at any rate, I know it talks about that. We are given the right to eat of the tree of life again, which was in the original garden, eat of the tree of life again, which was in the original garden, and then, when man was thrown out of the garden, we no longer could eat from the tree of life.
Speaker 1:So, we are given that right again which gives us eternal life through Christ. Which gives us eternal life through Christ. All right, steve, do you find let me just ask this personal question Do you find that as a believer now, you always do what's right and you're able to do what you want to do, and you know you don't have to worry about that anymore, because you always do the right thing?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, ken, like right now. I am not lying at all. I am telling the absolute truth and I never struggle with sin.
Speaker 1:Okay, so, Steve, we are in accountability together and right now.
Speaker 2:you are lying about that. You're right, I am Okay.
Speaker 1:I thought it was a rhetorical question so I gave you a no. I thought it was maybe just me and Paul that are struggling, but no it's. You know, if you are listening to this as a believer, you know that you still sin and you still, and sometimes you'll know what you what is right, and you still will do the wrong thing. Don't choose to do the wrong thing. Yes, consciously choose. That is the worst right.
Speaker 1:It is right it is when you know what you should do and you consciously decide I'm not gonna do the right thing. Um, I guess in my current stage in life, most commonly that's in maybe an argument with my wife oh man, I know the right thing I should, but I don't want to say it.
Speaker 2:You know, when I reach those points more and more, I find myself just taking a long pause and deciding not to say anything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, sometimes there's that you should not. You know it's in there going. Don't say that. Don't say that, ken, and but I want to. So bad, and the horns come out. Sometimes the horns don't come out, but Didn't come out for March Madness.
Speaker 1:Oh, the horn Hook them didn't come out for, uh, march madness, oh no, my daughter started a fantasy uh, you know, march madness, bracket thing with the family and um, I pictured them to, not to not. If they made it into the bracket they would lose first round. And they didn't even make it in.
Speaker 2:Nope, they lost to a Cincinnati team. Oh is that right. Yeah, xavier's for Cincinnati. They're their crosstown rivals, all right, but at least they made it. Bearcats didn't make it at all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's where you went, cincinnati.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all right Anywho. Yeah, I don't really know what else to say about this section, ken. I mean we struggle with sin. It doesn't mean we're bad people. We should have grace for ourselves and grace for other people who struggle with sin.
Speaker 1:Let's talk a little bit about the first paragraph, because he talks about how the only reason we know what sin is is through laws that say don't do. It is through laws that say don't do it. It says Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law, for I would not have known what coveting really was, if the law had not said you shall not covet.
Speaker 2:See, I struggle with that a little bit because I think we all inherently know at least a little of what is right and what is wrong.
Speaker 1:We know what is nice and what is not nice, but I was thinking about this. But I was thinking about this If God had not told Adam and Eve that they can eat from all the things in the garden except for that one tree? So that was the original law, right?
Speaker 2:The original law was don't eat from that tree and it was the only wrong choice they could make.
Speaker 1:Yes, did they eat from that tree? Well, I would say that the only reason they could sin is because God made that law. Otherwise they could not sin Because there was only one rule. Hmm, Because there was only one rule. If God puts no rules on you, then you cannot sin, Because there is nothing that you do. That could be wrong do.
Speaker 2:That could be wrong. Let's hypothetically speaking. Let's say Adam Eve and Billy Bob were in the Garden of Eden. If Adam had killed Billy Bob, would it have been a sin?
Speaker 1:Ay, ay ay.
Speaker 2:See, I think it would have been.
Speaker 1:You know what, Steve? I do not know the answer. I think it would not have been.
Speaker 2:Hmm, I don't know the answer either.
Speaker 1:I don't know the answer either. Just like just as an animal like a lion kills, a gazelle is not a sin, or a lion kills. This is interesting. I did not know this until I saw some documentary on lions. But male lions will go and kill his um, the male cubs that he sired as as babies, so they won't come up and challenge him and they don't hold him up at the edge of a cliff and sing a song about how someday he'll be king Hakuna.
Speaker 2:Matata.
Speaker 1:But so you know, that seems evil, but is that? A sin for lions to do that. So you know, that seems evil. Yeah, it does.
Speaker 2:But is that a sin for lions to do that? I?
Speaker 1:think it's part of the fallen world that they do that. Maybe I think maybe that's just the way things would be and it would be okay for people, but I don't really know. Honestly, how would we know what? Well, there you go. How would we know what sin is without the law that tells us this is sin?
Speaker 2:You think about a small child who has a toy and this other child comes up and starts playing with a different toy. That first child comes over, steals it and says mine, yep, I don't think that kid knows any better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, at that age that's typical behavior for two-year-olds.
Speaker 2:Oh, thanks for that, Ken. Everyone wanted to hear that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Anyway, man, I'm going to cough some more. We better wrap it up, but anyway, I think that's normal behavior for a two-year-old. And you know, the Bible says in fact, we just learned it, I think, somewhere. I think we've already read it in Romans, but all have sinned. And no, we have not read this yet in Romans, I don't think.
Speaker 1:But all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I don't know if that sin is talking about the two-year-old that says mine and hits the other kid on the head with his bat. But maybe, but it doesn't even have to be, maybe at that age they're not accountable. It doesn't even have to be Maybe at that age they're not accountable and God doesn't even call that sin. I don't know.
Speaker 2:Well, if you continued to use like if you didn't mature and have a parent telling you what was right and wrong, would you end up with extremely selfish and sinful behavior as an adult? And I think the answer is yes. We've seen it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it is. Yes, yeah, okay, Okay. So he says so I find this law at work in me. Although I want to do good, good, evil is right there with me. So that's the state we are in. Um, we want. Even when we want to do good, evil is right there, wanting to draw us away. So what should we do about that, steve?
Speaker 2:Jesus Pray.
Speaker 1:Do our best, yeah, do our best not to sin. We will fail when we do fail, except the grace of God, the grace that comes through Jesus, and just try to do better next time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree with Paul. What a wretched man you are, Ken.
Speaker 1:Yes, paul says what a wretched man I am. Yep, it's true, all right. Well, I think that's it, ken. Yes, paul says what a wretched man I am. Yep, it's true, all right. Well, I think that's it, steve, do you have anything else? Nope, All right. So next week, uh will be Romans, chapter eight and um, read it, make sure you understand it. Uh, you don't have to understand it, just read it.
Speaker 2:Read it and weep.
Speaker 1:I guess the regular, the Regular Guys, bible Study is a Chasm LLC production. All rights reserved.
