How does Romans 7:13 connect with Paul's teachings on grace in Romans 6? Setting the Flow: Romans 6 into Romans 7 • Romans 6 celebrates our release from sin’s reign by grace through union with Christ’s death and resurrection. • Romans 7 then addresses misunderstandings about the Law: is the Law itself sinful or deadly? Paul’s answer in 7:13 keeps grace and Law in their proper places. Key Text Romans 7:13: “Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful.” Shared Logic: “Certainly Not!” • Romans 6:1 – “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? Certainly not!” • Romans 7:13 – “Did that which is good become death to me? Certainly not!” ➡ Paul uses the same emphatic denial to guard two priceless truths: – Grace does not authorize ongoing sin. – God’s Law is not evil; it exposes evil. How Romans 7:13 Complements Romans 6 1. The Purpose of the Law and the Purpose of Grace • Law: reveals, defines, magnifies sin (7:13; 3:20). • Grace: releases from sin’s mastery (6:14), enables obedience from the heart (6:17-18). • Together: Law shows the infection; grace supplies the cure. 2. Exceedingly Sinful vs. Abounding Grace • 7:13—sin becomes “exceedingly sinful” under the spotlight of the commandment. • 5:20—“where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” • Romans 6 then insists that this super-abounding grace does not pamper sin but overpowers it. 3. Death’s Role • 7:13—sin “produced death in me” through what is good. • 6:6-7—our “old self was crucified” so we would “no longer be slaves to sin.” • The Law condemns the sinner to death; grace unites the believer to Christ’s death, satisfying that condemnation and opening the way to new life. 4. Motivation for Holy Living • Law unmasks sin’s ugliness (7:13)—we see its true colors. • Grace stakes a new identity: “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (6:11). • Seeing both the horror of sin and the beauty of grace fuels genuine sanctification. Supporting Verses • Romans 6:12 – “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body.” • Romans 7:6 – “Now, having died to what bound us, we serve in the new way of the Spirit.” • Romans 8:3-4 – God “condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us.” • Galatians 3:24 – “The Law became our guardian to lead us to Christ.” Practical Takeaways • Let the Law keep diagnosing; let grace keep delivering. • When temptation whispers, remember Romans 7:13—sin is “exceedingly sinful,” never harmless. • When failure occurs, run to Romans 6—grace empowers a fresh walk in righteousness. Summary Romans 7:13 explains why the Law, though good, seems to bring death: it exposes sin’s lethal nature. Romans 6 proclaims that grace answers this exposure by setting us free from sin’s dominion. The two chapters join to show: the Law exposes, grace liberates; the Law convicts, grace transforms. |
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