Chapter # 7 Paragraph # 2 Study # 2
October 23, 2016
Humble, Texas
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Thesis: Sin's use of "law" is intended to generate all manner of violations.
Introduction: In our last study we saw that Paul doubles down on the question of "Law's" character: is it, as a tool of "The Sin", necessarily, then, "sinful"? His answer was an emphatic negative coupled to the declaration that the divine intention for "law" is "revelation", not "regulation". Paul's point is that a proper understanding of God's purpose for "law" involves seeing it as only a tool for revealing to men the true nature of "sins".
In our study this evening we are going to look into the use of "law" by "The Sin" and the subsequent need for believers to accept their actual "removal" from the domain of "law" altogether.
- I. The Nature of "The Sin's" "Opportunity".
- A. Paul wrote that "The Sin" received an occasion/opportunity "through the commandment".
- 1. The word translated "occasion" (Authorized Version) or "opportunity" (NASB) is a word that indicates the timely arrival of an opportune event for someone to take a specific action that will serve the goal of the one taking the action.
- a. In our context, the "timely arrival" is the point in time when a "law" was set forth by a "law giver".
- b. In this context, the "opportune event" is the giving of what Paul calls "a commandment".
- c. The specific action that is taken is the subtle twisting of the divine intent for the giving of a "commandment" into a different intent.
- 1) This specific action is given in 7:11 where it is called a "deception", using a word that indicates a subtle twisting of truth (2 Corinthians 11:3) and is illustrated by all three of the major temptation accounts (Genesis 3; Matthew 4; and Luke 4) where Satan twists facts toward an illegitimate conclusion.
- 2) The specific nature of the "twist" in our context is the turning of a "commandment" intended to "reveal" into an instrument of merit intended to put men under both a demand for performance and a threat of death for any failure to comply.
- 2. Thus "The Sin" receives this opportunity at any time men become aware of a legal demand made by God.
- B. This "opportunity" is a "chance" for "The Sin" to insert its insidious twist of the divine intent in the giving of any "law".
- II. The Action "The Sin" Took.
- A. Paul says "The Sin" produced all manner of violations of the commandment.
- B. This production depended upon man's built-in susceptibility to spiritual rebellion against God.
- 1. From the very beginning, man had a need for confidence in the goodness of God; a need that was immediately exploited by the serpent through a devious set of lies.
- 2. Afterward, man's need for such confidence was seriously undermined by the very presence of any/all "demands" made by God.
- 3. This undermining was done through man's lack of ability to meet the demands and the emotional reactions that set in with failure.
- C. The immediate reality was a multiplication of violations of God's "demands" through either rage or despair.
- III. The Reason the Commandment Was An Opportunity.
- A. if there had been no commandment, "The Sin" would have had nothing with which to work its rage/despair emotions.
- B. If "The Sin" could not manipulate the rage/despair, "sin" would be effectively impossible.