Romans Seven - Assurance of Salvation

As we continue our study in Romans 7, I am more deeply grasping how this chapter speaks to the doctrine of Assurance of Salvation.

First, it speaks in this way: As a believer you discover you are still a sinner. You still sin. Are you saved knowing that your thoughts are not perfect? Are you saved knowing that sin still remains?

Romans Seven is very clear - FOR THE BELIEVER THERE IS REMAINING SIN. There is comfort for the wounded in this chapter knowing that even Paul writes, "Oh wretched Man that I am....." we also have this remaining sin as a harasser and ever present foe. So we must always have the weapons of our warfare at the ready.

BUT - THERE IS ANOTHER and second thing coming out of Romans Seven dealing with the doctrine of Assurance of Salvation - and it is this. Yes sin remains even for the believer - but is there a warring against it? Rom 7:23 Don't find Assurance on to slight of Grounds.

Hear Romans Seven speaking of this war: "warring against the law of my mind." Rom 7:23

When it comes to sin can you say: WHAT I HATE THAT I DO? Do you truly hate it? Rom 7:15 Or are you really readily yielding to sin, allowing it, giving willingly way to sin?

Can you say: "It is not I that do it but Sin that dwelleth in me. " Rom 7:17 I am a new creature in Christ, I detest sin, I myself as renewed in the inward man DO IT NOT -- it is SIN that still dwells in me. ????

Or again, Rom 7:19, the evil that I WOULD NOT that I do. I don't want to do it. I hate it. I abhor it - yet there it is - I am new in Christ but not altogether as new as I will be. So now what I do not will to do I find myself yet doing. ????

Consider now A.W. Pink on this topic from the October 1932, Studies In The Scripture. click here

All pretensions unto the present enjoyment of the assurance of faith by those whose daily lives are unbecoming the Gospel, are groundless. They who are confident of entering that Eternal Happiness which consists very much in a perfect freedom from all sin,
but who now allow themselves in the practice of sin (persuading themselves that Christ has fully atoned for the same), are deceived. None truly desire to be free from sin in the future, who do not sincerely long to forsake it in the present. He who does not pant after
holiness here, is dreadfully mistaken if he imagines he desires holiness hereafter. Glory is but grace consummated; the heavenly life is but the full development of the regenerated life on earth. Neither death nor the second coming of Christ will effect any radical change in the Christian: it will only perfect what he already has and is. Any, then, who pretend unto the assurance of salvation, boast of their pardon and present possession of eternal life, but who have not an experience of deep sorrow for sin, real indignation against it, and hatred of themselves because of transgressions, know nothing at all of what holy assurance is.

So there is a heavy emphasis on the renewed inward man in Romans 7, who though finding sin yet within, sins not willingly but to his sorrow and lament.

MAY THIS LAMENT BE FOUND IN ME. God fill me with such a holy hatred of SIN.

Romans Seven - Believer or UNbeliever

Q. Who is the man described in Romans Seven? Is this the experience of an unbeliever or a believer?

A. A Believer for the following reasons:
-The use of the personal pronoun “I” even emphatically in verse 25 “I myself.”

-The moving from past tense indicating Paul prior to conversion and present tense indicating Paul now, the believer.

-Though some things are so dark we wonder how this could be a believer, yet others can be said of none but the believer.

See v 14 “Carnal, sold under sin” and v 22 “delight in the law of God” and v 25 “with the mind I myself serve the law of God,” There is a law “in my members, warring against the law of my mind.”

-Context of Romans Seven within the book of Romans. See “the connection to what came before” above. Romans Seven showing the nature of sanctification further explained. Sin though broken from the reigning power yet remains and is not fully eradicated. There remains the harasser - and we are at war with sin.

ROMANS SEVEN - INTRO

ROMANS KEYWORDS THROUGH CHAPTER SIX

Keywords:
Chap 1: Without Excuse
Chap 2: The Law Condemns
Chap 3: There is none righteous
Chap 4: Imputation/Logizomai
Chap 5: Headship/Representation and 1st Adam - 2nd Adam, or 1st Adam - Last Adam.
Chap 6: Dying and Living, Mortification and Vivification
Chap 7: Oh Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me.

Alternate Keywords:
Chap 1: The Indictment Begins (Rom 1:18)
Chap 2: (open for suggestions)
Chap 3: All have sinned, Total Depravity
Chap 4: Counted Righteous
Chap 5: Federal Headship (the theological term)
Chap 6: Dying to Sin and Living to Righteousness (or Living to God)
Chap 7: Remaining Sin or conflict between grace and corruption

Memory Verses:
Rom 1:20
Rom 2:13
Rom 3:10
Rom 4:3
Rom 5:19
Rom 6: 11
Rom 7:19


Extended Memory Verses
Chap 1: Rom 1:1, Rom 1:8, Rom 1:16-20
Chap 2: Rom 2:12-16
Chap 3: Rom 3:10-12, Rom 3:18, Rom 3:21, Rom 3:23, Rom 3:28-29
Chap 4: Rom 4:23-25
Chap 5: Whole Chapter (If I had to select only two more Rom 5:8, Rom 5:14)
Chap 6: Rom 6:1-2, Rom 6:11, Rom 6:22-23
Chap 7: Rom 7:18, Rom 7:21, Rom 7:24-25


Overview Chapter Seven discussed thus far:

The connection to the what came before: Romans Six laying out both the Nature and the Necessity of Sanctification showing that sanctification consists both in our dying to sin and living to God, v 14. Also that as we are baptized into his death we must be conforming to it as Christ died for our sin we should be dying to it, v3. And as Christ rose and we also raised up to walk in newness of life we must be conforming to his resurrection living unto righteousness, v4. We are no longer under the law but grace and are receivers of great and gracious promises in Christ thus necessitating our sanctification for shall we sin against so much goodness, v 14. Our state is known by that to which we yield our obedience, v16. Sanctification and justification are two separate truths, two things that are not the same and are not to be confused but YET THEY ARE INSEPARABLE. We shall not continue in sin. But this is a high calling, this is a hard calling. And though sin no longer reigns over us and shall not have dominion over us as a tyrant and king we yet find that SIN still remains in us and can say as in ROMANS CHAP 7:19 we are not doing the good that we would but the evil that we would not. OH WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM WHO SHALL DELIVER ME FROM THE BODY OF THIS DEATH? I THANK GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.

Several things we may yet learn in our Study of Romans Seven some as follows:
-There is here a further encouragement to holiness.

-Though sin no longer reigns as formerly, it yet remains and so WE ARE NOT TO TRUST in ourselves.

-Romans Seven teaches us that sin is not yet wholly eradicated in the believer.

-And so we learn further the nature of Sanctification.

-And so also, even for the regenerate believer the law cannot justify. Justification is not by works even in the believer but by faith.

-We gain a right estimation of ourselves knowing that sin yet remains though no longer reigning.

- Romans seven speaks to the assurance of the believer alarmed to find that sin yet remains.