The Motions of Sin unto Death Romans 7:5

Paul the apostle told the people in Rome how they, “are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God”, and in chapter seven and verse five of Romans, Paul referred to what happened, “when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins” where we read:

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law,

did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

The verse begins, “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law,” Paul began with the word, “for” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore” “when we were” which means “at the time Paul, his companions and his readers were ” “in the flesh” or “living according to the sensuous human nature which is apart from divine influence and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God”, “the motions” or “the passions and desires” “of sin” which means “missing the mark, erring and being mistaken”, “which were by the law” or “that were through, by reason and means of the rule producing at state acceptable to God”. Paul noted the time when he, his companions and his readers were living according to their “fleshly” or “sensuous” “sinful desires and passions”.

The verse continues, “did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.” Paul added the words, “did work” or “were operative, effective and put forth power” “in our members” which means “in Paul's, his companions' and his readers' bodies and parts of their bodies” “to bring forth fruit” or “to bear and be fertile with deeds and works” “unto death” which means “that separation (whether natural or violent) of the soul and the body by which the life on earth is ended”. Paul recognized the “works of the flesh” resulted in “death”.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see how he acknowledged the end of the “works of the flesh” - “death”. We note how he writes these things as though they are in the past, and because he, his companions and his believing readers have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal “Savior and Lord”, the “works of the flesh” are no longer their passion. The “acts of the flesh” result in “death”, and the relationship with Jesus Christ enjoys “life, peace and fulfillment”. Let all who read these words know that Jesus came to “give life, and life more abundantly”.

Next time we see Paul tell his readers, “now we are delivered from the law”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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