‘The very commandment that was intended to bring life’ (2) (Romans 7:8-13)

‘The very commandment

that was intended to bring life’ (2)

 

 

 

[Romans 7:8-13]

 

 

 

                Look at Romans 7:10 – “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.”  Here, “the very commandment” is the commandment that leads to the life God has given.  If we keep this commandment, we can live (eg, if we keep 10 years, we can live 10 years, if we keep 100 years, we can live 100 years, and if we keep 1,000 years, we can live 1,000 years).  D

 

If we live by this commandment, we will be blessed.  The first commandment God gave to Adam, the representative of mankind, is recorded in Genesis 2:16-17: “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”  If Adam did not eat the fruit of the forbidden fruit according to this commandment, he would live.  However, if he did not keep that commandment, he would surely die.  If we live according to the commandment, we can receive blessings, do not die, and continue to live.

 

                The Apostle Paul said, it actually brought death (Rom.7:10).  How the very commandment actually brought death?  Look at Romans 7:11 – “For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.”  Satan (“sin”) took the opportunity (seizing the opportunity) to use that commandment to deceive. I sinned because I was deceived, and as a result, I killed myself.  Satan attacked Adam and fell into sin and tried to kill him.  So he saw the opportunity.  Adam loved the woman God had given him, so he must have taught her the commandment of God.  And the two of them must have decided to live together without sinning according to the God's commandment.  But Satan entered the serpent and approached Eve.  And he seduced her.  From Genesis 3:1, there is a scene where the serpent and the woman are talking.  Eve showed the serpent the opportunity (vv. 1-3).  As a result, Eve fell into the serpent's temptation and failed to keep His commandment (vv.4-5).  As a result, he was punished for his sin (v. 7).  Satan tempts us to sin and makes us his servant.  Satan uses false Christs and false prophets as tools to deceive God's chosen children, if possible (Mt. 24:24).  We must not fall for this delusion, but keep the word of God and overcome temptation overwhelmingly.

 

                In Revelation chapters 2-3, there are seven churches in Asia Minor (now Turkey).  In addition to these seven churches in the Bible, if we look at Paul's letters, there were Galatia Church, Colossae Church, Philippi Church, etc..  There were many churches after this, but the reason why the Apostle John, the author of the Revelation, chose the seven churches is because they were representative at that time.  Our church should be like the Philadelphia church.  The Philadelphia church was a blessed church and had an open door (Rev.3:8).  Here, “an open door” is mainly referred to by scholars as the door of evangelism/mission.  Also, Philadelphia church is a church that only receives praise from the Lord.  Even though that church had little strength, it kept the word of the Lord and did not deny His name (v.8).  The Lord said to the Philadelphia church, ‘I will make them to acknowledge that I have loved you’ (v. 9).  The Philadelphia church had kept His command to endure patiently.  So the Lord said that He would also keep them from the house of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth (v. 10).  That church has already been rewarded on earth [(v. 11) “your crown”].  We must all become like the saints of the Philadelphia church.  I hope and pray that we all become a church that receives a lot of praise from the Lord.