Romans 7 the Law vs Romans 8 the Spirit

We need to seek by God's mercy and strength to live in the environment of Romans 8 and not Romans 7. We live to some extent in the Romans 7 environment, a law (and flesh) environment, but we should live in Romans 8, the spirit (and Spirit) environment. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God on a day to day basis, and need God's forgiveness made possible by the death and resurrection of Christ. Sin is still a struggle for all of us, but Christ can give us the victory through faith.

There are a few key verses in Romans 7 that shows that Paul is speaking of his experience under the law. Read firstly Romans 7:1-4. The following is the basis of what he then says in Romans 7 and 8:
Romans 7:5-6 (KJV): "5 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. 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter."

The first example of the law environment given is simply the last of the ten commandments:
Romans 7:7-8 (KJV): "7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence (or coveting ASV). For without the law sin was dead."
Law in its simplest form as a commandment, especially a negative commandment does not bring obedience to that law, rather it even awakens sin, and sin brings death.

The environment introduced through Christ makes us free from the environment of the law, because it brings a new mode of thinking, a new environment patterned after Christ, and the source of this is from Christ. Paul uses a beautiful phrase "the law of the Spirit of life" and this is in contrast to the law environment of Romans 7 which he calls "the law of sin and death".
Romans 8:2 (KJV): "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

The basis of the victory is the sacrifice of Christ. He came in the likeness of sin's flesh. He was in the same human nature as us Hebrews 2:14, but he never allowed sin to rule over him. He rendered sin of none effect, he condemned sin in the flesh, in the very arena where all others sinned.
Romans 8:3 (KJV): "3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh".

An illustration of this process is given in the temptation in the wilderness:
Matthew 4:3-4 (KJV): "3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
How did Jesus overcome? Simply by countering with a Scripture commandment? No, he had meditated and understood the reason for Israel's failure. He had learnt to trust in God's care and provision. The full context of the quotation shows some of the thinking of Christ and how he overcame.
Deuteronomy 8:3 (KJV): "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."

In practical reality we need to grow spiritually to move from a law environment to the Spirit environment. When we are immature in faith we are still in need of law. A good example of this new life, this new environment is:
Galatians 2:20-21 (KJV): "20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

Kind regards
Trevor