Understanding Romans 7:14: Lloyd-Jones on the Spiritual Law and Carnal Man

What does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones say is the main controversy surrounding Romans 7:14-25?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the main controversy centers on the identity of the person Paul is describing in this passage. He outlines three main views that have been held throughout church history:

1. Paul is describing an unregenerate man (non-Christian)
2. Paul is describing a regenerate man (Christian) at his best, possibly even himself at the time of writing
3. Paul is describing a regenerate man in the early stages of Christian life, before receiving a "second blessing" or deeper spiritual experience

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this passage has led to more debate and unfortunately even "wrangling and display of spirit far removed from that which is taught in the New Testament" than perhaps any other section in Romans.

How does Lloyd-Jones approach the interpretation of difficult passages like Romans 7?

Lloyd-Jones advocates an approach characterized by:

1. Humility and caution, acknowledging that great biblical scholars have disagreed
2. Avoiding a "party spirit" that blindly follows a particular theological system
3. Maintaining an open mind guided by the Holy Spirit
4. Using an inductive method - examining the statements themselves before drawing conclusions
5. Comparing Scripture with Scripture to understand terms consistently
6. Considering the context and flow of Paul's argument

He specifically rejects starting with a predetermined view and then looking for evidence to support it, saying: "I'm not going to give you a view and then prove I'm right. No, we'll adopt the inductive method and we'll work up to a conclusion."

What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the main subject of Romans 7:14-25?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the main subject of this passage is not primarily Paul's personal experience but rather the nature and function of God's law. He says:

"The apostle in this section is not primarily concerned to give his experience. He isn't setting out just to tell us something about himself. He is telling us about what he thinks about the law, the nature of the law, what the law is meant to do, what the law is not meant to do, the limits to the law, what the law, in other words, cannot do."

Lloyd-Jones argues that Paul is continuing his defense against two charges about his teaching on the law: 1. That he taught the law was sin (addressed in 7:7-12) 2. That he taught the law produces death (addressed in 7:13-25)

What does Lloyd-Jones say about the significance of Paul's use of present tense in Romans 7:14?

Lloyd-Jones acknowledges the shift from past tense in the earlier verses to present tense in verse 14 ("I am carnal" rather than "I was carnal"), but argues this doesn't automatically settle the interpretation question.

He explains that this could be an example of what he calls the "dramatic present" - a rhetorical device where someone speaks in present tense to make a point more vivid or objective. Lloyd-Jones states:

"It's a very, very common form of establishing a point. It's something that often happens, indeed, almost invariably in an illustration. So that we are equally entitled to say that the apostle here is putting this whole position in this personal way in order to make it objective."

Lloyd-Jones notes that if the present tense automatically determined the interpretation, there would never have been centuries of debate among great theologians about this passage.

What does Lloyd-Jones teach about the meaning of "carnal" in Romans 7:14?

Lloyd-Jones identifies two uses of "carnal" (fleshly) in Scripture:

1. The primary meaning refers to unregenerate people who are "in the flesh" and opposed to God (Romans 8:5-9) - people living apart from God's Spirit.

2. A secondary meaning refers to immature Christians or "babes in Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:1-4) who, though regenerate, still think and act according to worldly patterns.

Based on these definitions, Lloyd-Jones concludes that the statement "I am carnal, sold under sin" cannot be referring to: - The mature apostle Paul when writing Romans (since he was not an unregenerate man) - A fully developed, mature Christian (since Paul wouldn't describe himself as "carnal" in either sense)

This leads him toward the view that Paul is using the "I" to represent either an unregenerate person or a Christian at a very early stage of spiritual development.