The New Testament with Commentary Romans 7

More about law

1 Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know law), that the law has authority over someone only as long as he lives? 2 For example, a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if the man should die, she is released from the law about the husband. 3 So then, if she should ‘marry’ another man while her husband is living, she will be labeled an adulteress; but if the husband should die, she is free from that law, not being an adulteress if she marries another man.

4 Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death to the law through the body* of the Christ so as to belong to another—to Him who was raised from the dead—so that we should produce fruit to God. 5 Because when we were in the flesh,† the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our body parts to produce fruit to death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, having died to what was gripping us, so as to slave in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter.‡

Law and sin

7 So what shall we say then? Is the law sin? Of course not! Indeed, I would not have come to know the sin§ except through the law: I would not have recognized covetousness if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” 8 But the sin, grasping an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting.*

Now without the law sin is dead. 9 Once upon a time, without law, I was actually ‘alive’; but when the commandment came, the sin came to life and I died. 10 Yes, the commandment that was to bring me life turned out to bring death. 11 Because the sin, grasping an opportunity through the commandment, completely deceived me, and used it to ‘kill’ me. 12 So then, the law itself is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Indwelling sin

13 So has what is good become death to me? Of course not! Rather the sin, that it might be exposed as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment the sin might become extremely sinful. 14 We know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, having been ‘sold’ under sin† 15 —you see, I do not understand what I am doing: I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate!‡ 16 But if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who am doing it, but the sin dwelling in me. 18 Further, I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; because to will is present with me, but I do not find how to perform the good. 19 Because I do not do the good that I want to do; rather I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin dwelling in me. 21 So I find this ‘law’: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 I joyfully agree with God's law according to the inner man, 23 but I see a different ‘law’ in my body parts, warring against the law of my mind and taking me captive to the law of the sin that is in my body parts.

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?§ 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve God's law, but with the flesh, sin's law.

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*7:4 This refers to His physical body, and probably to the death of that body.

†7:5 ‘In the flesh’ contrasts with ‘in Christ’ and probably refers to the natural/old man.

‡7:6 We are slaves in any case. What is in view is a change of owner.

§7:7 If not a synonym for the fallen nature, or ‘the flesh’, ‘the sin’ appears to be closely related to it. ‘The flesh’ is Satan's ally inside us while ‘the world’ is his ally outside us. So without the Holy Spirit a person is in a bad way.

*7:8 Anyone who has children has seen this principle at work (also if he can still remember how it was when he was a child). Once upon a time there was a doctrine that said that the children of Christians are born without a sin nature—I have always thought that the only people who could believe that would be people with no children!

†7:14 A person who was sold became a slave ‘under’ a new owner, so I take Paul's point to be that sin is giving the orders.

‡7:15 In this interesting passage Paul contrast his two natures. As an aid to the reader, I will attempt to identify the two natures throughout the passage. 14 We know that the law is spiritual, but I [old] am fleshly, having been ‘sold’ under sin 15—you see, I [new] do not understand what I am [old] doing: I [old] do not practice what I [new] want to do, but I [old] do what I [new] hate! 16 But if I [old] do what I [new] do not want to do, I [new] agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I [new] who am doing it, but the sin dwelling in me [both]. 18 Further, I [new] know that nothing good dwells in me [old], that is, in my flesh; because to will is present with me [new], but I [old] do not find how to perform the good. 19 Because I [old] do not do the good that I [new] want to do; rather I [old] practice the evil that I [new] do not want to do. 20 Now if I [old] do what I [new] do not want to do, it is no longer I [new] who do it, but the sin dwelling in me [both]. 21 So I [new] find this ‘law’, when I [new] want to do good, evil is right there with me [both]. 22 I [new] joyfully agree with God's law according to the inner man [new], 23 but I [new] see a different ‘law’ in my body parts [old], warring against the law of my mind [new] and taking me [both] captive to the law of the sin that is in my body parts [old]. 24 What a wretched man I am [both]! Who will deliver me [new] from this body of death [old]? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself [new] serve God's law, but with the flesh [old], sin's law.

§7:24 A body that insists on sinning is a body that is condemned to death.