Romans Chapter 7 — The Law and the Struggle with Sin
Paul explains that believers are released from the law through Christ and describes the difficult internal conflict between knowing what is good and doing what is wrong.
1Or don’t you know, brothers*The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.” (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?
2For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband.
3So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man.
4Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God.
5For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit to death.
6But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.
7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”✡Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21
8But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
9I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
10The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death;
11for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.
12Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good.
13Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful.
14For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.
15For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.
16But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good.
17So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.
18For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good.
19For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.
20But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.
21I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present.
22For I delight in God’s law after the inward person,
23but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.
24What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?
25I 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.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Romans 7:6
“But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.”
This verse highlights the transition from living under legalistic requirements to serving God through the Holy Spirit.
Romans 7:12
“Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good.”
Paul affirms that the moral law of God remains inherently good despite the human struggle to fulfill it.
Romans 7:24
“What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?”
This verse captures the climax of human helplessness in the face of sin and the need for a savior.
Chapter Summary
Romans Chapter 7 begins with an analogy of marriage to illustrate that the law's authority ends at death, meaning believers are free from the law through their union with the crucified and risen Christ. Paul then clarifies that the law itself is not sinful; rather, it exposes and defines sin. He explains that even though the law is holy and good, sin uses the law to bring death to the individual. In the second half of the chapter, Paul describes a deeply personal struggle where the 'inward person' delights in God's law, but the 'flesh' remains captive to sin. This results in a frustrating cycle where one does the very things they hate despite desiring to do good. The chapter concludes with a cry for deliverance from this 'body of death,' pointing toward the rescue found through Jesus Christ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Paul compares the law to marriage, noting that a wife is bound to her husband only as long as he lives. He uses this to explain that believers have 'died' to the law through Christ, allowing them to be 'married' to Him instead.
No, Paul explicitly states that the law is holy, righteous, and good. He argues that the law's purpose is to reveal what sin is, though sin uses the law to produce disobedience in humans.
Paul describes a conflict where a person desires to do good according to God's law but finds themselves doing the evil they hate. He attributes this to sin dwelling within the fleshly nature of humanity.
After expressing his frustration with his internal conflict, Paul concludes the chapter by thanking God that deliverance comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Study Note
The shift in tense from past to present in verse 14 has led to much discussion among scholars regarding whether Paul is describing his past life or his current Christian experience.
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