In Romans 7, Paul addresses the law, sin, and the inner conflict between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. He continues his teaching on sanctification by exploring the believer’s relationship to the law after salvation. He also candidly describes the struggle with sin that continues even after conversion. The chapter provides insight into the limitations of the law and the powerlessness of our flesh, pointing ultimately to Christ as our deliverer.
Romans 7:1-3
“Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.”
Paul begins by using the analogy of marriage to explain our relationship to the law. Just as a wife is bound to her husband by law until he dies, so too are people bound to the law until death releases them. In this case, the believer is freed from the law through death—specifically, through dying with Christ. Paul is making the case that death brings freedom from the law’s dominion, setting the stage for his teaching on how believers are now under grace rather than law.
Romans 7:4
“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.”
Paul now makes the analogy personal. Believers have died to the law through their union with Christ. This death to the law is not simply for the sake of freedom but so that we might belong to Christ and live fruitful lives for God. Paul emphasizes that the purpose of our being released from the law is to bear fruit for God, living in obedience and righteousness through the power of the Spirit.
Romans 7:5-6
“For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”
Before coming to Christ, we were in the flesh, and our sinful nature was stirred up by the law. The law, while good, revealed our sinful passions, which led to spiritual death. However, through Christ, we have been released from the law’s condemnation and are no longer under its power. We now serve God “in the new way of the Spirit” rather than the old way of legalism, indicating a life empowered by the Holy Spirit rather than mere external conformity to rules.
Romans 7:7-8
“What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.”
Paul anticipates an objection: Is the law itself sinful? He quickly rejects this idea, affirming that the law is good because it reveals sin. The problem is not with the law but with sin. The law makes us aware of sin, as Paul demonstrates with the example of coveting. Sin takes advantage of the law, using the commandment to arouse sinful desires. In other words, the law shows us what sin is, but our fallen nature twists that knowledge, leading us deeper into sin.
Romans 7:9-11
“I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”
Paul recalls his experience with the law: before he truly understood the law’s demands, he felt “alive,” meaning he didn’t fully grasp the gravity of sin. But once the law’s commandments became clear to him, sin came to life, and Paul realized he was spiritually dead. The commandment, which was meant to bring life by pointing to righteousness, instead brought death because sin used it as a tool for condemnation.
Romans 7:12
“So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
Here, Paul clarifies that the law itself is not the problem. The law is holy, righteous, and good because it reveals God’s standard of righteousness. However, because of our sinful nature, we are unable to meet the law’s requirements, which leads to death rather than life.
Romans 7:13
“Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.”
Paul makes it clear that it wasn’t the good law that brought death, but sin working through the law. The law served to expose the true nature of sin, showing how deeply corrupt and pervasive it is. Sin becomes “sinful beyond measure” when it is exposed by the law’s righteous standard.
Romans 7:14-16
“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.”
Paul shifts to a more personal struggle, acknowledging the ongoing battle with sin. Though the law is spiritual and good, he recognizes that his flesh is still influenced by sin. This results in a frustrating internal conflict where Paul’s desire to do good is met with his inability to carry it out perfectly. His struggle affirms that the law is good because he agrees with it even while failing to keep it.
Romans 7:17-20
“So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”
Paul identifies the source of this conflict: the sin that still dwells within him. Even though he has been saved and is a new creation in Christ, the remnants of sin in his flesh continue to influence him. This tension highlights the believer’s ongoing struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Paul’s desire for righteousness is frustrated by his sinful nature, and though his mind is set on doing good, his flesh often leads him astray.
Romans 7:21-23
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.”
Paul recognizes that while he delights in God’s law in his inner being, there is a competing force within him—the law of sin. This “law of sin” wages war against his mind, creating a battle between the desire to obey God and the pull of sinful flesh. This inner conflict is the reality of life in a fallen world, even for those who are redeemed.
Romans 7:24
“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
Paul reaches the climax of his frustration, recognizing the depth of his struggle with sin. His cry of despair—”Wretched man that I am!”—reflects the anguish of trying to live righteously in the flesh. However, Paul doesn’t stop at despair. He immediately points to the hope of deliverance.
Romans 7:25
“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
Paul concludes by giving thanks to God through Jesus Christ, who alone can deliver us from the power of sin. While Paul acknowledges the ongoing battle between his mind, which delights in God’s law, and his flesh, which is prone to sin, the ultimate victory is found in Christ. Christ’s death and resurrection provide the solution to the problem of sin and the law, freeing believers to live in the Spirit, as Paul will explain further in Romans 8.
Key Themes in Romans 7:
- The Law Reveals Sin: The law is holy, righteous, and good, but it also exposes the depth of human sinfulness. It reveals our inability to meet God’s standard apart from grace.
- The Ongoing Struggle with Sin: Even after salvation, believers experience a battle between the flesh and the Spirit. The desire to do good is often met with the reality of sin’s influence on our fallen nature.
- The Law Cannot Save: While the law reveals sin, it cannot save us from it. The law points to our need for a Savior—Jesus Christ, who delivers us from the power of sin.
- Dependence on Christ for Deliverance: Paul’s cry for deliverance from the “body of death” points to the ultimate solution—Jesus Christ, who gives us victory over sin and death. This prepares the reader for the message of life in the Spirit, which Paul will expound on in Romans 8.
Conclusion:
Romans 7 provides a deep and honest look at the believer’s struggle with sin. Paul acknowledges the reality of the inner conflict between the desire to obey God and the power of sin at work in the flesh. While the law reveals sin, it cannot save. The chapter ends with a note of hope—deliverance is found in Jesus Christ. He alone has the power to rescue us from sin, and through Him, we are empowered to live in the Spirit, as Paul will elaborate in the following chapter.