An exposition of Paul's Letter to Romans

An exposition of Paul’s Letter to Romans

Chapter 14 of 29 • Chapter 7 • George Booker

In this chapter, the apostle Paul is expanding upon his initial answer to the questions posed in:

Romans 6:1: "Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase?"; and
Romans 6:15: "Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?"

Or, to put it another way, Paul is expanding upon his statement in Romans 6:14:

"You are not under law, but under grace."

While it is all very well to say that the believer has changed Masters, yet there is one thing that has not changed: The body itself is prone to sin, through an inherent weakness. How does this body stand in relation to God's code of righteousness — His Law?

Comment on Rom 7:1

DO YOU NOT KNOW, BROTHERS — FOR I AM SPEAKING TO MEN WHO KNOW THE LAW…?: The NET reads: "Or do you not know…?" The conjunction in the Greek, at the beginning of this verse, shows the flow from Romans 6. "Brothers" suggests all believers, Gentiles equally with Jews; all are acquainted with the Old Testament.

Thomas Constable puts it differently: " 'Those who know law' — the article 'the' before 'law' is absent in the Greek text — were Paul's Roman readers. They lived in the capital of the empire where officials debated, enacted, and enforced laws. They of all people were very familiar with law and legal matters."

THAT THE LAW HAS AUTHORITY OVER A MAN: In Romans 6:9 Paul said that "death" had the "dominion" over man; in Romans 6:14, he said that "sin" had the "dominion"; and now — finally — he said that "law" has such "dominion" also.

Those who know basic Bible teaching easily recognize how sin, death, and the law are interrelated. The law with its commandments, even when given directly from God, and being "holy, righteous, and good" (Rom 7:12), is related to sin and death. How? Because God's law points out that the breaking of His commands is sin, and that sin leads to death. The connection is simple and straightforward, but lethal.

Such a connection is also stated in 1 Corinthians 15:56: "The sting of death is Sin, and the power of Sin is the Law."

ONLY AS LONG AS HE LIVES: Only as long, but no longer! Contrary to a belief in a mythical and ever-burning "hell", death terminates the individual's condemnation; it is the end (Rom 6:21)!

The law has authority over a person only for his lifetime. It has been established, in Romans 6, that the believer 'died' with Christ, and thus 'died' to the Law. Having just considered the previous chapter, the reader can anticipate Paul’s conclusion: i.e., that whatever authority the law may continue to exercise over others, that authority has been repealed or abolished as far as the believer is concerned. For the one who in faith appropriates the righteousness of God in Christ — and only for such a one — is the law nullified. It remains, of course, as an entity that expresses the will of God; the life under grace does not remove or belittle the ethical demands of the Law — even if the power of that Law to condemn has been terminated.

Comment on Rom 7:2,3

In order to illustrate his thesis, Paul now expounds what he elsewhere terms "a great mystery" (Eph 5:32). The divine allegory of marriage is the perfect analogy, since marriage is a 'type' in a 'natural' sense of what God has been preparing in 'spiritual' excellence from the beginning of creation — a multitudinous 'bride' to join His Son Jesus Christ in an eternal union.

Comment on Rom 7:2

FOR EXAMPLE, BY LAW A MARRIED WOMAN IS BOUND TO HER HUSBAND AS LONG AS HE IS ALIVE, BUT IF HER HUSBAND DIES, SHE IS RELEASED FROM THE LAW OF MARRIAGE: "Married woman" is, literally, “hypandros”: that is, one who is under the authority of a man, or subject to him. Specifically, one who, like Eve, has taken a vow in the presence of God (Gen 2:23; Matt 19:6).

BOUND TO HER HUSBAND: This phrase evokes the statement pronounced in Eden: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united [or 'bound'] to his wife, and they will become one flesh" (Gen 2:24), as well as the words of Jesus: "Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matt 19:6).

AS LONG AS HE IS ALIVE: Thus, the operative law which binds man and woman together in marriage is operative so long as he (or they) live, but no longer.

Comment on Rom 7:3

SO THEN: "There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: 'Consequently therefore' emphasizes the conclusion of what he has been arguing" (NET Notes).

IF SHE MARRIES ANOTHER MAN WHILE HER HUSBAND IS STILL ALIVE: The Greek is, literally, “if she becomes another man's". Such a position was "permitted" (or "suffered": KJV) by Moses under the Law, "because your hearts were hard" (cf. Deut 24:1,2; Matt 19:7,8).

SHE IS CALLED AN ADULTERESS: Called, that is, by divine decree. This is the way the Greek "chrematisei" is used seven of its nine times in the New Testament (Matt 2:12,22; Luke 2:26; Acts 10:22; 11:26; Heb 8:5; 11:17; 12:25).

BUT IF HER HUSBAND DIES, SHE IS RELEASED FROM THAT LAW AND IS NOT AN ADULTERESS, EVEN THOUGH SHE MARRIES ANOTHER MAN: The law of marriage binds the partners together only until the death of one or the other (1 Cor 7:39).

Comment on Rom 7:4

SO, MY BROTHERS: Meaning, as it almost always does, "brothers and sisters" (cp. Rom 1:13).

YOU ALSO DIED TO THE LAW THROUGH THE BODY OF CHRIST: This happened at the time of baptism. Believers were buried with Christ by baptism into death (Rom 6:3,4).

THAT YOU MIGHT BELONG TO ANOTHER: That is, "..that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him" (Rom 6:6-8).

Now the individual consciousness, the rational mind, which has shown the desire to destroy the lusts of the flesh (the old man) in baptism, has become free to marry the "new man", the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 4:24; Col 3:10).

TO HIM WHO IS RAISED FROM THE DEAD: The significance of being "raised from the dead" lies in the fact that it was Christ's death which gave the fatal blow to the power of the "old man" — the seed of the serpent, or the natural lusts and desires of mortal nature.

It is only through the power of Christ's resurrection that the power and efficacy of his victory can pass to us by our identification with his death in baptism, for we must be raised to "a new life" (Rom 6:4). But how can we do this if Christ himself did not rise from the dead (cf. 1 Cor 15:17; Phil 3:10)?

IN ORDER THAT WE MIGHT BEAR FRUIT TO GOD: Union with the "old man", Lust, produced "seed" or "fruit" unto death (James 1:15; Rom 6:21). But in marriage with the "new man", we have "fruit unto holiness, and the end [is] everlasting life" (Rom 6:22). It is Christ, the "husband", who brings about the conception of "holy fruit" in us, his "bride" (Eph 5:8-11; 3:17; 5:25-27; Col 1:27; 2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:7,8).

It should be recalled that in our Lord's teaching the secret of fruit-bearing is union with himself (John 15:1-8); this very truth is emphasized in this passage.

A somewhat different background for fruit-bearing is described in Galatians 5:22,23, where the fruit is attributed to the Spirit, in contrast to the output of the flesh and of the law. Since Paul speaks of the Spirit in Romans 7:6, the parallel with Galatians 5 is close.

It might be asked, then, 'Is it Christ, or is it the Spirit of God, that produces fruit in the believer?' But this is a misleading question, as though Christ has nothing to do with the Spirit of God — and we have to choose one or the other. The fact is that the two, Christ and the Spirit of God, are very much related. Jesus Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit so as to be the only-begotten of the Father. The Spirit of God (God's power, as well as His instruction and fellowship) sustained Christ in every step of his walk.

Therefore, as Paul explains in Ephesians 3:16,17, the dwelling of Christ in our hearts through faith is equivalent to our being strengthened "with power through his Spirit in your inner being". Not the Holy Spirit miracle-performing power of the first century, but the Holy Spirit power to regenerate believers through Bible reading and instruction, meditation, prayer, and God's providential care and oversight in our lives.

In other words, not "Holy Spirit gifts (plural)", which evidently do not exist at this point, but "the gift (singular) of the Holy Spirit", acting in many ways in and through our lives, even if we cannot recognize it as it acts.

Comment on Rom 7:5

FOR WHEN WE WERE CONTROLLED BY THE SINFUL NATURE: That is, following the analogy here, when we were "married" to the carnal mind, or the "flesh":

"The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so" (Rom 8:4,6-9).

The KJV has "in the flesh", but this is somewhat misleading, since — speaking quite literally — Christ was "in the flesh [Greek 'sarx']", yet he did not bear fruit unto death.

Ronald Youngblood, one of the Committee on Bible Translation (NIV), has written:

"To render the Greek word 'sarx' by 'flesh' virtually every time it appears does not require the services of a translator; all one needs is a dictionary (or, better yet, a computer). But to recognize that 'sarx' has differing connotations in different contexts, that in addition to 'flesh' it often means 'human standards' or 'earthly descent' or 'sinful nature' or 'sexual impulse' or 'person,' etc., and therefore to translate 'sarx' in a variety of ways, is to understand that translation is not only a mechanical, word-for-word process but also a nuanced thought-for-thought procedure… Word-for-word translations typically demonstrate great respect for the source language (in this case ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) but often pay only lip service to the requirements of the target language (in this case contemporary English)."

Everett F. Harrison writes: "The phrase 'controlled by our sinful nature' is an attempt to render 'in the flesh [sarx].' Paul has used 'flesh' in several senses thus far:

the humanity of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:3);
the physical body (Rom 2:28), with its meat and bones, etc;
mankind — 'all flesh' (Rom 3:20); and
moral, or possibly intellectual, weakness (Rom 6:19).

Now he adds a fifth sense or idea: the so-called 'ethical' meaning of flesh, which is the most common use of the word in his writings and denotes the old sinful nature. It is this sense of the word that pervades Romans 7 and 8, together with a final use in Romans 13:14. Paul did not employ the word 'flesh' in this sense when exposing in his earlier chapters the universality of sin. In noting that the passions are aroused by the law, Paul is anticipating his fuller statement in verses 7-13 about the manner in which the law promotes sin" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).

There is a sort of contradiction on the surface in the use of this word "flesh" (depending on the version we employ, of course). In one way, as Paul uses the word, "flesh" is what we all possess; we are all bound to our "flesh". But in another way, "flesh" is something that we resist and destroy, or nullify, in our lives: we do not have to live, or walk, "in the flesh" (morally, or spiritually), just because we are (physically) "in the flesh"!

THE SINFUL PASSIONS: "Passions" is the Greek "pathema", a word which denotes sufferings. The sentence structure suggests that these 'sufferings' are related to our "sins" (Greek "hamartia").

In his Word Studies, Harry Whittaker writes, "Perhaps Paul was using a genitive of origin or cause here, meaning: 'the mental afflictions and struggles provoked by our sins'. This is a fairly likely meaning; but how to translate it adequately by one word is no easy matter."

The "old man" is the first husband, who should have died (v. 3), the passions of lust (see 1 John 2:16; Gal 5:24) evoked by the Law itself.

"Although a sinner may have been 'delivered from the power of darkness', or ignorance, and have been 'translated into' (Col 1:13) the hope of 'the Kingdom of God and of his Christ' (Rev 11:15), by faith in the divine testimony and baptism into Christ — yet, if he turn his thoughts back into his own heart, and note the impulses which work there, he will perceive a something that, if he were to yield to it, would impel him to the violation of the divine law. These impulses are styled 'the motions of sins' (Rom 7:5) ['the sinful passions': NIV]. Before he was enlightened, they 'worked in his members' ['were at work in our bodies': NIV], until they were manifested in evil action, or sin; which is termed, 'bringing forth fruit unto death'. The remote cause of these 'motions' is that physical principle, or quality, of the flesh, styled indwelling sin [cf .Rom 7:17,20, KJV], which returns the mortal body to the dust; and that which excites the latent disposition is the law of God forbidding to do thus and so; for, 'I had not known sin, but by the law' [Rom 7:7, KJV].” John Thomas, Elpis Israel.

AROUSED BY THE LAW: "Through ['dia'] the law". It was through the presence of the divine law that "Lust" became "Sin" (see vv. 7-13; Rom 5:20).

WERE AT WORK IN OUR BODIES: The Greek is "energeito", to be energized. "In our bodies" is "in our members" in the KJV. The faculties, or activities, of the body and the mind were energized by lust (Rom 6:13, 19; Col 3:5; James 4:1).

SO THAT WE BORE FRUIT FOR DEATH: "Death" is the only FRUIT that "Lust" can produce (James 1:15; cp. Rom 5:12; 6:21).

Comment on Rom 7:6

BUT NOW, BY DYING TO WHAT ONCE BOUND US, WE HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE LAW: The Law has been "reduced to inactivity", or "abolished" (Eph 2:15, the same word). Christ by his death rendered the Law "inactive", having discharged the curse upon him, for he was cursed under two laws (Gal 4:4):

By being "made of a woman", he came under the law of condemnation in his natural body (Gen 3:19; John 6:63; 2 Cor 5:16; 1 Cor 15:50; Gal 5:24; Col 2:11), and
Especially, and particularly, in his death, by being hanged upon a tree (Gal 3:13), Christ died once to the power of sin (Rom 6:10), and therefore the law had no power over him.

If we die with Christ (Rom 6:5), then we will assume the same "victory" (1 Cor 15:55-57).

This is one of several New Testament passages which reveal that. as believers we have no obligation to keep the Law of Moses (Rom 10:4; 14:17; Mark 7:18,19; John 1:17; 1 Cor 8:8; 2 Cor 3:7-11; Heb 7:12; 9:10; Gal 3:24; 4:9-11; 5:1).

SO THAT WE SERVE IN THE NEW WAY OF THE SPIRIT: We do this by serving the new master (see Rom 6:18). We have risen to "newness of life" (Rom 6:4) as a "new creation" (Gal 6:15), under the "new covenant" (Heb 9:15); we are married to a "new man" (Eph 2:15; 4:24; Col 3:10), and walking in a "new and living way" (Heb 10:20).

Paul is amplifying the thought of Ephesians 4:22-24:

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

AND NOT IN THE OLD WAY OF THE WRITTEN CODE: "Spirit" and "letter" are similarly contrasted in Romans 2:29 and 2 Corinthians 3:6. The "written code" here draws attention to the Mosaic ordinances (cp. Heb 8:13; Col 2:14). The believer may be freed from the rituals and sacrifices of the Law of Moses, but he is not thereby absolved from responsibility to God's Code of Righteousness. A law still operates to bind him to the "New Man", Christ.

This contrast is not between a literal mode of interpreting Scripture and one that is free and unfettered. The written code, which has special reference to the Law rather than to Scripture in general, has no power to give life and to produce a service acceptable to God. Only a person can beget human life, and only a divine person — the resurrected and glorified Jesus Christ — can impart spiritual life, which is then fostered and nurtured by the Spirit of God.

The word "new" has in it not so much the idea of newness in time but much more the idea of freshness and superiority. This is "the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:2), which is contrasted to "the law of sin and death". And the believer — far from being free from all law — will in fact be judged by this "new" law!

Comment on Rom 7:7-13

In case any reader concluded, from Paul's previous remarks on release from the dominion of law, that the Law of Moses was evil, Paul now shows that this was not so. Actually, the Law revealed to man the true nature of his previous "marriage" to the Lusts of the Flesh and the evil nature of Sin which was the product of that relationship. The Law condemned certain actions and desires which were always latent, that is, asleep or dormant, in human nature. They were not sinful, however, until the Law forbade them, and showed how much the flesh ruled over men.

Paul points out that the Law was not evil (actually it was very good: v. 16). However, by placing restraints upon the flesh, it revealed the flesh as prone to, or disposed toward, sin. The verses in this section are in the past tense, and therefore have particular reference to Paul's experience with the Law prior to his conversion to Christ.

But then again, the same verses may describe even the experiences of those who have been converted to Christ — because there is always, for them, the possibility of forgetting, for a moment or a short time, what they have been redeemed from, and thus reverting to their old habits of thinking and living.

Comment on Rom 7:7

WHAT SHALL WE SAY, THEN?: "What shall we conclude?" Compare usages, in Romans 3:5; 4:1; 6:1; 7:7; 8:31; 9:14, 30.

IS THE LAW SIN?: Having seen in verse 5 that the passions of sin came through the Law, the question naturally arises: 'Is the law therefore the originator of sin?' Is it in itself evil and sinful?

CERTAINLY NOT: "God forbid!" in the KJVL see Appendix.

INDEED, I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN WHAT SIN WAS: "Known" here is "ginosko": signifying to know by experience or effort, to become acquainted with, to learn objectively (cp. John 1:48; 1 John 5:20; Eph 5:5).

EXCEPT THROUGH THE LAW: Not "by" the Law, as KJV; sin did not come out of the Law. But the Law put a spotlight on sin! "The law cannot be identified with sin, because it is the law that provides awareness of sin (Rom 3:20). Can one say of an X-ray machine that revealed his disease that the machine is diseased because it revealed a diseased condition? That would be utterly illogical" (Harrison).

FOR I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN WHAT COVETING REALLY WAS: "Known" here is "oida", to know intuitively, without effort, to understand subjectively (see Rom 3:20; 4:15).

COVETING: "Lust" (Greek "epithumia": strong desire or passion of any kind). Apart from three references where proper desire is indicated (Luke 22:15; Phil 1:23; 1 Thes 2:17; cp. Deut 14:26), the Greek word usually connotes evil desire in the New Testament (e.g., Rom 6:12; 13:14; Eph 2:3; Heb 13;5; 1 Cor 12:31).

The KJV translates "epithumia" as "lust" here and as "concupiscence" in verse 8. These words imply that Paul has in mind sexual desires in particular, when in fact (and as stated just above) the Greek words describe desires and passions of all kinds.

IF THE LAW HAD NOT SAID: That is, "repeatedly said" (Weymouth). This suggests a constant repetition of the command every time the Law is read.

DO NOT COVET: Citing Exodus 20:14,17 and Deuteronomy 5:18,21. Here it is the verb form of "epithumia". "You must not covet" is the only prohibition in the Law which exclusively affected the emotions; it is an "internal" sin in the sense that it would go undetected by other men.

"To come to grips with this, the apostle selects an item from the Decalogue, the very last of the Ten Commandments. Is he selecting more or less at random one of the ten for an illustration? Could he have chosen just as readily the prohibition against stealing or bearing false witness? Possibly he saw something basic here, for 'to covet' is more precisely 'to desire'. If one gives rein to wrong desire, it can lead to lying, stealing, killing, and all the other things prohibited in the commandments. The sin indicated here is not so much a craving for this or that wrong thing, but the craving itself (note that Paul does not bother to spell out the particulars of the tenth commandment, such as the possessions or wealth or wife of one's neighbor). In analyzing sin, one must go behind the outward act to the inner man, where desire clutches at the imagination and then puts the spurs to the will" (Harrison).

Sometimes the question is debated, 'How far can one go in thinking about sin before it becomes sin?' In other words, is the very first inkling, the first vague idea or passing thought as to the possibility of doing something wrong… is that, by itself, sin? Of course, the argument might continue: if it were, then Christ must have been a sinner, for how could he — being human — have escaped such thoughts? But we know that he must have had such thoughts; how else could he have been truly tempted, as he was in the wilderness?

So we realize, if we just consider it just for a moment, that the merest passing thought of sin cannot be sin. However, this cannot be a rationale for indulging lustful or covetous thoughts. They ought to be resisted as soon as we realize what they are. Otherwise, they unquestionably become covetousness. As the Chinese proverb puts it: 'You cannot prevent a bird from flying over your head, but you can prevent it from building a nest in your hair.'

Comment on Rom 7:8: John Carter writes: ”In this chapter we must remember the personification which is employed. Paul as it were separates the individual from the impulses which belong to him and speaks of the impulses as though they were a separate power.”

But this should not imply that we have no power or control over those impulses. If it did, and if we believed that, then it would be the same old silly excuse, 'The devil made me do it!' Or, in this case, 'It was that "sin dwelling in me" — that's what made me do it! I couldn't help myself.' And this is never true, nor is it a real excuse.

BUT SIN, SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY: "Taking occasion" (KJV). The Greek "aphorme" means: the starting point (Rom 13:14; Gal 5:13; 2 Cor 5:12; 1 Tim 5:14). The word is often used as a military metaphor for "a base of operations" in war. Sin found its rallying point in that command. The invading force of "sin" set up its base of operations in my mind, and from that base launched further attacks into every part of my life.

Paul continues the striking extended metaphor of warfare, the battle between the "spirit" and the "lusts" to control the "flesh" (Rom 6:13).

"In the background is the Genesis story of the temptation and the fall. Eve was faced with a commandment — a prohibition. When desire was stirred through the subtle suggestion of the serpent, a certain rebelliousness came into play that is the very heart of sin — a preference for one's own will over the expressed will of God. The warning 'Don't' to a small child may turn out to be a call for action that had not even been contemplated by the child. A sure way to lose blossoms from the garden is to post a sign that says, 'Don't pick the flowers' " (Harrison).

August Tholuck writes: "To man everything forbidden appears as a desirable blessing; but yet, as it is forbidden, he feels that his freedom is limited, and now his lust rages more violently, like the waves against the dyke."

AFFORDED BY THE COMMANDMENT: “Dia" means: “through” the commandment. The individual precepts of the Law highlighted sin in its stark reality, and then the whole Law condemned it.

PRODUCED IN ME EVERY KIND OF COVETOUS DESIRE: "Produced" is the Greek "katergazomoi". "The compound verb with 'kata' ('down through') always signifies the bringing to pass or accomplishment (Rom 2:9; 1 Cor 5:3; 2 Cor 7:10" (Marvin R. Vincent). The use of the verb in the passages cited makes for interesting reading. In every case, whether it is evil and sin that is produced, or good deeds, it is not merely "done", as though it were a passing thing, but rather it is "produced", from deep within, as an inherent part of the person.

"Covetous desire" is the Greek "epithumia" again. Compare the three temptations of Jesus: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life (1 John 2:16; cp. Luke 4:13; etc.).

FOR APART FROM LAW, SIN IS DEAD: "For where there is no consciousness of law, sin shows no sign of life." Sin is dormant apart from law (see 1 Cor 15:56). The Law discloses all the evil desires and propensities of the flesh; in effect, it raises "sin" from its 'death state'.

Comment on Rom 7:9

ONCE I WAS ALIVE APART FROM LAW: The "I" here is emphatic. When Paul was a boy he was not subject to the Law, and in relation to it he was without offense, and therefore "alive" (cp Rom 6:13). But when he became subject to the Law and its restraints (at about 12 years of age), he realized there were impulses within himself which were contrary to the Law and which would produce death. Ellicott says: "The state of unconscious morality, uninstructed but as yet uncondemned, may, compared with that state of condemnation, be regarded as a state of 'life'."

BUT WHEN THE COMMANDMENT CAME: That is, "came home", to Paul's mind and conscience.

SIN SPRANG TO LIFE: Greek "anazao": to live again. It was no longer dormant and its presence was now recognized. The conviction was produced that he was a convicted sinner (cp. Acts 2:37,38).

AND I DIED: Now he had learned that he was constantly sinning and was therefore subject to the curse of the Law, which brings death (cp 1 Cor 15:5,6). This "dying" is subjective in its force. He felt within himself the sentence of death, becoming bogged down in hopelessness and despair — in contrast to the casual and cheerful, but misplaced, self-confidence he had had before.

Comment on Rom 7:10

I FOUND THAT THE VERY COMMANDMENT THAT WAS INTENDED TO BRING LIFE: KJV has "which was ordained to life". "Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them" (Lev 18:5). "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments" (Matt 19:17). "Do this and you will live" (Luke 10:28).

Compare also Ezekiel 20:11,13,21; Romans 10:5; and Galatians 3:12. Although it was intended for life, no one ever kept the Law perfectly (Rom 3:9,10). In addition, the Law could not give life by itself, but drew attention to the means of life, namely faith in the Everlasting Covenant, i.e., the Abrahamic covenant which had been sealed with the blood of Christ (Heb 13:20; Gal 3:24).

ACTUALLY BROUGHT DEATH: Because no one could keep it perfectly (except Christ). The Israelites promised, "We will do everything the Lord has said" (Exod 19:8; 24:3). But they did not do so — in fact, they could not do so — and thus they perished in the wilderness (1 Cor 10:5).

Comment on Rom 7:11

FOR SIN, SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY AFFORDED BY THE COMMANDMENT: Returning to the point of verse 8…

[SIN] DECEIVED ME: An obvious allusion to Genesis 3:13, where the serpent completely deceived Eve (cp. 2 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:14: Adam was not deceived, but Eve was thoroughly deceived). "The HEART is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jer 17:9; cp. Eph 4:22; James 1:22).

AND THROUGH THE COMMANDMENT PUT ME TO DEATH: "The Law while pointing out the way of life… was destined to become death by all that sought life by it. While it demonstrated perfectly to a man what was at enmity in him against God, it could not help him one whit to vanquish it. It merely brought him consciously into its power" (W.F. Barling, Law and Grace).

Comment on Rom 7:12

SO THEN, THE LAW IS HOLY, AND THE COMMANDMENT IS HOLY, RIGHTEOUS AND GOOD: That is, the whole "Law" as well as each individual "commandment", is holy, righteous and good. (Since "commandment" is singular here, it may refer particularly to the command "Don't covet" in verse 7.) Compare Mark 10:9; Hebrews 9:19.

HOLY: The Greek word is "hagios": that to which reverence is due, that which is set apart. This word implies separation from sin and consecration to God (Exod 3:5; Matt 27:53; Luke 1:35). The law is holy because it comes from a holy God, and because it searches out sin and lays bare its true character.

RIGHTEOUS: The Greek is "dikaios": fulfilling all duties which are right and becoming. The law is righteous in view of the just requirements it lays upon men, and righteous also because it forbids and condemns sin.

GOOD: Greek "agathos": that which, being good in its character and arrangement, is beneficial in its effect. The Lord Himself is essentially good (Matt 19:17). The Law possessed all these attributes because it revealed man for what he was, as well as his basic need for redemption (Gal 3:24). The Law is also good because its principal aim is life (v. 10). Its goodness is reaffirmed in verse 13.

Comment on Rom 7:13

DID THAT WHICH IS GOOD, THEN, BECOME DEATH TO ME? BY NO MEANS!: Despite what Paul seems to say in verse 10, the Law does not actually "kill" anyone. Instead, man is "killed" by his own sins. The Law only puts a spotlight” on those sins.

BY NO MEANS!: "God forbid!" in the KJV (see the Appendix, "God forbid!").

BUT IN ORDER THAT SIN MIGHT BE RECOGNIZED AS SIN: “Recognized” is the Greek “phaino”: “appear”, o: to shine forth) in its true character.

IT PRODUCED DEATH IN ME: Death is the final product of the process.

THROUGH WHAT WAS GOOD: "Through" is "dia", by means of.

SO THAT THROUGH THE COMMANDMENT SIN MIGHT BECOME UTTERLY SINFUL: The KJV has "by", but the Greek is "dia" again, as earlier. "Death" does not come "ek" (out of) the Law, but "dia" (through) the Law. John Thomas put it this way: "Sin is an exceedingly great sinner", thereby demonstrating how Paul draws a picture which personifies Sin: "Sin" is, in Paul's parable, the great Ruler who controls the human race.

Here is what Dr. Thomas writes:

"This enemy within the human nature is the mind of the flesh, which is enmity against God; it is not subject to His law, neither indeed can be (Rom 8:7). The commandment of God, which is 'holy, just and good', being so restrictive of the propensities, which in purely animal men display themselves with uncontrolled violence, makes them appear in their true colors… This is human nature; and the evil in it, made so apparent by the law of God, he personifies as 'pre-eminently a sinner' (Rom 7:12,13,17,18). This is the accuser, adversary, and calumniator [slanderer] of God, whose stronghold is the flesh. It is the devil and satan within the human nature; so that 'when a man is tempted, he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed' [James 1:14]. If a man examine himself, he will perceive within him something at work, craving after things which the law of God forbids. The best of men are conscious of this enemy within them. It troubled the apostle so much, that he exclaimed, '0h, wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death' (Rom 7:24), or, this mortal body? He thanked God that the Lord Jesus Christ would do it; that is, as he had himself been delivered from it, by God raising him from the dead by His Spirit (Rom 8:11)" (Elpis Israel, chapter 3).

Comment on Rom 7:14-25

Paul has discussed his own experience while under Law. Now he moves on; by an appeal to his present position, he proves the Law to be holy in the face of the innate (and ultimately uncontrollable) sinfulness of man. Paul demonstrates that man cannot attain to righteousness by the exercise of his own will-power to obey God's code of righteousness.

Two principal influences emerge in this section, and need to be clearly distinguished:

those innate evil impulses that are the ever-present possessions of a "carnal" or mortal body, and
the individual conscience in a man, which represents conscious, deliberate desire: the mentally processed ideal.

In this case it is Paul's conscious desire to serve the New Man, even though housed in a sinful body, which prompts him to evil.

Comment on Rom 7:14

WE KNOW THAT THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL: By "we" Paul means the believers in Christ, i.e., the godly: those who, while not nearly perfect themselves, are striving toward a more spiritual relationship with God.

“Spiritual" is "pneumatikos”: belonging to or proceeding from the Spirit. "Things which have their origin with God, and which, therefore, are in harmony with His character". This statement is consistent with verse 12: the Law is "spiritual" just as it is "holy, righteous and good" (Psa 19:7,8; Psa 119).

The Law here is not exclusively the Law of Moses, but more generally the Lord God’s Code of Righteousness (which included the Law of Moses), to which all believers down through the ages are subject and by which they must be judged (vv. 22, 25; Matt 5:7:12; Rom 8:4; 9:30,31; 1 Cor 9:21; Rom 2:2,5).

BUT I AM UNSPIRITUAL: Greek “sarkinos": "fleshly". "Carnal" (KJV). "Man is carnal, made of flesh, in which resides a principle contrary to God. It produces works which are the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:19-24)" (John Carter). Corrupt passions still retain a strong and withering and distressing influence upon the mind.

SOLD AS A SLAVE TO SIN: Paul feels himself to have been sold, as a slave is sold into slavery (Rom 6:12,13). Literally, he was "sold under ['hupo'] sin". Picking up the parable of chapter 6 again: "King Sin", from the time of Adam, has purchased all flesh, making all of it his special possession. Though the mind (or the higher impulses) may be "transformed" (Rom 12:1,2) from the realm and dominion of King Sin, the body (actually, the lower desires of the same mind) continues to be haunted by the impulses of its previous possessor.

This is the experience of every bond-slave of Christ at some point, as he or she strives conscientiously to live a life in Christ; and it is a sad experience indeed. William R. Newell writes: " 'Sold under sin' is exactly what the new convert does not know [e.g., at the moment of his conversion]! Forgiven, justified, he knows himself to be: and he has the joy of it! But now to find an evil nature, of which he had never become really conscious, and of which he thought himself fully rid, when he first believed, is a 'second lesson' which is often more bitter than the first — of guilt!"

Paul's statement that he was, even then, the slave of sin seems to contradict what he wrote earlier in chapter 6 about no longer being the slave of sin. But we must remember that in chapter 6 Paul did not say that being dead to sin means that sin has lost all its appeal for the believer. Instead, it still has a strong appeal to anyone — believers included — whose human nature is still sinful (Rom 6:15-23). He does say that being dead to sin means that we no longer must follow the commands or dictates of King Sin.

In one sense the new convert to Christ is not a slave of sin (Rom 6:1-14). He has died to it, and it no longer dominates him. Nevertheless in another sense the old "King" still has a strong attraction for him, since his basic human nature is still sinful, and he will retain that nature throughout his lifetime. For example, a criminal released from prison no longer has to live within the sphere of existence prescribed by prison walls. However he still has to live within the confines of his human limitations.

God has liberated believers from the prison house of King Sin (6:1-14). Nevertheless, we still carry with us a different sort of 'prison': our own sinful natures, the physical 'tabernacle' in which we each must live, will be a source of temptation for us as long as we live in it (Rom 7:14-25).

Comment on Rom 7:15

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I DO: Greek "ginosko" = to recognize as a result of experience. And "what I do" uses the Greek "katergazomoi" (cp. v. 8): 'what I produce or accomplish'.

FOR WHAT I WANT TO DO I DO NOT DO: "Do" is the Greek "prasso") to practice habitually, continually, and repeatedly. "I do not practice what I desire" (Diaglott).

BUT WHAT I HATE I DO: "Hate" usually implies active ill will in words or conduct. We must hate wrongdoing (Rom 7:15), iniquity (Heb 1:9), and evil in general (Jude 1:23; Rev 2:6). Compare Psa 119:104, 113, 128, 163.

In this phrase "do" is the Greek "poieo", meaning the external act or completed action. This "differs from the preceding word 'prasso' in that 'prasso' has a conscious aim in view, while 'poieo' simply describes a series of acts which may be void of such conscious aim and be merely mechanical" (Vine).

Comment on Rom 7:16

AND IF I DO WHAT I DO NOT WANT TO DO, I AGREE THAT THE LAW IS GOOD: The failure to do what he desires to do is not to be attributed to a wrong attitude toward the Law, since he concurs in the verdict that the Law is praiseworthy. In fact, the Law is good because it fixes in the mind the right kind of conduct, the things which are beneficial in their results. See verse 12, notes.

Comment on Rom 7:17

AS IT IS, IT IS NO LONGER I MYSELF WHO DO IT, BUT IT IS SIN LIVING IN ME: "Paul is not, in fact, one person, but two. The 'I' in these verses is that part of him that is the man who aspires to the godly life of the Spirit, whilst the 'me' is that part of him that is the man of the flesh — which houses the evilly inclined disposition" (E.M. Spongberg).

The "I" here describes the ideal man in Christ, the man Paul knows himself to be in his better moments: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20). But the "me" describes the "old man" Paul, which nevertheless remains part of his physical makeup, his human nature, and which he could not totally escape: "my sinful nature" (v. 18), or "my flesh" (KJV).

"If the failure does not come from a wrong attitude toward the law, such as indifference or defiance, then the doing of things contrary to the law must be traced to the power of sin working within him" (Harrison).

In other words, enlightened and redeemed men and women do not fail through ignorance of what is right, but rather through a natural weakness (of will and character) to do what they know to be right. The "power of sin" is part of human nature, and — try as best we can — it simply cannot be totally destroyed in this life. This is not meant to be an excuse for coming short, but simply an acknowledge of what we are, and what we cannot be.

Comment on Rom 7:18-21

"In general, we may say that in verses 14-17, the emphasis is upon the practicing what is hated — that is, the inability to overcome evil in the flesh — while in verses 18-21 the emphasis is upon the failure to do the desired good — the inability, on account of the flesh, to do right.

"Thus the double failure of a quickened [i.e., spiritually renewed] man either to overcome evil or to accomplish good — is set forth. There must come in help from outside, beyond himself!" (Newell).

Comment on Rom 7:18

I KNOW THAT NOTHING GOOD LIVES IN ME, THAT IS, IN MY SINFUL NATURE: "Sinful nature" is "flesh" (KJV). This statement repudiates any theory in the mind of Paul's readers concerning "inherent goodness" as being an innate possession of the "flesh"; the "flesh" is radically bad!

In a story by Victor Hugo, a ship is caught in a storm. The frightened crew hears a terrible crashing sound below. Immediately the men know what it is: a cannon has broken loose and is crashing into the ship's side with every smashing blow of the sea! Two men, at the risk of their lives, manage to fasten it down again, for they know that the unfastened cannon is more dangerous than the raging storm. Many people are like that ship — their greatest danger areas lie inside, not outside!

It is not the outside circumstances of our lives that lead us into sin; it is the inner impulses of our nature.

LIVES IN ME: Instead of "lives" in Romans 7:18, the word might better be rendered "dwells" (KJV): it is "nothing good" that "dwells" in me! The invader, who is "sin in the flesh", or "King Sin", has managed to secure more than a foothold in the mind. He has unpacked his belongings, settled down in the best chair, standing up from time to time to roam throughout the place. In short, he considers it his home. In explaining the situation like this, Paul has moved from a consideration of outward acts to an emphasis on the unwanted tenancy of sin. Sin is personified as a lodger who has taken over the place, and cannot be evicted. With this alien master in control, no matter how strongly a man wants to do that which is good, he finds himself stymied, or checkmated. He cannot do what he truly wishes to do, that is, throw the rascal out!

FOR I HAVE THE DESIRE TO DO WHAT IS GOOD, BUT I CANNOT CARRY IT OUT: "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Matt 26:41; cp. Phil 2:13; Gal 5:17).

Comment on Rom 7:19

FOR WHAT I DO IS NOT THE GOOD I WANT TO DO; NO, THE EVIL I DO NOT WANT TO DO — THIS I KEEP ON DOING: Verse 19 is a virtual repetition of verse 15.

Sometimes we can find it a real struggle to live the Christ-like life with all the temptations and pressures life throws at us. Sometimes it can even get depressing when we review our day or our week and realize how often we have failed to do what we should have done, or have done the things that we shouldn't have done.

While there is no excuse for sinning and we must still confess our sins to God and ask for forgiveness, we can be encouraged by the fact that even Paul, whom we admire as one of the great men of God, struggled with exactly the same sins that we do. He said that the good that he wanted to do he did not do, and the things that he did not want to do, he did! We all have exactly the same problems — whether we are as great as Paul, or whether we consider ourselves the lowest of the followers of Christ. Yet Paul, at the end of his life, despite his struggles, was 100% confident that his Lord was prepared to give him a crown of everlasting life.

Despite our struggles too, we can have the same confidence as Paul and know for sure that we will be given the Kingdom. This confidence is not an excuse for sin, but a faith and confidence in the grace and mercy of our God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Comment on Rom 7:20

NOW IF I DO WHAT I DO NOT WANT TO DO, IT IS NO LONGER I WHO DO IT, BUT IT IS SIN LIVING IN ME THAT DOES IT: Just as verse 19 is a virtual repetition of verse 15, so verse 20 is of verse 17.

Comment on Rom 7:21

SO I FIND THIS LAW AT WORK: This "law" is a principle of operation, i.e., a rule, an observable, oft-experienced and oft-repeated fact. The NEB translates" principle". Compare Romans 3:27; 8:2.

WHEN I WANT TO DO GOOD, EVIL IS RIGHT THERE WITH ME: The fact was that the lusts of the flesh against which he contended had been proven, time and time again, to be stronger than his human will. "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want" (Gal 5:17).

Comment on Rom 7:22

FOR IN MY INNER BEING: Literally, "the man within". This clarifies the "I" above: the inward man was the real Paul: that is, his intellectual individuality and consciousness (cp. 2 Cor 4:16; Eph 3:16; 1 Pet 3:4).

I DELIGHT IN GOD'S LAW: To "delight" in something is to find great pleasure; it is the agreement of moral sympathy. The highest of human ideals finds satisfaction in God's law (cp. Psa 1:2; 119:33-35,97).

Comment on Rom 7:23

BUT I SEE ANOTHER LAW AT WORK IN THE MEMBERS OF MY BODY: "Members" is the Greek "melos" here (see Rom 6:13; 7:5, notes). This is Paul's "outward" man, in contrast to the "inner man" (v 22). It is as though Paul is a truly detached, objective observer of his own personality, and its own special workings.

WAGING WAR AGAINST THE LAW OF MY MIND: The Greek denotes — not a single battle — but a whole military campaign: "taking the field against the enemy.” This is a lasting war!

AND MAKING ME A PRISONER OF THE LAW OF SIN AT WORK WITHIN MY MEMBERS: "Bringing into captivity" (KJV) is the Greek "aichmalotizo"; elsewhere it occurs only in 2 Corinthians 10:5 and Luke 21:24.

Paul is a "prisoner of war" (cp. 2 Cor 10:5; 2 Tim 3:6; Eph 4:8) in the ongoing struggle against human nature, or "sin in the flesh". Compare verse 14: "sold as a slave to Sin".

Comment on Rom 7:24

WHAT A WRETCHED MAN I AM! WHO WILL RESCUE ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH?: "Wretched" (Greek "talaiporos") is that which endures toil, pain and hardship as from severe bodily effort. Paul felt that he bore a loathsome, leprous nature which he called "a vile body" (or a body of humiliation: Phil 3:21). Such a nature is incurable.

The verb form of this word, "talaiporeo", occurs only once in the New Testament, where James calls his readers to repentance: "Grieve ['talaiporeo': literally, 'make yourself wretched': cp. RSV], mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom" (James 4:9). The noun form, "talaiporia", occurs only twice, first in Romans 3:16, where the Septuagint of Isaiah 59:7 is quoted:

"Ruin and misery ['talaiporia'] mark [the wicked's] way",

and secondly in James 5:1:

"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery ['miseries', RSV] that is coming upon you."

In its present form, it occurs only twice: Romans 7:24 and Revelation 3:17:

"You [Laodiceans] say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched ['talaiporos'], pitiful, poor, blind and naked."

Both these instances describe the miserable, wretched condition of humanity.

This account of the pervasiveness of sin is finished most impressively by the groans of the wounded captive. Having long maintained a useless conflict against innumerable hosts and irresistible might, he is at last wounded and taken prisoner; and to render his state more miserable…

There seems to be an allusion to the ancient custom of certain tyrants who bound a dead body to a living man and obliged him to carry it about, till the contagion from the putrid mass took away his life.

Adam Clarke

C.K. Barrett writes: "The source of Paul's wretchedness is clear. It is not a 'divided self' [i.e., old nature versus new nature], but the fact that the last hope of mankind, religion [i.e., a system of rules and punishments], has proven to be a broken reed. Through sin it is no longer a comfort but an accusation. Man needs not a law, but deliverance." The deliverance that man needs is hinted at in verse 25 — and this last verse of Romans 7 is just the preparation for the grand deliverance to be expounded in some detail in Romans 8, the grand heart and soul of Paul's letter to the Romans.

Comment on Rom 7:25

THANKS BE TO GOD: "Most manuscripts… read 'I give thanks to God' [cp. the KJV] rather than 'Now thanks be to God'… [but this reading] possibly arose from a transcriptional error in which several letters were doubled" (NET Notes).

There is good evidence also for "Thanks be to God" (NET, NIV). Either way, it is not a big difference.

THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD! SO THEN, I MYSELF IN MY MIND AM A SLAVE TO GOD'S LAW, BUT IN THE SINFUL NATURE A SLAVE TO THE LAW OF SIN: Verse 25 is a summary of the chapter. "My mind" is a synonym for the intellectual agreement of the believer; and "the sinful nature" (Greek "sarx", "flesh") for the human, sin-prone flesh he bears.

"Paul was human and he knew the difficulties of life. His apostleship did not exempt him from any conflict that is the common lot of all. His early efforts to keep the law of Moses, combined with his later knowledge of God's purpose, must have given him a fearless and honest power of introspection. While it is one Paul, he yet recognizes that he is under two influences. In Galatians he says 'I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me' [Gal 2:20]. [But] here he says, speaking of failure to do as he would have liked, 'It is no more I, but sin that dwelleth in me.' There is a danger of these words being used to get rid of personal responsibility. They will always remain true when every effort has been made to follow righteousness, but should only be used when that effort has been made, when the words from Galatians can also be used. To follow a way of sin and excuse it by putting the blame on 'sin that dwelleth in me' is as far removed as possible from Paul's position. In fact, it would seem that those only can rightly use his words who are trying most to be followers of Paul as he was of Christ.”

John Carter).