Romans 7:7-25

Romans 7:7-25 New Living Translation (NLT)

God’s Law Reveals Our Sin

Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”[a] But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life,10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

Struggling with Sin

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[b] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart.23 But there is another power[c] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Footnotes:

  1. 7:7 Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21.
  2. 7:18 Greek my flesh; also in 7:25.
  3. 7:23 Greek law; also in 7:23b.

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  • 2 Corinthians 5:21 

    21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

  • Praise the Lord, that God's law does reveal our sin and once it is revealed, we can ask God for forgiveness.  We see that sin comes to distort God's will in our lives, but on this whole entire class, we have been set free from every kind of sin residing in our lives that was sent to distract us and propel us out of God's will for our lives.  We have been given true Divine victory in Jesus Christ, My God, Glory and Hallelujah to God.

  • Yes  we need to read  and reread the whole 7 chapter of Romans because sin is sin in GOD eyes. In Romans 7 talks about the flesh and sins of the flesh but the last versus 25 clearly states that I thank GOD through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of GOD, with the flesh the law of sin AMEN.

  • As we have been reading through this great letter from Paul to the Romans, we have seen the gospel of Jesus Christ which is able to set men free. This is the central declaration of the gospel: Christ has come, he has died, he has risen again, and he has come into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit in order that we who believe in him might be free. That is what the gospel is all about -- freedom!

    Freedom from self-centeredness, freedom from hostility and bitterness,freedom from anxiety and all kinds of fears, freedom from bondage to evil habits of any type -- This is the freedom Christ has come to give us. He has come to release us, to free us to be the men and women that God has designed us to be, living in the midst of (as Paul describes it) "a generation of crooks and perverts," yet being lights shining in the darkness of our day. As we have seen all the way through this book, and especially in Romans 5 and 6, this kind of life is totally possible in Jesus Christ. Yet there are at least two ways we can miss this, even though we are Christians: Paul has dealt with one of these in Romans 6. In the last half of Romans 6 he has pointed out that, even though you are a Christian, you can give yourself over to the bondage and slavery of sin. You can continue to give way to sin. You may think it is not worth your while to fight or you may enjoy the pleasure that sin gives you, so you keep on doing the things that are wrong. This is what theologians call antinomianism, which means, simply, "against the law." Antinomianism reflects an attitude that unfortunately is common among us -- the idea that God, in his grace, will forgive us, so why not indulge in sin? I will go ahead and sin because I know God will forgive.

    I just wanted to share with you some extra reading that I did. This was great information.

  • Amen this so true Factss 1000 i completely agree with this. Sin is strong but with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit im stronger.

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