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Romans 7 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Law and Sin

⁷ 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.” ⁸ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.⁹ I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. ¹⁰ The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ¹² So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

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. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ 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. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 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.

REFLECTION

• There is no use looking for a “secret” to the spiritual life that exempts us from trouble and conflict, defeat and doubt, despair and inadequacy.  No doubt we are “at war” (v23).  There are fierce difficulties with the resurrection life.  Have you uttered the cry as Paul did: “Who will rescue me”?
• Read slowly:
God uses failure, sickness, breakdown, sin, personal tragedy, and sorrow to reduce His people to usefulness.  Unless the servant of God learns to depend utterly on God and to forsake self-dependence of any kind, he or she remains too strong to be of much value. (Robert C. Girard)
• Lord, I acknowledge my weakness, indifference, and susceptibility to sin. If I rely on myself, I will only worsen and sink deeper. But thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your salvation and continuous saving grace that enables me to overcome sin and temptation. Thank You for Your salvation, Lord.

PRAYER

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching me through the life of the apostle Paul. It has helped me understand that those who faithfully follow You must go through thrilling and intense spiritual battles in order for their lives to continually grow. Paul, who was greatly gifted and had great faith, expressed his lament, saying, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” As Your disciple, I have not experienced struggles as great as Paul’s. Lord, I suddenly realize that this is not a sign of my maturity or faithfulness in serving You, but rather a reflection of how deeply I am entangled in sin. My weakness and indifference have made me complacent and incapable of initiating any spiritual battles. Lord, I pray that You shape me, so that I may experience the power of sin and the weakness of human nature in the midst of the battle. May I learn to rely on You and emerge victorious, becoming a disciple who brings You joy. Amen!

HYMN

I Lift My Hands – youtu.be/nJ8ntv3hxd4