Click here for Romans 7 audio:
Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.
Paul explains what it means that believers are “not under law but under grace” (6:14). Using a marriage illustration, he reminds us that law has authority over someone only while they live (vv. 1–3). In the same way, believers have died to the law through the body of Christ so we can “belong to another”—to the risen Jesus—in order to bear fruit for God (v. 4). Before Christ, the law interacted with our sinful flesh in a way that stirred up rebellion and produced “fruit for death” (v. 5). But now, in Christ, we are released from the law’s condemning hold so we can serve in the new way of the Spirit, not merely in the old way of written code (v. 6; cf. 2 Cor. 3:6).
That raises a hard question: if the law can stir up sin, does that mean the law is bad? Paul’s answer is just as strong as in chapter 6: By no means! (v. 7). The law is not sin; it reveals sin. Paul uses the tenth commandment—“You shall not covet” (Ex. 20:17)—to show how sin can seize God’s good command and turn it into an opportunity for more desire, more rebellion, and ultimately death (vv. 7–11). The problem is not God’s law; the problem is sin’s power working in us. So Paul concludes with a clear affirmation: “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (v. 12).
In the second half of the chapter, Paul presses the point further: the good law is not the cause of death—sin is (v. 13). He describes the painful reality of the human condition: the law is spiritual and good, but we are weak and still battling indwelling sin (vv. 14–23). Whether Paul is mainly describing the experience of a person under the law or the ongoing struggle of a believer, the message lands in the same place: we cannot rescue ourselves by effort or moral performance. The struggle exposes our need and drives us to the only true deliverer. Paul’s cry becomes our hope: “Who will deliver me…?” And the answer comes immediately: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (vv. 24–25; cf. Gal. 5:17, 1 John 1:8–9). Romans 8 is about to show how that deliverance is lived out by the Spirit.
🌀 Reflection:
When you feel the tug-of-war—wanting to obey God, yet sensing sin “close at hand” (v. 21)—don’t let it drive you to shame or self-salvation projects. Let it drive you to Jesus. The struggle is real, but so is the Savior who rescues, forgives, and trains you to walk by the Spirit (v. 25; 8:1–4).
💬 Mission Challenge:
Encourage someone who feels stuck in spiritual frustration. Share Romans 7:24–25 and remind them that Christianity isn’t “try harder”—it’s deliverance in Christ, and new power by the Spirit (v. 6; 8:2).
Click here to return to the contents page for Phase 2.3 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.
Just Keith Harris 
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