Romans 7:13-25 Authorized (King James) Version
13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Every once in a while, you come to a verse or a passage of Scripture that grabs you by the lapels and pushes you back against some wall and will not let you go.
Recently, Romans 7:14 has been that verse for me.
Virtually every commentary and study tool I have used as a reference for the study of this verse has stated that this is the most difficult and controversial passage in Paul’s letter to the Romans to write about and try to interpret.
For this reason, I will devote this entire devotional study exclusively on verse 14.
Hopefully, with some effort I can bring clarity to this text that has mightily challenged myself and students of Scripture down through the centuries.
I have titled this devotional “The ‘I’ Problem,” because as we read this passage, you will note how many times Paul uses the word “I.”
I do not believe there is another passage in the entire Bible with the word “I” used so many times.
In verses 14-25, “I” is used twenty-four times, and when you add in the times Paul uses “me,” “my,” or “myself,” it is another thirteen times.
That comes to a total of thirty-seven times in these short twelve verses that the Apostle Paul refers to himself in this one passage.
That is an awful lot of deliberate attention Paul places upon himself as opposed to his deliberately placing our attention of Christ Jesus and Christ Jesus alone.
We need to try to begin by determining exactly to whom Paul is referring when he uses the first person term “I.”
Is Paul actually speaking of himself as a believer?
Or is he actually referring to his past when he was an unbeliever, prior to his timely, sudden encounter with the Resurrected Lord on the Damascus Road?
In Romans 7:1-13, Paul was describing his life as an unbeliever.
Is Paul still speaking in this manner?
Or is he now speaking of his current state as a believer?
And if he is speaking of himself as a believer, is this referring to himself as a mature believer?
Or to an immature believer?
We need to begin by identifying who Paul is referring to when he says “I” in Romans 7:14.
The answer to this question carries great implications for our own Christian lives.
The Person Identified
14 We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am a creature of the flesh [worldly, self-reliant—carnal and unspiritual], sold into slavery to sin [and serving under its control]. {Amplified}
Paul begins, “For we know that the Law is spiritual” (verse 14).
Paul states that this principle is common knowledge.
It is a truth that is well understood by the believers in Rome.
This is not a new teaching or something they do not yet know.
When Paul refers to the “Law,” he is referring to the moral law of God.
The ceremonial law was fulfilled in the death of Christ.
The civil law was used by the Jews to govern their society in the Promised Land.
The book of Romans was written to the believers in Rome, where Caesar and the Roman Senate were governing the Roman Empire.
Therefore, the civil law was not applicable to the Jews in Rome in Paul’s day.
He is referring to the moral law, he says they already know that it is “spiritual.”
This is to say, the moral law remains useful today for spiritual purposes.
Paul continues, “But I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin” (verse 14).
I believe this is Paul referring to himself as a mature believer.
This is the majority position, not an obscure minority position.
I believe that this designation is important, because you and I as believers should be able to identify with Paul in this statement.
We will examine six reasons why we come to the conclusion Paul is referring to himself as he currently writes this as a mature believer in Jesus Christ.
These reasons are as follows:
1. Notice the Change in Verb Tenses.
First, we must give our attention to the change in verb tenses from the first half of the chapter to the second half.
In verses 1-13, Paul was discussing his pre-conversion state.
All the verbs that Paul used were in the aorist past tense.
This represented his past life before Christ.
In verse 14, there is a noticeable change in verb tense as Paul begins using the present tense “I am.”
In verses 14-25, there are thirty-six verbs that are translated as being Paul’s current experience.
The first of these is in verse 14 in which Paul states, “I am” in the present tense.
In verse 15, he writes in the present tense, “For what I am doing.”
He continues to write in the present tense through the end of chapter seven.
Paul is describing in some detail what he believes is the stark reality of his own current personal experience as he is sitting at table writing the book of Romans.
What Paul tells us about his present deeply personal struggle with sin is the very same personal struggle that you and I face as believers on a daily basis.
This struggle with sin does not mean that we are lost.
Rather, it indicates that the struggle is a confirmation that we are saved.
Before we were converted to Christ, received the Holy Spirit into our heart, we were not struggling so much with sin in our lives, certainly not like we do now.
Prior to knowing Christ, there was only our sin nature taking us down the broad path of a lifestyle of sin.
But now that we Christ Jesus as our Savior, have a new heart and a new nature, we are still constantly and continuously experiencing this internal conflict.
So, the first reason that I believe Paul is writing this as a believer in Christ Jesus is his persistent use of present tense verbs.
2. Love for Scripture and Hatred of Personal Sin
Second, only a believer has a deep love for Scripture and a deep hatred of personal sin.
Paul writes, “I am doing the very thing I hate” (verse 15).
That is not the way that an unbeliever talks, but how a believer does.
Paul affirms that “the Law is good” (verse 16), and he writes, “I practice the very thing I do not want” (verse 19).
Paul has had a change of heart desires.
This change of affections is the result of the new birth.
He now finds himself doing the very things that he does not want to do.
This is the result of being a new man in Christ.
You and I can relate to that.
Then Paul goes on to state, “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man” (verse 22).
That is the way an authentic and genuine believer speaks.
Only a spiritual believer has a deep love for Scripture along with a deep hatred for personal sin.
This will be true in the heart of every believer.
Deep down inside his regenerated soul, the believer is a new person in Christ.
They love the Law and hate the sin that violates the Law.
For the one born of God, His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).
3. Giving Thanks to God for Deliverance
Third, Paul gives highest thanks to God for deliverance from his body of death.
After lamenting over his struggle with sin and crying out, “who will set me free from the body of this death” (verse 24), Paul declares, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (verse 25).
Paul thanks God for providing deliverance through Jesus Christ.
That is clearly the talk of an authentic believer, not the exuberant confession of an unbeliever.
4. An Increasing Awareness of Personal Sin
Paul as a mature believer was growing in an increasing awareness of his sin.
As he grew closer to the Lord, he was drawing closer to the sin-exposing light of God’s holiness.
“God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
As he drew closer to the Light, the Light revealed more imperfections in him.
As he matured as a Christian, he became increasingly sensitive to sin in his own life.
There was an increasing awareness of sin issues in his life of which he was not previously aware – the searchlight of the Law reveals his sin and impurities.
We see this truth in the life of Paul as we try to trace the progression of his own spiritual growth through Scripture.
In 55 A.D., Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians and confided, “I am the least of the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:9).
As time moved on, Paul continued to grow and mature in the Lord, as he moved further down the path of sanctification.
Five years later, in 61 A.D., while in his first Roman imprisonment, Paul wrote the book of Ephesians.
At this time, he stated, “I am the least of all saints” (Ephesians 3:8).
This reflects a further heightening personal awareness of the depths of his sin.
First, he was the least of all the apostles.
But then, as he grows and matures in the Lord, he declares that he is the least of all the saints.
Sometime between the years 63-66 A.D., towards the end of his life, Paul writes 1 Timothy.
He says, “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Timothy 1:15).
He now says that he is the greatest among all the sinners.
From this declension, we might be tempted to think or believe that Paul is going backwards, “backsliding” in his Christian life, going from bad to very worse.
But in reality, Paul is actually progressing in the right direction.
He is becoming more and more humble.
He is becoming increasingly more aware of the depravity of sin in his life, his need to be in continual repentance, in a continual relationship with His Savior.
By such an intensive process, He does not become sinless, he cannot become sinless but he does grow in spiritual awareness to prayerfully sin much less.
There is a heightened sense of an awareness to his own sin as he is growing in his Christian life.
It does not take him as long to be convicted of his sin as he once did.
He is more ready to confess and repent of it and try harder to avoid sin, and then try , much harder to preach it and teach it to others down the line because he is growing closer to the Lord – and others need to grow closer to the Lord.
We find in Paul is a mature believer who has a heightened awareness of his sin.
We find in Paul a mature believer who is determined, passionate, aware, about the need to teach others who will become those future generations of believers.
5. An Inner War Between His Flesh and The Spirit
There is a fierce war that rages within believers between his flesh and the Spirit.
When we were converted, our war with sin had only just begun.
In Galatians, Paul gave the command for believers, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
“Walk” is a metaphor for our daily conduct as we live our lives.
As we walk through this world, which are landmines of temptations and lures.
This is why Paul instructs believers to “walk by the Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit gives believers spiritual direction, power in pursuing holiness.
The Spirit enables believers to resist temptation, to keep their eyes on the Lord.
The Spirit gives believers the power needed to buffet and discipline their body in order to make it their slave.
It is the ministry of the Spirit to bring to the believer’s mind the right Scripture needed in order to walk in holiness before the Lord.
I believe it is clear in Galatians 5:16 that believers still have “the desire of the flesh” within them.
The “flesh” refers to our fallen nature, which we inherited from Adam.
This is the sinful desires within us.
The word “desire” (epithymia) is a strong Greek word which means ‘to long for’ something – to desperately long for something which is forbidden or taboo.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1939/esv/mgnt/0-1/
It can be used in a positive way, as in 1 Timothy 3:1 when Paul writes that it is a good thing for an overseer or elder to “desire” the ministry.
Or this word can be used in a negative way, such as a forbidden longing after sinful things.
When used in this manner, it means to be desperately lusting after that which is forbidden by God.
The flesh within believers of all maturity levels and degrees still sets its deep cravings on those things that are enticing and alluring and deeply tempting.
This results in a war between the flesh and the Spirit within each believer.
The new heart that God has put within the believer in regeneration loves the Lord and His Word.
He wants his life to count for Christ and to be used to expand His kingdom.
But as he lives his life, his flesh still wants attention, holds him back at times.
This is true in each one of us as believers.
Consequently, we ourselves must be and become more aware that our major problem is not outside of us, but securely locked deep inside each one of us.
There are the outside forces of the evil world system and the evil one, Satan.
But even without them, there is still an inward conflict taking place between our flesh and the Spirit, who indwells us.
If we do not walk by the Holy Spirit, we will surely and certainly carry out the sinful desires of our fallen flesh.
“In Opposition to One Another”
Further, we read, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another” (Galatians 5:17).
The “flesh” is that part within us that is still part of our fallen nature.
It is no longer the dominant power it once was within us, but it is still present and has a constant and continuous influence in our lives.
Flesh remains self-centered, self-focused, self-preoccupied, self-flattering, and self-absorbed.
It sets its desire against what the Holy Spirit desires to do in our lives in His work of progressive sanctification.
The good news is that the Spirit is far more powerful than the flesh.
This internal, civil war will be fought throughout the duration of our Christian lives, it will not be without much internal opposition.
There exists an ongoing collision within us between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit.
No Christian is exempt from this battle.
Paul says, the flesh and the Spirit are “in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (verse 17).
“Opposition” (antikeimai) means ‘to oppose, to be adverse to, to withstand.’
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g480/esv/mgnt/0-1/
In this verse 17, “you” refers to believers, and “things” refers to the desires of the flesh.
There is within our flesh the desire to be pleased by sin.
As a result, no believer is simply coasting into glory without any internal conflict with sin.
There is an ongoing fight for holiness, purity, and godliness that we must undertake every single day of our life.
The lusts of the flesh never takes a day off.
It never goes on vacation.
It is always with us as long as we live on this earth.
Although we have been delivered from the dominating power of sin, does not mean we have been delivered from the indwelling presence of sin in our lives.
“Lay Aside the Old Self”
Paul writes in Ephesians, “You lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit” (Ephesians 4:22).
To “lay aside” is the idea of taking off dirty clothes.
Just as every day we take off the dirty clothes we slept in and put on clean clothes, the believer must do the same in his spiritual life.
The “old self” is your fallen nature, your sinful flesh.
Paul uses a present tense verb when he says your old self “is being corrupted.”
“Corrupted” (phtheiro) means ‘to become defiled.’
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5351/esv/mgnt/0-1/
There is still a defiling effect that is taking place inside the believer.
We have to take off the old self and disrobe the sin by confessing it, repenting of it, and resisting its temptation.
The pithy saying, “Let go and let God” is a lie that is not taught in the Bible.
It is a passivist’s approach to the internal warfare that we experience.
“Lusts of deceit” means that our flesh is lying to us.
It says we can sin without any consequences or ramifications.
That is a clear and obvious contradiction of reality.
The desires of our flesh will cause us to choose sin versus pursuing holiness.
We should never choose sin, because it is harmful for our spiritual life.
Yet we are continually being enticed by our flesh and its lustful deceit.
Tragically, there are times that we cave in to such temptations.
All of this is to say, there is a fierce war going on inside every Christian.
If there is not a war going on within you between your flesh and the Spirit, you are not a Christian.
Inside the one born of God, the flesh is lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit is continually, unavoidably setting its desires against the flesh.
They are in fierce opposition to one another.
When we see Paul refer to the war between the flesh and the Spirit in Romans 7, we can better understand in the much broader scope of the length and breadth of Scripture, this war absolutely does take place within every Christian’s soul.
6. True Believers Still Sin, Can Commit Gross Sins
The final reason why I believe this refers to Paul as a believer is that it must be acknowledged and clearly and firmly recognized that true believers still sin.
In fact, they can even commit gross sins.
There are no lack of examples in the Scripture of this truth.
Abraham lied about his own wife, saying she was his sister, so that he could protect himself.
Moses killed someone and tried to bury the evidence.
Samson was an adulterer.
David was an adulterer and actually conspired murder to hide his sin.
Solomon was a polygamist and serial adulterer.
Jonah was filled with racial prejudice.
He wildly pouted when Nineveh repented because he did not want them in the kingdom of God.
Peter denied the Lord three times.
Ananias and Sapphira lied in church.
The Corinthians pushed the limits of how carnal a believer could possibly be and still be a Christian.
What Paul struggled with as a believer in Romans 7 clearly matches up with these examples in Scripture.
In Psalms 32 and 51, David confessed his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband that he arranged.
In his overwhelming lust, in his royal covetousness, in that sin, David gazed down, in his power, on Bathsheba from his palace roof as she was bathing.
He then had her brought to him in his palace and committed adultery with her.
Once it was discovered that she was pregnant, David in his panic, he had her husband deliberately moved to the front lines of the war to be killed, so that he could then bring her into his palace without any questions about the baby.
This is as disturbing and shocking as sin can be.
With all this considered, I believe that Paul is describing himself as a mature believer, who is wrestling with sin and fighting for purity.
Paul is not casually giving in to sin in his life.
Rather, he is resisting temptation as he finds himself doing the things he does not want to do.
All of the reasons previously mentioned point to the fact that when Paul writes Romans 7:14, he is describing his current state as a mature believer in Christ.
The internal, intensely personal struggles that Paul had with sin as a believer are the very same struggles that you and I face as we seek to walk in the Spirit.
Praise God we all have a Savior who is intensely familiar with such a struggle.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 51 The Message
51 1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace!
Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
my sins are staring me down.
4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I’ll let loose with your praise.
16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,
repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.
Then you’ll get real worship from us,
acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
they can heave onto your altar!
Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 