Romans 7

King James Version

Full text for Romans Chapter 7

1¶ Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

2For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband.

3So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

5For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

6But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter.

7¶ What shall we say then? [Is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin [was] dead.

9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

10And the commandment, which [was ordained] to life, I found [to be] unto death.

11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew [me].

12Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

13Was 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.

15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good.

17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

18For 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.

19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23But 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.

24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25I 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Paul explains that believers are delivered from the law's dominion through Christ's death, much like a woman is freed from her husband's law upon his death. The law itself is holy and good, but it reveals sin and, through sin, brings death. This leads to an internal struggle where the believer desires to do good according to God's law but finds sin actively working in their members.

Medium Summary

The chapter begins with an analogy: just as a woman is bound to her husband by law until his death, so believers are made dead to the law through the body of Christ. This allows them to be 'married' to Christ, bringing forth fruit unto God, serving in newness of spirit. Paul clarifies that the law is not sin, but rather it reveals and makes sin exceedingly sinful, as he would not have known lust without the commandment 'Thou shalt not covet.' He describes a personal struggle where, though the law is spiritual, he is carnal and sold under sin. He finds himself doing the evil he hates and not the good he desires, attributing this to sin dwelling within him. The chapter culminates in a cry of despair over this internal conflict, seeking deliverance from the 'body of this death' through Jesus Christ.

Long Summary

Paul addresses those who know the law, explaining that its dominion over a person ceases with death, using the analogy of a woman freed from her husband's law upon his demise. He then applies this to believers, stating that they are 'dead to the law by the body of Christ,' enabling them to be united with the resurrected Christ and bear fruit unto God, serving in 'newness of spirit' rather than the 'oldness of the letter.' Paul then confronts the question of whether the law is sin, emphatically denying it. He asserts that the law is essential for knowing sin, as he would not have recognized covetousness without the commandment. However, sin, taking advantage of the commandment, wrought all manner of concupiscence in him, leading to death. Despite this, the law itself is declared 'holy, and just, and good.' Paul further elaborates on the paradox that what is good (the law) did not become death to him, but sin used the good law to work death, thereby making sin 'exceeding sinful.' He describes an intense internal conflict: though the law is spiritual, he is carnal, 'sold under sin.' He acknowledges that he does not do the good he desires but the evil he hates, concluding that it is 'sin that dwelleth in me.' He delights in the 'law of God after the inward man,' but observes 'another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind,' bringing him into captivity to the 'law of sin.' This profound struggle leads to the lament, 'O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' He finds the answer in 'Jesus Christ our Lord,' concluding that with his mind he serves the law of God, but with his flesh, the law of sin.

Core Concepts

  • Death to the LawBelievers are freed from the law's dominion through their identification with Christ's death, enabling them to be united with Him and serve God in a new way. This freedom is likened to a widow being released from the law of her deceased husband.
  • Newness of SpiritBeing delivered from the law means serving God not by the rigid adherence to the 'oldness of the letter,' but by a transformed life guided by the 'newness of spirit.' This signifies a change from external obligation to internal motivation.
  • Law Reveals SinThe law is not inherently sinful, but it serves to expose and define sin, making it known and exceedingly sinful. Paul states he would not have known lust without the commandment 'Thou shalt not covet.'
  • Law is Holy and GoodDespite sin's misuse of the law to bring death, the law itself is declared to be 'holy, and just, and good.' Its spiritual nature is contrasted with the carnal nature of humanity.
  • Internal ConflictPaul describes a profound struggle within himself, where his 'inward man' delights in the law of God, but 'another law in my members' wars against his mind, bringing him into captivity to the 'law of sin.' He finds himself unable to do the good he wills, but doing the evil he hates.
  • Sin Dwelling in the FleshThe inability to consistently do good is attributed not to the individual's true desire, but to 'sin that dwelleth in me,' specifically in the flesh. This highlights the pervasive power of sin within the human condition.
  • Deliverance through ChristThe chapter's cry of despair, 'O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' is immediately answered with gratitude to God 'through Jesus Christ our Lord.' This points to Christ as the sole source of salvation from the power of sin.