Romans 7: Deliverance comes only through Jesus Christ
Romans 7: Deliverance comes only through Jesus Christ
Collin Leong. October 13, 2025
(v1-6) Released from the Law
(v1-3) The law is binding on a person only as long as he lives. For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. She would be called an adulteress if she lives with another man, if her husband is still alive. If her husband dies, she is free from that law and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
Exp: Paul use the example of the law concerning marriage. In v3, the "law" that she is freed from is the law concerning adultery within marriage. Once the husband dies, she is no longer bound by that law. However, other laws outside of the marriage still applies to her.
(v4-6) Paul says that the Jews have died to the law through the body of Christ. so that they belong to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. When were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in old way of the written code.
Exp: Jesus' death represent our death to the law, and his resurrection represent our new life. The law no longer apply to us. Rather, we will live in a new way of the Spirit, and bearing fruit for God.
(v7-25) The Law and Sin
(v7-12) Is the law a sin? No, if it had not been the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet is the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity of the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sine lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. Sin, taking the opportunity of the commandment, deceive me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Exp: This passage sound contradictory to Romans 5:12, that says death spread to all because all sinned, even before the Mosaic law. However, Paul is not saying that sin didn’t exist before the law, nor that people were morally clueless before the law was given. Romans 7 focuses on how the law exposes and provokes sin, making its deadly nature unmistakable.
He is explaining his experiential knowledge that he was confronted by sin through the clarity and authority of the divine command. So while conscience - which everyone has - may hint at wrongdoing, the law defines and amplifies it. When the law “came,” sin sprang to life, and Paul became aware of his spiritual death - the realization of guilt and condemnation.
(v13-14) Does that mean that what was good bring death to me? No, it was sin that produce death in me. Sin is shown to be sin through what is good, so that through the commandment we know we are sinful beyond measure. The law is spiritual, but we are flesh, sold under sin.
(v15-20) For I do not understand my own actions, for I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. I agree that the law is good, but I do what I do not want. [I agree that the law is good, but I keep doing the opposite (v16).] So it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells within me. I know nothing good dwells in me - my flesh. I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. So if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Exp: I rephrase v16, as the original sentence ("Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.") is difficult to understand. Paul is not making an excuse that he is not responsible for his wrong action, but sin is the one to blame. This isn’t Paul dodging responsibility—it’s him distinguishing between his redeemed will and the sinful nature still at work. He’s saying: My true self, aligned with God’s law, desires righteousness. But there’s another force—indwelling sin—that hijacks my actions. Paul is showing that even someone who delights in God’s law (v.22) can feel trapped by sin’s grip—until grace intervenes. This will be explained in the next chapter.
(v21-25) Paul finds it consistent that whenever he wants to do right, evil lies close at hand. He delights in the law of God in his inner being, but his body obeys another law that wages war against the law of his mind and making him captive to the law of sin that dwells in his body members. He calls himself a "wretched man" and ask "who will deliver me from this body of death?" He praised God and Jesus Christ who rescued him. He serve the law of God with his mind, but his flesh serve the law of sin.
Exp: Paul is not approving of serving sin with the flesh—he’s acknowledging the reality of the struggle. His mind is aligned with God's law, but his "flesh" - referring to the sinful nature, not the physical body alone - battles with his redeemed will and the remnants of sin in his mortal nature. He’s not saying it’s okay—he’s saying it’s real. So Romans 7:25 is the final sigh of a man caught in spiritual tension, followed by the triumphant breath of freedom in chapter 8.
Key Messages and Application
1. Believers are released from the law through Christ (vv.1–6)
The law only binds a person while they live.
Through Christ’s death, believers die to the law and belong to Him.
We now serve in the new way of the Spirit, not the old way of the written code.
Application: Live in freedom through Christ—not by legalism, but by Spirit-led obedience that bears fruit for God.
2. The law reveals sin but cannot save (vv.7–13)
The law is not sinful; it exposes sin.
Sin uses the law to provoke rebellion and bring death.
The law is holy, righteous, and good—but powerless to defeat sin.
Application: Use the law as a mirror, not a cure. Let it drive you to grace, not guilt. Recognize that awareness of sin is the beginning of transformation.
3. Sin dwells in human nature and causes inner conflict (vv.14–20)
Paul describes doing what he hates and failing to do what he desires.
This shows that sin is not just external—it’s internal and powerful.
The struggle proves the law is good and the self is divided.
Application: Acknowledge the battle within. Don’t be discouraged by struggle—it’s evidence of spiritual awakening. Lean on grace, not self-effort.
4. There is a war between the mind and the flesh (vv.21–23)
Paul finds a principle: when he wants to do good, evil is close.
He delights in God’s law inwardly, but his body is captive to sin.
Application: Guard your inner life. Feed your mind with truth, and don’t trust the flesh. Victory begins with renewing the mind.
5. Deliverance comes only through Jesus Christ (vv.24–25)
Paul cries out in despair: “Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
The answer: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Application: Don’t settle for defeat. Turn to Christ daily for deliverance. The Spirit empowers what the law could only diagnose.
Comments
Post a Comment