Passage: Romans 7:1-12 ESV
“Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that 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. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we 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 the old way of the written code. 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.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin 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. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
Exegesis and Key Themes
1. Freedom from the Law Through Death (Romans 7:1-4)
• Paul uses the analogy of marriage to illustrate how death dissolves legal obligations. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. Similarly, believers have “died to the law through the body of Christ,” freeing them to belong to Christ and bear fruit for God.
• This death to the law means that believers are no longer under its condemnation. Instead, they are united with Christ, raised to new life, and empowered to live in the Spirit.
• Cross-reference: Galatians 2:19-20 explains that believers have been crucified with Christ and now live by faith.
2. The Law’s Role in Arousing Sin (Romans 7:5-6)
• Paul acknowledges that the law, while holy, inadvertently stirs up sinful desires. Sinful passions are “aroused by the law” and bear fruit for death. This does not mean the law is sinful but rather that sin exploits the law’s commands to provoke rebellion.
• By contrast, believers now serve “in the new way of the Spirit,” no longer captive to the written code but transformed by the grace of God.
• Example: When a “Do not touch” sign is posted, people may feel tempted to touch simply because the command exists. This illustrates how the law can provoke sin rather than prevent it.
• Cross-reference: 2 Corinthians 3:6 contrasts the letter of the law, which kills, with the Spirit, which gives life.
3. The Law Reveals Sin (Romans 7:7-8)
• Paul defends the goodness of the law, explaining that it reveals sin by setting a standard. For example, the commandment “You shall not covet” brings awareness of covetousness, but sin exploits this commandment to produce disobedience.
• The problem lies not in the law but in sin’s ability to twist the law into an occasion for rebellion. Without the law, sin remains dormant and unrecognized.
• Cross-reference: Romans 3:20 states that the law gives knowledge of sin.
4. The Commandment Brings Death Through Sin (Romans 7:9-11)
• Paul reflects on his personal experience, describing how sin, using the law, deceived and killed him. The commandment, intended to bring life, became an instrument of death because sin corrupted it.
• This deception echoes the serpent’s temptation in the Garden of Eden, where sin distorted God’s command to bring death instead of life.
• Cross-reference: James 1:14-15 explains how desire gives birth to sin, and sin leads to death.
5. The Holiness of the Law (Romans 7:12)
• Paul concludes by affirming the law’s goodness. The law reflects God’s holy, righteous, and good character. Its purpose is to reveal sin and point people to their need for salvation in Christ.
• Cross-reference: Psalm 19:7-8 describes the law as perfect, reviving the soul.
Life Application
1. Do I live as one released from the law’s condemnation?
• Reflect on how your union with Christ frees you from the law’s demands and condemnation.
Reference: Romans 8:1-2
2. How does the law reveal my need for grace?
• Reflect on areas where the law exposes sin in your life. How does this lead you to rely on Christ’s grace for salvation?
Reference: Ephesians 2:8-9
3. Am I bearing fruit for God?
• Paul explains that being united with Christ enables believers to bear fruit for God. Reflect on how your life is producing spiritual fruit.
Reference: John 15:5
4. Do I see the law as holy and good?
• Reflect on how the law reveals God’s character and points you toward holiness.
Reference: Psalm 119:97
5. Am I walking in the new way of the Spirit?
• Serving God is no longer about following the letter of the law but living in the power of the Spirit. Reflect on how the Spirit leads you in daily obedience.
Reference: Galatians 5:16