Romans Part 24

In Romans 7:13, Paul asks if the law itself brings death. His answer is clear: absolutely not. The law does not produce death; sin does. As he had already explained in verse 11, "sin . . . killed me." Likewise, 1 Corinthians 15:56 says that "the strength of sin is the law," not because the law is evil, but because God's law establishes the penalty that sin deserves. The commandments do not lead people into death. Rather, they reveal that we are already spiritually dead because of sin, while at the same time showing us God's way of life.

Paul goes on to affirm that "the law is spiritual" (Romans 7:14). God's law reflects His own holy character and points us toward true life. Jesus likewise declared in John 6:63 that His words "are spirit, and they are life." The Old Testament consistently exalts God's law as righteous and life-giving. Psalm 11:7 declares,

"The Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright."

To argue that God's law has somehow become bad would require overturning not only Paul's teaching but also the consistent testimony of the Psalms, the wisdom literature, and the prophets, all of which praise God's law. The real problem is not the law but humanity's sinful nature, which leaves us powerless apart from God.

Paul then describes the inner conflict every believer experiences. We are physical people striving to obey a spiritual law. Before learning God's law, many people do not even recognize this struggle. They still experience the painful consequences of sin such as frustration, broken relationships, and emptiness, but they do not realize why those things occur. Once God's law is understood and a person chooses to live according to it, however, a spiritual battle begins. The desires of the flesh no longer go unchallenged. Obedience becomes a daily struggle, and although believers do not always win every battle, they must continue fighting. God fights alongside those who seek Him, and through His strength the victory will ultimately come. 

Paul explains that even resisting evil demonstrates agreement with God's law. When we struggle against sin, we are acknowledging that God's standard is good, even if we sometimes fail to live up to it. This is very different from embracing a sinful lifestyle or deciding that sin no longer matters. A repentant believer may stumble, but he does not stop fighting against sin or stop affirming that God's way is right. 

This helps explain Paul's statement in Romans 7:20 that

"it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."

He is not making excuses or denying personal responsibility. Rather, he is describing a new identity. Through conversion, the believer is no longer the old person who willingly served sin. The "new man" genuinely desires to obey God. The struggle exists because the new heart longs to do what is right while the flesh still pulls in the opposite direction. The solution is to continually submit to God's Spirit, strengthening the part of us that desires righteousness instead of yielding to the flesh that desires sin. As David confessed in Psalm 16:2, all true goodness ultimately comes from God.

Paul continues by emphasizing that believers must genuinely desire to do what is right and actively resist evil. David expressed this same attitude in Psalm 51 after his repentance, saying that God "desires truth in the inward parts." God is concerned not only with outward actions but also with a heart that sincerely longs to obey Him. 

This inward desire leads Paul to say,

"I delight in the law of God according to the inward man"

in verse 22. The "inward man" is the renewed spiritual self that finds joy in God's commandments rather than viewing them as a burden. Yet another force remains at work. Paul contrasts the "law of my mind," referring to God's law governing the renewed inner person, with the "law of sin," referring to the sinful tendencies of fallen human nature. These two principles are at war with one another. Romans 8:7 will continue this thought by describing the carnal mind as hostile toward God, while Romans 6:19 calls believers to present themselves as slaves of righteousness instead of slaves to sin.

Feeling the weight of this conflict, Paul cries out,

"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"

The word translated "deliver" was commonly used of a soldier rescuing a wounded comrade from the battlefield, fitting perfectly with the warfare imagery Paul has been using. Some have argued that these verses cannot describe a Christian because believers supposedly never struggle with sin. However, that interpretation does not fit the broader testimony of Scripture. Ecclesiastes 7:20 reminds us that

"there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin."

Paul's cry recognizes both the reality of the battle and the certainty that deliverance must come from outside himself.

He concludes the chapter by giving the answer he has been building toward all along: 

"I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

There is nothing mysterious about Paul's conclusion. Believers sincerely desire to obey God's law and strive to keep it, yet they do not always succeed. That ongoing struggle is precisely why they need Jesus Christ. His grace does not remove the importance of God's law. Instead, His sacrifice provides forgiveness when we fail, and His Spirit gives us the strength to continue growing in obedience as we press forward in the lifelong battle against sin.

Epistles of Paul is a course taught at ABC by Mr. Steve Myers. Recordings from the 2023–2024 class year are available on the ABC website.

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.