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Romans 7:15-8:2
Paul has been showing the Jewish brethren in Rome that in Christ, they are not only free from sin, but are
free from the Law of Moses. This will lead into Pauls discussion of the role of the Holy Spirit in the
sanctification of all believers.
But Paul recognized that the Jewish brethren, having been under the Law their entire lives, would not be so
quick to recognize their freedom from it. So Paul uses his personal testimony of when he was an
unregenerate Jew a testimony typical of all Jews.
Through his own experience, Paul shows that although the Law of Moses is not in itself sin, it is how the
Jew really came to know the Sin, as the dominating master that it is. The Law is holy and just and good
but it cannot justify the Jew, because the Jew cannot keep it. And because the Jew sins against the Law,
violating it, the Law of Moses results in his condemnation.
In addition, the Law actually aggravates sin, because the lawlessness of the heart rises up in rebellion
against the restraint of the Law. Far from being a tool useful for justification to Life, the Law is a tool of
the Sin, producing death in the unbelieving Jew.
We have noted that in this part of his letter, through the end of chapter 7, Paul is actually testifying to two
distinct experiences he has had, each distinguished by a prevalent verb tense.
The first experience, marked by the past tense, was Pauls testimony from his former life in Adam, as an
unregenerate Jew, which we considered last week. The second, marked by the present tense, is Pauls
testimony of his initial experience as a Christ One, when he found himself struggling with sin.
Once again, Paul relates his experience because it is a typical experience this time, typical of all believers.
Yes it is typical for all believers to struggle with sin not just you. In fact, it is an essential part of the
process of sanctification.
How can that be? Because sanctification cannot proceed, until the believer learns by experience that they
cannot overcome sin, in themselves; in their own power. This is what Paul learned this is what he shared
with the believers in Rome and this is what the Holy Spirit wants to share with you.
Last week, we saw that after Paul explained the true relationship between sin and the Law, he concluded
with the thought that, far from being sin, the Law is spiritual in verse 14. This is something, Paul says,
that we know we here, being the Jews.
Through their shared experience under the Law of Moses, the Jews fully know that the Law is of God, that
it is good, being His will, and that it rightly condemns sin. The Law is not the problem. So what is the
problem? The heart of man.
Paul now resumes his own personal testimony in verse 14, I, and continues in the present tense through
the next portion of the passage, marking a transition in his testimony. As Paul continues, we will see that
he is moving away from his specific thoughts concerning the Law of Moses, and expanding the discussion
to include the Gentiles this relates to all believers.
Well include the transition in verse 14 in our reading, and continue into the first two verses of chapter 8.

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[Read Romans 7:14-25, 8:1-2]

So in verse 14, Paul introduces his beginning experience, as a Christ One. This is Pauls experience in the
temporal realm, following his conversion, as he continued in his life on earth, under time. Paul was still in
a flesh body, a body that was born enslaved to the Sin.
In verses 15-23, Paul shows that this created a conflict within him a conflict which he did not at first
understand, but that he came to understand, through experience. In the remainder of the passage, and
continuing into chapter 8, Paul then shows the resolution of this conflict.
Now, you can see that almost the entire passage is in the present tense. This does not mean that the whole
thing is Pauls current experience. The reason why Paul is using this tense throughout is so that he can
walk his listeners through his experience, just as it unfolded.
In this way, the listener joins Paul in the experience for it is certainly their experience, as well, in real life
and as the listener walks through it with Paul, Paul takes them to the other side of the struggle with sin
to the place where they can live their righteousness, free from sin.
I want to revisit the last half of verse 14 first to remind you of its meaning: For I am carnal, sold under
sin. The word carnal literally means of flesh. Paul is saying he is still in a body of flesh, a body that
from birth has been completely subject to the Sin; he was born under its mastery, and has always lived that
way.
When Paul became a believer, he was justified; he was freed from all charges of sin and guilt. He had been
redeemed delivered from his sin through the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet 1:19). In the spirit of his
being, Paul has been released from his sin.
Paul spoke of this redemption in his letter to the Asian assemblies. Turn to Ephesians chapter 1. Paul was
expounding on all of the spiritual blessings the believer has in Christ.
[Ephesians 1:7] Redemption here means to deliver, or loose by the paying of a ransom, in order to set a
person free. The redemption is through the blood for Christ that was the ransom price, by which those
who believe are delivered from their sins as Paul was.
Now look down at verses 13-14.
[Ephesians 1:13-14] Notice that Paul is again speaking about redemption the same word, in the Greek,
meaning to deliver through ransom; to free. But from the context, we can see that this redemption is future,
whereas that of which he spoke in verse 7 has already occurred.
The believer has already been delivered from sin, but there is also a future deliverance that awaits him.
Paul is saying that the possession which will be delivered, has already been purchased it was bought
with the one and only ransom price the blood of Christ.
And Paul is also calling this possession the believers inheritance. Now, inheritance is always on the
basis of a death, in this case, the death of Christ.

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So what is this possession, this inheritance? The body of glory. The body of flesh will be redeemed it
will be delivered from death through its glorification. So we see that Paul is showing two aspects of
redemption, or deliverance: in verse 7, the deliverance of the believer from sin being justified; and in
verse 14, the deliverance of the believers body from death being glorified.
[Return to Romans 7]
Pauls point here in verse 14 is that his body is still of flesh; it has not yet been redeemed; in the temporal
realm, the body of glory is still future.
Paul has been delivered from sin, but his body has not yet been delivered from death. And until the time
when it is, Paul, and every believer, live in that body of flesh the same body that was sold under sin, the
same body that always served the Sin. And for the believer, that creates a conflict of interest, so to speak.
Paul now goes on to describe this conflict.
v. 15 The word for understand in the Greek means to know. Some believe Paul means that he doesnt
approve of what he is doing (from the KJV translation, I allow not), and Im sure that he didnt; but I
dont believe that is his meaning here.
Paul really does intend to say that he doesnt understand what hes doing; its a mystery to him. When Paul
believed the good news of Jesus Christ, he started to take in the genuine truth concerning God. Paul
became enlightened as to what was good that is, the things that God willed and what was evil
everything else.
And as this truth dawned on Paul, as to what the will of God was in his life, Paul began to want to do the
will of God; Paul now willed to do the good; to live his righteousness. That became Pauls intention.
But even though Paul desired to accomplish the will of God in his mind, as a new believer, he found
himself incapable of doing it. In practice, Paul did just the opposite; he did what he hated. He didnt do the
will of God he continued to sin; and he did so, repeatedly.
And Paul just could not understand this; why was he still sinning, when he now knew the will of God, and
even desired to do it? How could that be? Lets see what Paul found out.
v. 16-17 First Paul points out that if he is doing in practice the very thing that he has resolved not to do
to sin he is affirming the goodness of the Law that is, the Law of Moses, here. The Law exposes sin
and condemns it. And that is what Paul is doing, inside of himself. He now recognizes his sin because
now He knows the will of God and Paul condemns himself, for his sin. So the process within Paul
confirms the good purpose of the Law: to convict of sin, and to judge it.
But notice what Paul says next: But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Now, on
first take, it sounds like Paul is abdicating personal responsibility for his actions, at least, as a believer
but now.
Is it possible that Paul is doing this? That is not possible, if you know Paul. Paul teaches everywhere in his
letters that believers are responsible for their conduct, and as he also taught that believers should follow his
example, he must have been responsible for his conduct, as well!

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So what does Paul mean? Paul is once again employing imagery to make his point. Paul is speaking here
of the Sin dwelling in him personifying sin, as if it were another entity within Pauls body, that can
commandeer his body, making it do what Paul does not intend to do sin.
Now, that is imagery but it very well expresses the struggle that goes on inside each and every believer,
who is trying to overcome sin, in themselves. It feels like an internal war is being waged.
We get all churned up, inside. It almost feels as if we are being yanked back and forth, between two
entities our own inner man, and the Sin. And eventually, and inevitably INEVITABLY the Sin wins
the contest. We find, as did Paul, that we dont have control over our own bodies based on our own
ability.
Now, I love Pauls imagery here, for it so well describes the struggle, but I also thought it might be helpful
to think through more literally what does go on in this struggle with sin. After all, you dont really have
some other entity called the Sin dwelling inside you. Nor do you have two natures which some
theologians have made it. Paul is simply describing what goes on in your inner man you.
And you used to be part of the creation in Adam, before you believed into Christ. In Adam, all of your life,
you did what you wanted with your body the very body of flesh you are in, now. You served the Sin,
with your body, because that served you; it served your own selfish purposes.
Through the senses of your body, you came to desire certain things; you sensed them, through your outer
man, and in your inner man, you responded to what you sensed by wanting them, making a decision in your
will to have them, and then using your body to get them.
Maybe you desired chocolate; or TV. Or knowledge; or fun. Maybe it was security; or prestige; or you
desired to look good; or you even desired another person.
The senses in your body also informed you of things you viewed as undesirable for yourself; things you did
not want, and you used your body to steer clear of those things, that you did not desire.
People can certainly fall into that category too, cant they? Those difficult people in life. Or any kind of
personal pain. Things outside of your comfort zone. Discipline. Hard work. Stress. Aging as if we can
really get away from that one!
You responded to things like these, by avoiding them, out of your own self-interest; serving your own
selfish desires, your strong will for self, which is contrary to the will of God.
Now, Im not saying that any of these things are sin, in themselves; its your desire to have them or avoid
them, against the will of God, that is sin. That was your strong will for self; to give yourself what you
wanted, and to avoid what you didnt want; and you used your body to make it happen. It the lawlessness,
in the heart of man. That is what Paul is talking about, when he says the Sin, in him.
But Paul is not talking about being in Adam, but in Christ; about himself, as a believer. So he is saying that
the Sin still dwells in him. The Sin continues to make itself at home in his body.

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In a way, it is part and parcel of that flesh body, because the flesh body continues to sense; to constantly
take in the sensory input from this world, and to deliver it to your inner man. And you have established a
pattern of reaction to that sensory input; a way that you think; a deeply engrained channel of self-serving
response, which in yourself, you can never override. You want to, you try to, but you find yourself
succumbing to your self-serving interests on a regular basis.
Thats what Paul is showing, here. We cannot overcome our strong desire for self, our lawlessness, in
ourselves alone. Were overpowered by the Sin in us, every time. The power to overcome must, then,
come from elsewhere.
But where? Paul has shown that it cannot come from his inner man; mind over matter didnt work it
never does! So Paul continues to search for the power to overcome the Sin.
v. 18-20 Pauls struggle continued. Mind over matter didnt work; the Sin was more powerful. And Paul
absolutely knew that his flesh body had no power, in itself. As Paul said, in him, meaning his body of flesh
here, no good dwells.
Now, Paul has been quoted out of context here to be meaning that the body is evil; but he is not saying that,
at all. Notice directly after making the statement how he qualifies good: to perform what is the good
(definite article) I do not find. Theres no how, and its not intended.
What would the good mean, here? The will of God; His righteous requirements. So what Paul is saying
is that he does not find the power to do Gods will in his body of flesh, because his flesh has no power, in
itself no more power than it had, before he became a Christ One.
Remember, the body has not yet been redeemed. The body of flesh, in itself, is weak (Mt 26:41); as we
learned in chapter 6, where Paul talked about the weakness of the flesh (Rm 6:19), he was showing that the
body is designed to serve; it has no will of its own. It will either serve the Sin, in the service of self, or it
will serve God. And it has no power to perform the good will of God, in itself. Paul had changed, but his
body had not. Paul knew he would find no answer to his dilemma there!
In verses 19 and 20, Paul is repeating what he has said in verses 15, 16 and 17, in slightly different ways.
He recognized his desire to do Gods will, yet his inability to carry it out, in his body; and that what he was
actually practicing, which he hated, was no less than evil, for it was what God could not approve, and
therefore cannot accept; it wasnt Gods will.
In repeating what he has already said, we gain the sense that this struggle was not a fleeting moment in
Pauls new life as a Christ One; that it took time to learn how to overcome the Sin.
Learning something new always takes time. And in the case of living his righteousness, the believer must
learn what doesnt work, before he can learn what does.
But having established that the believers struggle with sin is not momentary, Paul now goes on to show
that it need not, and should not, be an enduring struggle. There is a solution, and the believer must see it
for himself, and believe it, in order to overcome sin.
The solution for Paul began with a certain discovery.

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v. 21-23 We see in this section that Paul is talking about law. But it is absolutely clear that he is not
meaning the Law of Moses. Remember that Paul has completed his testimony to the Jewish brethren
specifically; he is once again addressing the believers, collectively. Lets first look at these laws, of
which Paul is speaking.
In verse 21, Paul says, I find a law, that evil is present with me. This law, that evil is present with Paul, is
further qualified in verse 23: it is another law, in the members of Pauls body; and then later, he qualifies
it further as the law of the Sin, in the members of his body. Paul is adapting his personification of the
Sin, showing it to be like a law that the body of flesh obeys.
Then Paul speaks of the law of God, in verse 22. Now, Paul does not use that term for the Law of Moses;
he usually just calls that the Law. Here, Paul is using a more general term, so as to include the Gentiles.
This Law of God is further qualified by Paul in verse 23 as the law of my mind. As we have seen up
until this point, what is in Pauls mind, what he desires to do, is the will of God. But Paul calls the will of
God the Law of God here because he is doing a word-play with the term Law.
The question is, why? Why is Paul now making the master Sin to be like a law in his body of flesh, and the
will of God to be like a law in Pauls mind? Theres a very good reason. Because laws can be overruled.
What Paul is about to show, what he discovered, is how to overrule the Sin, which is always trying to exert
its rule over his body.
Paul is beginning to understand, in the spirit of his being, what he did not understand before: why he
cannot live his righteousness, even though he desires to live that way, even though he has been trying and
trying.
As a believer, God has shown Paul what His will is; and Paul absolutely delights with God in it; this is the
law of God; these are Gods righteous requirements, for the believer, and Paul sees in his mind that Gods
will is indeed good, and acceptable, and perfect (Rm 12:2).
But the fact that Paul has been unable to carry out Gods will in his body leads him to a discovery that
evil is present with Paul Paul, the one who desires to do Gods will!
Yes, the law of the Sin is in the members of Pauls body; but more, the evil is present with Paul, in his inner
man. It penetrates right to his heart, for there is still lawlessness there, because of his own self-will. Aha!
The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.
Now Paul understands what is happening. His flesh body still has the Sin in its members, and the law of
the Sin is overruling the Law of God in Pauls mind; not because the Law of God is weak, but because Paul
is not able to enforce it.
Putting it another way, Pauls body of flesh continues to take in the worlds input, through its senses it
always will and Paul finds himself still responding to that input, in himself, for himself, exerting his own
selfish will, over the will of God even though, in the very spirit of his being, Paul really doesnt want to.

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Paul visualizes this inner struggle under the imagery of a battle. The law of the Sin wages war from its
stronghold in the body of flesh, pummeling Pauls mind with temptations desires that feed Pauls flesh,
that feed Pauls mind while Paul tries to stave off the attack, wielding the Law of God to no avail. Paul
doesnt have the power to uphold the Law of God; and so the enemy, the Sin, is able to break through his
weak defense. The law of the Sin has taken Paul captive once again.
Through experience, Paul had to discover that he didnt have the power to resist the Sin, which still dwells
in his flesh. He had to find out that the answer to his struggle did not reside anywhere within Paul, in
himself. What Paul needed was help from Another, to overrule this powerful enemy and he realized just
where to turn.
v. 24-25 O wretched man that I am you can just hear the agony of Paul. What he has been going
through, desiring to do the will of God, and finding himself unable to do it, is sheer misery; and thats true,
isnt it?
In fact, the struggle that we go through with sin, as believers, is an indicator that we really are believers.
Unregenerate men may have twinges of conscience; they may regret what their sin is doing to them; but
they do not tend to be tormented by their sin.
A genuine Christ One is tormented by his sin he is a wretched man. But the torment is intended to drive
him to the place where he is no longer tormented; where he has the victory over the Sin. The torment, the
failure, is intended to drive him to God.
And thats what Paul expresses here. Paul gave up, trying to rule over the Sin, in himself, and he cried out
for deliverance, instead. Notice that Paul does not seek a What to deliver him; he has come to realize
that there is no thing that can. No program; no principle; no behavior modification; no power of positive
thinking; no accountability to another believer; no self-help book; no church group. Paul has come to know
there is no power to deliver him from sin in any of these.
Paul turns not to a What, but to a Who to the Person whom Paul has seen wields genuine power;
omnipotence, that can overrule any power on earth. Paul turns to God. Through his failure, Paul learned to
stop looking in, and to start looking up.
Pauls language is notable here. Throughout this entire passage, Paul has been using the present tense. But
notice the tense Paul chooses when he speaks of his deliverance, in verse 24. What is it? Who will deliver
me? Its the future tense.
And Paul calls his body a body of death. Remember what we learned in Ephesians. Paul realizes that he
will be in that flesh body a body of death a body in which sin resides until the Lord redeems his body,
delivering him from death.
How will Paul be delivered from his body of death? Through Life everlasting in a glorified body. The
glorified body is free even from the presence of sin; the Sin cannot dwell in it.
Paul recognizes that he needs this future deliverance in the here and now; if the glorified body could be his
present reality, sin would be forever overruled in Paul. So he cries out to the Lord to deliver him.
You can hear Pauls sense of relief in verse 25 and victory. Clearly, Paul has been delivered, by the Lord.
And this deliverance has resulted in Paul being empowered to do the will of God; to live his righteousness.

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How does he do this? Paul says that with his mind, he himself serves the Law of God. That is what hes
been trying to do all along; only now, hes doing it.
The last part of verse 25 does not have the word with. It literally reads, but the flesh, the law of the
Sin. Paul is not saying that his flesh is concurrently serving the Law of the Sin; he is simply pointing out
that, despite his flesh still being subject to the Sin, he is now able to do the will of God with his mind. So
how is Paul able to do that? Thats what he shows in chapter 8. Well just look at the first two verses this
time, which sums up the victory.
8:1-2 The latter half of verse one who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit
is not in the earliest manuscripts. That clause appears word-for-word later, in verse four. It is thought that
this may have been an inadvertent insertion, while the manuscript was being copied. But it definitely does
not fit the context, here, because the fact that there is no condemnation for believers is not because of how
they walk, but because they are in Christ Jesus.
So Paul is concluding his discussion in chapter 7 concerning believers thats the therefore There is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Paul has finished his discussion
concerning justification long ago, in this letter. He is not specifically revisiting that here.
Paul is continuing his thought about his deliverance by God, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul has come
to see, with the eyes of his understanding, that even the future deliverance from this body of death can be
realized in the here and now, in the present, through faith.
Through faith, Paul has begun to live, with the eternal perspective. In Christ Jesus, Paul is a completely
new creation; he has been delivered from sin and death; a glorified son of God. And as such, Paul has been
completely delivered from condemnation.
In the second verse, Paul explains why there is no condemnation. He introduces us to yet another law.
What is this law? Some read it as the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. But I dont think thats
what Paul intended, here. Instead, its the law of the Spirit; the law of life in Christ Jesus; one law,
qualified in two different ways.
Paul is once again playing off of the term law, introducing the Holy Spirit as an overruling influence or
power, governing his life from within. And this law is also qualified as the law of life in Christ Jesus. It is
in walking in newness of life as a glorified son of God that the believer conducts himself in
righteousness.
What Paul is showing is that there is no condemnation for the believer because, from Gods perspective, he
is already a perfectly righteous son, even as he is learning, in the temporal realm, to live his righteousness;
even as he is in the process of being sanctified. There is now no condemnation for the believer, now, while
he is still becoming his righteousness, for God views him as complete. What a blessing!
Notice in verse two that we finally come to how Paul got delivered; how he got free. Paul put into effect
the law of the Spirit the law of life, in Christ Jesus. And that all-powerful law overruled the law of sin
and death, in Paul. The Sin, and its resultant condemnation, could no longer take Paul into captivity.

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What Paul learned is that he can live, in the spirit of his being, as if already in his glorified body, and in
that body, with his mind, Paul can now serve the Law of God; he can do Gods will. Thats how Paul was
delivered from the body of death, where the Sin dwells; through putting into effect the law of the Spirit, of
life in Christ Jesus, Paul was free.
So how did Paul actually put this new law into effect? He did so by believing it. Paul believed he could
walk in the new life that Christ had given him, as a glorified son and so he did.
Paul submitted himself to the rule of the Spirit in his life by which he was then filled with the power of
the Holy Spirit; power to do the will of God. How exactly does that work? It works by faith.
The power of the Holy Spirit is the power of Light. Through the Holy Spirit, Paul was enlightened, not
just to the will of God, but to the deep love that God had for him, and to the fullness of the deliverance that
Jesus had provided for Paul, from the Sin. And as Paul became enlightened to these things in the spirit of
his being, he understood that he had all the power that he needed to not sin; that he now had the freedom to
not sin, and the desire to not sin. Thats the power which, as a believer, Paul always had, but didnt know
his need of or how to access it. It is the work of faith.
Thats how Paul did it. Thats how you can do it; by faith. Then sin will be overruled, in your life.
The law of sin and death is like the law of gravity. It keeps you bound to the earth. You cannot overpower
the law of gravity. No heavenly living, for you, under that law. No matter how much you try to jump up, in
your own strength, you always come back down. The greater your attempt, the harder you come down.
And the more you try, the more you fail. As long as youre on this earth, youll be subject to that law.
But the law of the Spirit, the law of life in Christ Jesus, is like the law of aerodynamics. The law of
aerodynamics doesnt eliminate the law of gravity, but it does overrule it, when put into effect. Thats how
an airplane is enabled to fly; the law of aerodynamics in the airplane has greater power to lift the airplane
up than for the law of gravity to bring it crashing down. The law of aerodynamics is a higher power.
But the law of aerodynamics has to be put implemented, to have its effect. You can stand all day on the
edge of a cliff, in a hang glider. And all day long, in the hang glider, you are subjecting yourself to the law
of gravity. What do you have to do, to put the law of aerodynamics into effect? Walk off the cliff.
Now, walking off a cliff can be a little scary. Thats because you are thinking of that law of gravity; after
all, its a long way down! But the hang glider is aerodynamically designed; in it, you will be empowered to
overrule that law of gravity. You have to trust that the hang glider will do what it is designed to do. But if
you trust in it, then you will soar. And thats not scary; thats exhilarating.
It takes faith to walk in newness of life, in Christ. It can be a little scary; youre not in control. You have to
trust yourself to the Spirit, to show you how to live. But if you do, you will soar. You will overrule sin, in
your life. And you will have great adventures of faith.
Now, someone can explain the law of gravity to you. And they can show you their hang glider, your hang
glider, and explain how hang gliders work. Thats what Paul has done here, with the law of sin, and the law
of the Spirit, of life in Christ Jesus.

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10

And you can go up to the hang gliding cliff; and you can get in your hang glider; and you can go up to the
edge and look at where the hang glider can take you. You can observe others walk off the cliff in their hang
gliders, and see how they soar on the air currents and that theyre having a great time.
You can run through it in your mind, imagine what it is like to walk off even make test runs up to the
edge.
But as long as you are doing all of these things, guess what? You are still subject to the law of gravity. If
you want to rise above it, what do you have to do? Walk off the cliff.
Walking in the Spirit does not require blind faith. Many have gone before, who have lived that way. Their
adventures are recorded in our Scriptures. And there are some around you, who live that way and you
can see the Spirits work of sanctification, in them.
What about you? Do you want to remain earthbound, mastered by the Sin a wretched man? Or do you
want to be free? You want to be free! So take the step of faith. Walk off the cliff. Walk as a new creation,
according to the Spirit and then you will really live. Youll soar!
Read Romans over the summer!