Romans 7

“Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband.” Verses 1-2.

We are on our way to understanding Romans 7 once we realize that the whole chapter is addressed to those who know the law. The law was made for transgressors, and since there is none righteous and there is none who does good, you would think that there would be plenty of people who know the law. But that is not the case, because the uncircumcision of the flesh prevents the holy and righteous law from working as a law on a conscience that is dead in trespasses and sins. It is only after we have had our sins forgiven and have put off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ that our conscience will be awakened to such an extent that the law is able to work as a law. It is to these people, who try to keep their purity by the law, that Paul writes about a deeper and more thorough salvation. He writes not only to them but also to those who have been released from the law and to those in whom the law has accomplished its work, because we can only comprehend the work of the law and its true meaning after we have been released from the law.

Despite being released from the law, the married woman is still bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. How can we be bound by the law and yet be released from it? This takes place when we agree with the law. Once we learn to love this holy, righteous law, it no longer seems like a law but rather like delightful bonds that bind us together in love. The law was given on account of sin. If sin is taken away, the law will no longer be your opposer but your husband.

“But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.” Verse 3.

Even if we live an exceptionally righteous life according to the leading of the Spirit, we are not thereby freed from the spirit of the law, but we are freed from its letter and its curse. The curse takes effect when a woman marries another man while her husband is still alive. But the requirement of the law is being fulfilled if the woman remains with her husband for as long as he lives. The requirement of the law is fulfilled in us when we do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Rom. 8:4. I am released from the law when its requirements are fulfilled, because His law has become my delight.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” Verse 4.

We have died to the law through the body of Christ. Notice that it says “through the body of Christ.” The curse of the law is now gone, yet its requirements remain in full force. The letter is gone, but the spirit in the letter lives and reigns. This spirit is the Spirit of Christ, by whom we have been baptized into one body. The old man is crucified with Him. Rom. 6:6. The transgressions were done away with by the cross, and thereby also the curse. Instead of a curse, the cross brings sufferings—the sufferings of Christ, who offered Himself in the power of the eternal Spirit. Fellowship with Christ on the cross makes us partakers with Him in His sufferings; so true redemption from the curse of the law is always accompanied by the cross and the fellowship of His sufferings. Now we are married to another; for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. The leading of the Spirit and the requirement of the law both work toward the same goal—our sanctification, which is fruit unto God.

The Spirit has not made His dwelling in us in order to please us with sweet feelings. Rather, He compels us toward fulfilling the requirements of the law, toward the blood of the covenant, and toward what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. In this process, the Spirit resists the flesh, and we experience precisely the same thing as our forerunner, Christ, experienced: we suffer death in our flesh but are made alive in our spirit. This is the fellowship in Christ’s sufferings, which is hidden from the multitudes—the enemies of the cross of Christ.

Under the curse of the law, sin was outside the body. But now it receives its judgment in the body; what the law could not do has now become possible by the body of Christ.

“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.” Verse 5.

When we were in the flesh! Are we not currently in the flesh? We are certainly present in the body, but our mind is in the Spirit: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit . . . .” Rom. 8:9. When we were in the flesh, the sinful passions were at work. Our entire mind and all our thoughts were in the flesh, and the aim of all our endeavors was to nurture and satisfy the flesh. We came under the curse of the law because the carnal mind is enmity against God. However, we are no longer in the flesh, nor are we under the curse, nor are we at enmity with God. When we were in the flesh, the sinful passions that dwell in our members were at work, so that we bore fruit to death. But now, since we have passed from death to life, from the power of Satan to God, from the flesh to the Spirit, we have come under the influence of the Spirit, which is life and peace.

“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” Verse 6.

We have now been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by. What was it that held us captive? It was the lusts in the flesh. These lusts brought the law into effect, because without the law, sin is dead. We were enslaved by a multitude of lusts, and thus the law brought just as many curses. The law is a light from God given for the very purpose of pointing out transgressions. But now we are dead to what held us captive. We were unable to get free from sin without a full and complete self-surrender (death); then God delivered us by the life of His beloved Son, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. By His life we have now been transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love—a kingdom that consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. When we were in the flesh, we served in the oldness of the letter, but now we serve God in the newness of the Spirit.

“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known evil desire unless the law had said, ‘You shall not lust.’” [Norw.] Verse 7.

The law is holy, righteous, and good, but all sin is of the devil. There is a deep gulf between the law and sin. But since the law pursues every manifestation of sin, Paul realized that people might make the mistake of thinking that the law and sin are one and the same thing. That is why he asks: “Is the law sin? Certainly not!” Everyone has lusts, yet this is not reckoned as sin. But the law says, “You shall not lust [Norw.]!” There is a difference between having lusts and lusting. When a person lusts, their thoughts are set in motion, but lusts in the flesh have no life or power in and of themselves. The most they can do is exert themselves as temptations, provided that our mind does not consent to them. When we resist these temptations, we overcome by the power of the Spirit. But if the lusts get the upper hand, so that we are actually lusting, we immediately become transgressors and come under the curse. If the law had not said, “You shall not lust,” we would not have known what evil desire was. From this we can see that the law is a light that exposes the sinful lusts and imposes commandments on them. A person who transgresses the commandment goes against their better judgment and will feel the chastisement and curse of the law.

“But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.” Verse 8.

The commandment provokes sin in the flesh to lust. The law affected every aspect of life. Where it did not say, “You shall not,” it said, “You shall.” Sin in the flesh was stirred up. Through the commandment, and on account of the commandment, all manner of lusts were produced. Sin became sin where we had previously not known sin—even though there was an abundance of it; because the commandment came and sin was made alive.

“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.” Verse 9.

Everyone can identify with this. There were times in our life when we lived without the law. Our conscience was dead, and we did not reckon sin to be sin. But when the commandment came, sin was made alive. Jesus speaks about the peace that the world gives. This is exactly that kind of peace—a peace without the law. People dislike the holy commandment because it makes sin alive. They become restless, and the peace of the world vanishes. They want to live without the law so that sin can remain dead and not be made alive.

“And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.” Verse 10.

Paul gave ear to the commandment; he paid diligent heed to it and sought to live according to it. He did not try to make himself free from the commandment in a superficial way. No, he took the matter seriously. God let the commandments flood over him; and the more they came, the more sin was made alive. The apostle thought: What is the cause of this? The commandments are given to bring life, because “the man who does them shall live by them.” But for me, sin becomes exceedingly sinful through the commandment. Why is that? I try with all my strength to live a life that is pleasing to God, and the more I try to do what is right, the worse I become! In the midst of this, God accomplishes His work, even though it looks hopeless.

Here the apostle’s “I” was becoming separated from the flesh, because he realized that the flesh is where sin had its stronghold. He gave up struggling to keep the law and declared before God that he could not manage to get anywhere like this. He died, because sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived him and by it killed him.

“Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” Verse 12.

Paul just made a very important discovery by the holy and righteous and good commandment: he found the law of sin in his members. Not many people have found this law, even though it is described so clearly and precisely.

By paying close attention to the commandment and living according to it, you discover this law of sin in the flesh. Once you have discovered the law of sin in your body, in your flesh, your members, or whatever else you want to call this corruptible body, you are well on the way to taking up the battle against sin in the flesh. Previously, sin was outside of the body, and we fought against it through the law; but now we find sin in the body, and we are to fight against it by the leading of the Spirit in the power of God. What the law could not do is now possible for those who believe, because Christ condemned sin in the flesh, thereby opening a new and living way through the veil, which is His flesh. Rom. 8:3. The commandment, which is holy, righteous, and good, made sin alive to me, so that I was able to see that it is firmly entrenched in the flesh. Consequently, I was able to distance myself from it by moving into the realm of the Spirit. Rom. 7:3, 8:9. Because we are now in the Spirit, we can see the law of sin in the flesh through the light of the Spirit. But when we were in the flesh, we were unable to see the law of sin, because we ourselves were held captive by it.

“Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.” Verse 13.

It was not the good commandment that became death to him, but rather sin which was made alive, and he felt completely powerless against it. By the commandment, sin became exceedingly sinful, and Paul recoiled from his own flesh in disgust, which he previously didn’t think was so bad.

Now he had learned this lesson: “In me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.” So he chose to abide in the Spirit.

“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” Verse 14.

My human “I” is carnal by nature, sold under sin. This “I” is incapable of freeing itself from sin in my members. Even though we understand the will of God in the light of the law, the law of sin in our members is stronger, and we are brought into captivity to it just like someone who is sold into slavery.

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” Verse 15.

What I will to do is good because the law is good; nevertheless, I am unable to do good. Some people believe that after we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, we are capable of doing good. No! We must be led by the Spirit in order to do God’s works. No one can do good, because no one is good—no, not one. Rom. 3:12. When someone tries to do good, they do things that they do not understand, things that they hate. But if they are led by the Holy Spirit, just as our Lord Jesus Christ was, then it is God who works both to will and to do, without their own carnal will.

“If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.” Verse 16.

I now agree with the law that it is good. The next question is: Why, then, am I unable to do what is good? It is because I am still carnal, sold under sin. Will this always be the case? Yes, you will only come to realize that this is how it is and that it cannot be otherwise. You constantly do things that you do not want to do, things you hate—assuming you are awake and sober. If you let yourself be carried away by the sweet feelings that can come when you are first baptized with the Spirit, or “deliverance,” as they call it, then it is possible for you to believe, and make others believe, that everything you do is “well done.” However, if we are sober-minded, we will soon discover something quite different. If we are awake, we will find that we do many things that have never been prompted by the Holy Spirit—things we ought to hate.

“But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” Verse 17.

Paul said: “Sin that dwells in me.” That was a profound acknowledgment. Most people have a very hard time swallowing this truth after they have received the Holy Spirit. “In me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells”—because sin dwells there. However, even though it dwells there, we are not to let it reign so that we obey it in its lusts. Rom. 6:12. Some people say, “No, Paul is speaking about another situation here; he is referring to the time before we were saved, before we were baptized with the Spirit, when we were still under the law!” On the contrary, he means exactly what he says: What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, has now become possible by the Holy Spirit and the power of God. Now sin in the flesh is to be condemned.

So, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. It is obvious that I cannot be blamed or condemned for doing things that I hate when they are contrary to my best intentions, because it is not I who do them—i.e., the “I” of my mind—but sin that dwells in me. That is also why there is no condemnation from God. Nevertheless, even though there is no condemnation, I must still be very vigilant so I do not entertain the thought that there is nothing wrong, because there is still nothing good that dwells in the flesh.

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” Verse 18.

Paul is not glorifying sin here. On the contrary, he loved the truth so much that he dared to confess that in him, that is, in his flesh, nothing good dwelt. The good that he possessed was that he willed to do good; however, he was unable to perform what was good. And I don’t know whether anyone else can either. Some might ask, “How can I be pure in heart if sin dwells in me?” Perhaps this is one of the mysteries of godliness. God does not consider the sin in your flesh, but rather your willingness—your good mind. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Such a person is pure in heart. There are certainly transgressions, but the Lord will not impute them, because their spirit is free from deceit.

Even though God does not impute our transgressions, it would be a delusion to believe that transgressions do not exist. And if transgressions do exist—even though there is no condemnation—there must certainly be sin in me, sin which I am unable to control, despite my honorable intentions. The Bible calls these works the “deeds of the body,” and they are to be put to death by the Spirit. Rom. 8:13. Those who have received God’s Spirit are the ones who are able to put to death these deeds by the Spirit. And if they must be put to death by the Spirit, then we can be sure that they were not prompted by the Spirit.

“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” Verses 19-20.

Once I realize that it is sin that dwells in me that does those deeds that I will not to do—the deeds I hate—then as soon as I get light over them, I have the opportunity to put them to death by the Spirit. But even if a person does not realize this, they will still commit plenty of these deeds—without putting them to death. Which is better? To know about sin in the flesh and put the deeds of the body to death, or to shut my eyes tightly when faced with that dreaded term, “sin,” and continue to commit a great many deeds of the body without putting them to death—just because I prefer the doctrine that says there is no sin in the flesh? To have sin is one thing; to commit sin is something else entirely.

“I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.” Verse 21.

Have you found this law? Not many people have, because in order to find it, we must take careful heed to ourselves in the light of the Spirit. Just because a person has not found it, does that mean that it does not exist? You can be absolutely certain that it does exist. When you will to do good, evil is present with you. Or do you never cause offense in word or deed? The truth sets us free. If it is true that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells, then this truth will also set me free. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God!” So, does that mean that God does not exist? You might say, “Sin does not dwell in me!” But does that mean that it does not dwell there? You can be certain that it does. Not only do the Scriptures testify to it, but so do those innumerable deeds, which are definitely not fruits of the Spirit. I am not referring to people in the world; I’m referring to you who have received the Spirit.

“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But 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.” Verses 22-23.

This word of God is simple and straightforward, but people have sought out many schemes. I delight in the law of God according to the inward man, but then comes the law of sin in my members which wars against the law of my mind. The law of sin takes me captive, and I am forced to do what I do not want to do—what I hate. What am I to do then? I must put this deed to death by the Spirit, because God hates it, and I also hate it. So we are in agreement. He judges me according to the law of my mind, not according to the law of sin in my members. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Verse 24.

In this wretched condition, the apostle cries out: “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Does he receive an answer? No! Instead, he just has to continue in this body, in which the law of sin dwells, as long as he lives. And we have to do the same, in spite of the false teaching that Romans 7 applies to those who are slaves under the law and Romans 8 to souls who have been liberated.

“I 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.” Verse 25.

It is easy to understand why the apostle thanks God that he serves the law of God with his mind, but it is harder to understand why he thanks God that he serves the law of sin with his flesh. However, when we consider that the flesh can never be subject to the law of God and that God does not desire any fleshly worship, we can understand why Paul can thank God that things are the way they are.

Notice that here Paul is serving the law of sin with his flesh, not with his mind. There is an amazing distinction here, which can only be grasped in the Spirit, because the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Some have perverted this Scripture to allow themselves to serve sin as much as they want. But this is not what the apostle meant. Such people serve the law of sin with their mind, but Paul did not do that. He served the law of God with his mind. In those areas where he had received light, sin’s evil desires within his body were crucified. The law of his mind stopped those evil desires. On the other hand, in those areas where he was still carnal, he was taken captive by the law of sin in his members, so that he did what he hated. However, someone who willfully commits sin is not doing what they hate, because their mind agrees with it. When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. Conception takes place when the desire is able to get our mind to agree, and then sin is born. Paul did not commit that kind of sin. However, he did serve the law of sin with his flesh.

Because this is the case, and cannot be otherwise, “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom. 8:1.

There is no sudden transition from Romans 7 to Romans 8. On the contrary, Romans 8 begins with a sentence that links it to Romans 7. In the German translation, Rom. 8:1 begins as follows: “For that very reason [Eben darum], there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And in English, “There is therefore now no condemnation . . . ,” etc.

There is no “leap” from Romans 7 to Romans 8 in the Bible. However, it does exist in that superficial, so-called “doctrine of deliverance,” where people believe that the easiest conclusion is to get rid of the entire chapter of Romans 7 and just say that it applies to so-called “slaves under the law.” That way, they are able to cover up their enmity against the cross, their own insufficiency, and their lack of that knowledge of God that leads a person through sufferings in the flesh to life and peace in the Spirit.

In order to understand Romans 7, we must also consider a few verses in Romans 8.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Verse 2.

The law of the Spirit of life has freed my mind from the law of sin in my members, so that I am able to serve the law of God with my mind. And yet, in spite of this liberation, I still serve the law of sin with my flesh. Rom. 8:13.

God has been able to set me free from the law of sin and death on the basis of what is written in the next verse:

“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh . . . .” Verse 3.

As long as we were under the law, sin in the flesh continued to have an iron grip on our mind. The law is a light outside of the body, and its purpose is to judge manifest deeds. All sin—with the exception of sexual immorality—is outside of the body. God sent His Son and condemned sin in the flesh—that is to say, within the flesh. In this way, a salvation has taken place whereby my mind can be set free from the law of sin in my members so that, even while present in the body, I can hate and judge deeds carried out by the body. We are now able to suffer death according to the flesh and be made alive by the Spirit, just like our Lord and Master.

It was impossible to suffer death according to the flesh under the law, because then we sought with all our might to please God according to the flesh. The flesh would rather slave away and live than suffer and die. Christ has now made a way though the flesh of this body and condemned sin in it. By doing this, He has consecrated a new and living way for us through the veil, that is, His flesh. “For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” However, if His life is to be manifested in our mortal flesh, sin must be condemned in that flesh, because the life of Christ displaces sin in the flesh, and we are saved by His life. Rom. 5:10.