Romans 7

No Longer Bound to the Law

7Now, dear brothers and sisters

—you who are familiar with the law—don't you know that the law applies only while a person is living?G2228G50G80G1063G2980G1097G3551G3754G3551G2961G444G1909G3745G5550G21982For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her.G1063G1135G5220G1210G3551G435G2198G1161G1437G435G599G2673G575G3551G4353So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.G686G3767G1437G435G2198G1096G2087G435G5537G3428G1161G1437G435G599G2076G1658G575G3551G846G1511G3361G3428G1096G2087G4354So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.G5620G3450G80G5210G2532G2289G3551G1223G4983G5547G1519G5209G1096G2087G1453G1537G3498G2443G2592G23165When we were controlled by our old nature

, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.G1063G3753G2258G1722G4561G3804G266G3588G1223G3551G1754G1722G2257G3196G1519G2592G22886But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.G1161G3570G2673G575G3551G599G599G1722G3739G2722G5620G2248G1398G1722G2538G4151G2532G3756G3821G1121

God’s Law Reveals Our Sin

7Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, "You must not covet."

G5101G2046G3767G3551G266G3361G1096G235G1097G3756G1097G266G1508G1223G3551G1063G5037G1492G3756G1492G1939G1508G3551G3004G1937G3756G19378But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.G1161G266G2983G874G1223G1785G2716G1722G1698G3956G1939G1063G5565G3551G266G34989At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life,G1161G1473G2198G5565G3551G4218G1161G1785G2064G266G326G1161G1473G59910and I died. So I discovered that the law's commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead.G2532G1785G3588G1519G2222G3427G2147G3778G1519G228811Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me.G1063G266G2983G874G1223G1785G1818G3165G2532G1223G846G61512But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.G5620G3303G3551G40G2532G1785G40G2532G1342G2532G1813But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God's good commands for its own evil purposes.G3767G18G1096G2288G1698G3361G1096G235G266G2443G5316G266G2716G2288G3427G1223G18G2443G266G1223G1785G1096G2596G5236G268

Struggling with Sin

14So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.G1063G1492G3754G3551G2076G4152G1161G1473G1510G4559G4097G5259G26615I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate.G1063G3739G2716G1097G3756G1063G3739G2309G5124G4238G3756G235G3739G3404G5124G416016But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.G1487G1161G4160G5124G3739G2309G3756G4852G3551G3754G257017So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.G3570G1161G3765G1473G2716G846G235G266G3611G1722G169818And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature

. I want to do what is right, but I can't.G1063G1492G3754G1722G1698G5123G1722G3450G4561G3611G3756G18G1063G2309G3873G3427G1161G2716G2570G2147G375619I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.G1063G3739G18G2309G4160G3756G235G2556G3739G2309G3756G5124G423820But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.G1161G1487G3739G4160G5124G1473G2309G3756G2089G3765G1473G2716G846G235G266G3611G1722G169821I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.G2147G686G3551G3754G1698G2309G4160G2570G2556G3873G169822I love God's law with all my heart.G1063G4913G3551G2316G2596G2080G44423But there is another power

within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.G1161G991G2087G3551G1722G3450G3196G497G3551G3450G3563G2532G163G3165G163G3551G266G3588G5607G1722G3450G319624Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?G5005G444G1473G5101G4506G3165G1537G4983G5127G228825Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.G2168G2316G1223G2424G5547G2257G2962G686G3767G3563G1473G846G3303G1398G3551G2316G1161G4561G3551G266