7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.
9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.
12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to dothis I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Reflection

The Law Exposes Sin (7:7~13)
The Law is not evil. God testifies throughout Scripture that the Law was intended to bring life to those who obey it. However, the Law also gives knowledge of sin. The sinful nature with which we are born is rebellious to God, so sin uses God’s commandments to stir up the rebellion inside us. This does not mean the Law is the source of sin. On the contrary, it acts as a mirror that reflects the sin that is already in our hearts. The Law exposes sin for what it is and helps us come to terms with our inability to obey God’s commandments. But the good news is, as Paul will make clear, that our failures lead us to God’s grace.

- Think about ways God has revealed areas of rebellion or resistance to His will in your life. Ask the Lord to lead you to His grace in these areas.

The Battle Within (7:14~25)
Paul describes the futility of our own efforts to avoid sin and do what God commands. He is himself baffled by this dilemma: He agrees with the Law that he ought to do what is right, but the sin living inside him leads him to do the evil he does not want to do. Many have questioned whether Paul is speaking of believers or non-believers in this passage. It is hard to imagine any follower of Jesus who cannot identify with the struggle described here. We may not all struggle with the same sins, but we all must battle the stubbornness of our flesh. Yet, it is this very battle that leads us to look beyond ourselves to God’s grace and power.

- Take time to delve into this passage in a personal way. What battles with sin and self come to your mind? 

A letter to God 

God, I desire to live for You, but because my good intentions are weak, I end up doing what I don’t want to do. Please fill me with Your Spirit and surround me with other disciples who will remind me to live for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

All Copyrights of the text in Living Life belong to Duranno Books.