Is the law sin? Paul says never. The law rules a man only as long as he lives, and we died to it through the body of Christ, to be joined to another. The law is holy: it named sin, and sin used the commandment to deceive and kill. Then the man describes the war inside, wanting the good and not doing it, and the chapter ends on a cry and an answer: who will deliver me? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
A short introduction to the whole letter, written to be read aloud or recorded as a video intro — about a minute and forty-five seconds.
Let’s talk about Romans. If you only study one letter in the New Testament, a lot of people would tell you — make it this one.
Paul writes it to a church in Rome he’s never visited. He didn’t build that team. He’s never been in their locker room. So before he calls a single play, he tells them who sent him — Jesus Christ, the risen King.
Then he hands them the whole game plan in one line: “I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation” (1:16). That’s the franchise. Everything else in the letter is how that plan gets run.
Here’s how Paul lays it out.
First, he rolls the film on the whole human race. Picture two teams. One team, Israel, was handed the playbook — God’s law and His promises. The other team, the Gentiles, never got the playbook, but the stadium lights were on the whole time: creation itself shows there’s a God. And when you watch the tape on both teams, it’s not pretty. Missed assignments everywhere. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23). Nobody’s getting a game ball.
Then comes the play call that changes everything. We’re made right with God by faith — not by our stats, not by our effort in practice. Grace puts us on the team.
After that, Paul shows you what it looks like to live in the system: a new life, the power of God’s Spirit, and a promise that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ (8:38–39).
And he finishes with execution — how a team of forgiven men actually plays together.
That’s Romans, men. Let’s get in the film room.
Before you zoom into any single passage, see the whole chapter’s shape. Paul says what the law can and cannot do: it rules only the living, and we died to it. Then he answers two objections about the law, whether it is sin and whether it killed him, and he describes the war inside. The chapter ends on a cry and an answer.
Click any box above to jump straight to that part’s full teaching material. As a class, this works either as one sitting (walk the whole arc in 45–60 minutes at a survey level, then go deeper another time) or as four sessions, one movement per week, using that part’s own outline for the depth.
Bible arcing breaks a passage into its clauses and shows how they relate: which clause carries the main point, and which ones ground it, explain it, or push against it. Here are all 25 verses — 61 statements — on one board, in four drives: the marriage argument (a Handoff after verse 6), the first objection and the story of the commandment (a Handoff after verse 12), the second objection and the war inside (a Handoff after verse 23), and the cry and the answer (a Touchdown after verse 25). Watch for the First Downs at verses 4, 6, 9, 14 and 18, and for the two arcs that cross a Part break: verse 21 back to verse 20, and verse 25 back to verse 14. Chalk Marks (bottom right) draws the Bible marks into the text and closes each drive with its own mark. Play Marks is the coach’s football shorthand in the margin. Arc Lines draws the arcs instead: tick the box beside a relationship to add its arc, one at a time, and watch the argument build. Tap a relationship name for what it means, ► to watch it play, or a part title to jump there.
Every relationship has a football mark you can draw in your own Bible’s margin. Hover over or tap a mark to see what it means.
Chapter 6 ended on “not under law but under grace.” Paul now explains what the law does and when it stops. The law has a claim on a man only while he lives, so a death ends it. In the picture of a marriage, and in the fact of Christ, we died to the law so that we could be joined to another, and serve in newness of the spirit.
| Part intro | 2 min |
| Pregame Huddle | 1 min |
| The Game Plan | 1 min |
| Kickoff | 2 min |
| Chalk Talk | 2 min |
| The Drive | 21 min |
| The 2-Minute Drill | 1 min |
| Review | 4 min |
| Postgame | 10 min |
Think of this page as the sideline sheet a head coach carries in his hand on game day. Every series opens with an Opening Snap to get the room engaged, then a Chalk Talk Exercise: the room marks the text in their own Bibles and you take up their answers. A Team Drill follows for a live group. Then The Play Call: what the text actually says, broken into assignments. The Sideline Call is the one line you say slowly. The Coach’s Clipboard holds the extra film — cross-references and background — for when the room wants more. One rule for every coach who runs this plan: say what the text says with conviction, and say what we don’t know with humility.
Chapter 6 ended on “not under law but under grace” (6:14). Chapter 7 begins by saying what that means. The first six verses are one argument: a rule (the law rules a man while he lives), a picture (a wife and a husband), an application (you died to the law), and a then-and-now (when we were in the flesh, but now discharged). Do not press the picture too far. In the picture it is the husband who dies, and in the application it is we who die. Paul takes one thing from the picture, that death ends the claim of the law, and he leaves the rest.
“For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God.”
— Galatians 2:19 · WEBWhere do you still act as if the law had a claim on you that Christ has ended? What does verse 4 say you are joined to?
Be able to say the rule (verse 1), the picture (verses 2–3), the application (verse 4) and the then and now (verses 5–6). Be ready for the question of what the picture means: say that it shows one thing, death ending a claim, and do not press the husband and wife point for point.
Father, You have shown us that the law has no claim on a man who has died, and that we died with Christ. Teach us to take that as true. Join us to Him who was raised from the dead, and let us bear fruit for You and not for death. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The law rules a man only as long as he lives. A wife is bound to her husband while he lives and free when he dies. In the same way you were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to him who was raised, and bear fruit to God. We used to bear fruit to death. Now we serve in newness of the spirit.
1Or don’t you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives? 2For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband. 3So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man. 4Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God. 5For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit to death. 6But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.
ROMANS 7:1–6 · WEBMark the connecting words, not whole clauses. The shape carries the meaning, so one pen is enough; colors match the arc tags below if you have colored pencils. Chalk Marks, bottom right on this page, draws these same marks into the text of every diagram. The football Play Marks are the coach’s shorthand for the diagrams on this sheet; these are the only marks you need in your own Bible.
Not every word gets marked. Mark the connectors and the flow of thought shows itself: read down the page by the marks and you can hear Paul’s argument.
Box every main clause. Run the drive line down the margin to the next one, and close each drive with a goal line where a new argument takes the ball. Every other clause gets its mark, off the drive line or off the clause it supports. One pen is enough — the shape carries the meaning. When a main clause is also a play (like the “Therefore” in 1:24), its mark sits right on the drive line, just above the box. Hover over or tap any mark, here or in the margin, to see what it means.
Ask: “How long does a speeding ticket have a claim on a man who has died?” Let them laugh. Then ask the serious one: how long does the law have a claim on anyone? Verse 1 answers it, and verses 2–3 give a picture.
In pairs, read verses 2–3 and write the two halves of the marriage law: what binds the wife, and what frees her. Which word do they share? Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul asks if they know that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives. He gives a picture from marriage: a wife is bound to her husband while he lives, and free when he dies, so she is no adulteress if she is joined to another man.
“Or don’t you know, brothers” Picking up 6:14.
“the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives”.
“the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives”.
“if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband”.
“she is free from the law”, “she is no adulteress”.
The law rules the living, not the dead.
Picture a speed limit sign on a road. It binds every driver on the road. It binds no one in the cemetery next door. The sign did not change. The people did.
Where do you act as if a law you died to is still looking over your shoulder? Name it, and read verse 1 over it: a law rules a man only as long as he lives.
Here's the first half of the game plan: “The law rules only the living.” The rule is stated in verse 1 and shown in a picture in verses 2–3.
The word in verse 1 is the one from 6:9 (death has no dominion over Christ) and 6:14 (sin will not have dominion over you). The thread is the same: who rules? Here the answer is that the law rules only the living.
In the picture the husband dies and the wife is freed. In the application of verse 4 it is the believer who dies. Paul does not make the picture fit point for point. He takes one thing from it, that death ends a claim, and leaves the rest.
Verses 1–3 give the rule and the picture. Verses 4–6 give the application.
Ask: “What is the difference between a rule you keep and a person you belong to?” Let a few answer. Verse 4 says we were made dead to the law so that we could be joined to another person.
In pairs, read verses 5–6 and list what was true then (in the flesh) and what is true now. What word turns the page? Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul applies the picture: you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, so that you would be joined to him who was raised, and bear fruit to God. When we were in the flesh, the sinful passions worked through the law to bring out fruit to death. But now we have been discharged from the law, so that we serve in newness of the spirit.
“you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ”.
“that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead”.
“that we might produce fruit to God”.
“the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit to death”.
“we have been discharged from the law”, “we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter”.
Dead to the law, joined to Christ.
Picture a worker who has been bound to an old contract for years. The day the company closes, the contract is void, and the same morning a new employer hires him on a different footing. It was not a better contract, it was a different master, and he serves for a different reason.
Which of your habits comes from the old way of serving, a rule you keep, and which comes from being joined to Christ? Name one of each, and read verse 6 over the first.
Here's the whole game plan: “You died to the law, to be joined to Christ.” You died (v.4), we used to bear fruit to death (v.5), and now we serve in newness of the spirit (v.6).
Verse 5 and verse 6 are a pair: “when we were in the flesh” and “but now.” Same people, same law, but now discharged. Only what Christ did changes the line.
Verse 4 ends with fruit to God and verse 5 with fruit to death. The words match on purpose. The first is the aim of being joined to Christ, the second is the outcome of the passions that worked through the law. The WEB says the first is a purpose and the second a result, and the Greek of each fits.
“You died to the law, to be joined to Christ.”The law has a claim only as long as a man lives. A death ends it. We were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, so that we might be joined to him who was raised and bear fruit to God, and serve in newness of the spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Verses 1–6, one series at a time. Ask out loud, let the room answer, then take it up. You will not have time for all of them: pick two or three from each series.
Think of the last week. Name one specific rule you kept out of fear, as if breaking it would cost you your place with God. What was the rule, and what were you afraid of?
Take it to verse 4. “you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ” The rule you named was kept as if it still had a claim on you. The truth is that a law rules a man only as long as he lives, and you died with Christ. So here is the one question: what would you do this week if you served from being joined to him, and not from fear of the rule?
The CallStop serving out of fear of a rule. Serve as a man joined to Christ.
Ground you take this week.
The line you hold inside.
Pray ItFather, I have served You out of fear of a rule. Remind me that I died to the law through the body of Christ, and that I am joined to Him who was raised. Let me bear fruit for You and not for death. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Gracious Father, You have shown us that the law has a claim on a man only while he lives, and that we died with Christ and are joined to Him who was raised. Forgive us for the times we have served You from fear of a rule. Teach us to serve in newness of the spirit, and to bear fruit for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
You also were made dead to the law
through the body of Christ,
that you would be joined to another.
If the law stirred up passions, is the law itself sin? Paul refuses it and tells the story. The law named sin. Sin took the commandment as a place to attack from, deceived him, and killed him. The villain was sin, and the law is holy, righteous and good.
“Verse 5 said the sinful passions were stirred up through the law. A listener might hear that the wrong way. What is the next objection?”
| Part intro | 2 min |
| Pregame Huddle | 1 min |
| The Game Plan | 1 min |
| Kickoff | 2 min |
| Chalk Talk | 2 min |
| The Drive | 18 min |
| The 2-Minute Drill | 1 min |
| Review | 4 min |
| Postgame | 10 min |
Think of this page as the sideline sheet a head coach carries in his hand on game day. Every series opens with an Opening Snap to get the room engaged, then a Chalk Talk Exercise: the room marks the text in their own Bibles and you take up their answers. A Team Drill follows for a live group. Then The Play Call: what the text actually says, broken into assignments. The Sideline Call is the one line you say slowly. The Coach’s Clipboard holds the extra film — cross-references and background — for when the room wants more. One rule for every coach who runs this plan: say what the text says with conviction, and say what we don’t know with humility.
Verse 7 is a second “What shall we say then?” like 6:1 and 6:15: Paul raises the objection himself and refuses it. Then comes a short story told in the first person and the past tense. Readers differ on who the “I” is here: Paul looking back on his own life, Israel at Sinai, or humanity in Adam, and some hold more than one. The sheet does not take a side. It draws what the grammar shows: the law names sin, sin uses the commandment, and the law is cleared in verse 12.
“for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.”
— Romans 3:20 · WEBName a time a good rule showed you something about yourself you did not want to see. Did you blame the rule, or see the sin it named?
Be able to say the question (verse 7), the example (coveting), the story in order (alive, commandment came, sin revived, I died) and the verdict (verse 12). Be ready for the question of who the “I” is: say that readers differ, and that the arc is the same on each reading.
Lord, Your law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. We confess that sin has used even the good things You have given to deceive us. Keep us from blaming Your law for what is our own. Show us sin for what it is, and bring us to Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Is the law sin? Never. Through the law I came to know sin, and I would not have known coveting unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” Sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced all kinds of coveting. The commandment that was for life, I found to be for death, for sin deceived me through it and killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous and good.
7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 8But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death; 11for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. 12Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good.
ROMANS 7:7–12 · WEBMark the connecting words, not whole clauses. The shape carries the meaning, so one pen is enough; colors match the arc tags below if you have colored pencils. Chalk Marks, bottom right on this page, draws these same marks into the text of every diagram. The football Play Marks are the coach’s shorthand for the diagrams on this sheet; these are the only marks you need in your own Bible.
Not every word gets marked. Mark the connectors and the flow of thought shows itself: read down the page by the marks and you can hear Paul’s argument.
Ask: “If a speed limit makes you want to speed, is the speed limit the problem?” Let them say it. Verse 7 asks the same thing about God’s law: is the law sin?
In pairs, read verse 7 and say what the law did for Paul. What does it name? Then read verse 8 and find the phrase “finding occasion.” Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Is the law sin? Paul refuses it. He would not have known sin except through the law, and he would not have known coveting unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in him all kinds of coveting, for apart from the law, sin is dead.
“What shall we say then?” The third turn of this kind.
“Is the law sin?”
“May it never be!”
“I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law”.
“You shall not covet.”
“sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting”.
The law is a light. It names the thing.
Picture a man who has a sickness he does not know about. A doctor runs a test and names it. The test did not give him the sickness, it found it. He can curse the doctor, or he can be glad someone told him.
What has a clear command of God shown you about yourself that you did not want to see? Name it, and thank God for the light before you ask for the cure.
Here's the first half of the game plan: “The law is holy. Sin is the villain.” The law names sin (v.7), and sin uses the commandment (v.8).
The tenth commandment is the only one of the ten that is about something nobody can see. Paul picks it for that reason: the law named what was already in him.
The phrase means a base of operations, a place to attack from. Sin takes the command as its base. The command is good, and sin uses it. Say it like this, and nobody has to explain the Greek.
Verses 7–8 give the question and the law that names sin. Verses 9–12 tell the story and give the verdict.
Ask: “Who gets blamed when a good rule is used to do harm?” Let a few answer. Verses 9–11 tell what happened, and verse 12 gives the verdict.
In pairs, read verses 9–11 and list the verbs: what Paul was, what came, what sin did, what happened to him. Who is the subject of each? Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul tells it as a story: he was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and he died. The commandment which was for life, he found to be for death, for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived him and killed him. So the law is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good.
“I was alive apart from the law once”.
“when the commandment came, sin revived and I died”.
“The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death”.
“sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me”.
“the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good”.
The commandment was good. Sin used it.
Picture a locksmith who teaches a class on locks, and a thief who comes to the class and learns to pick the lock on the locksmith’s own door. The class was good. The thief is the villain. You do not close the class, you catch the thief.
Where have you blamed a good thing God gave you for what sin did through it? Name it, and read verse 12 over it: holy, righteous, and good.
Here's the whole game plan: “The law is holy. Sin is the villain.” Sin used the commandment to deceive and kill (v.9–11), and the law comes out holy (v.12).
Verses 9–11 are in the past tense and the first person. Readers differ on who is speaking: Paul looking back on his own life, Israel receiving the law at Sinai, humanity in Adam, or more than one. The arc and the verdict are the same on each reading. Say that readers differ and go on.
It echoes the garden, where Eve said the serpent deceived her (Genesis 3:13). Sin is the one doing the deceiving, and the commandment is the tool it picks up.
“Is the law sin?”No. The law showed me what sin is. Sin took the commandment as a base to attack from, deceived me, and killed me. The villain is sin. The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Verses 7–12, one series at a time. Ask out loud, let the room answer, then take it up. You will not have time for all of them: pick two or three from each series.
Think of the last week. Name one specific time a clear command of God stirred up in you the very thing it forbids. What was the command, and what did it stir up?
Take it to verse 8. “sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting” The thing you named was sin using a good command as a base. The truth is that the law is holy and the villain is sin. So here is the one question: will you blame the command, or name the sin it showed you?
The CallDon't blame the commandment. Name the sin it showed you.
Ground you take this week.
The line you hold inside.
Pray ItLord, Your law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. I have blamed it for what is mine. Show me the sin it names, and bring me to You for the cure. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Lord, Your law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Thank You that it shows us what sin is. Forgive us for the times we have blamed it for what is ours, and keep us from letting sin use Your good things to deceive us. Bring us to Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.
The law indeed is holy,
and the commandment holy,
righteous, and good.
If the law is good, did the good thing become death to me? Paul refuses that as well: sin used the good law to show itself exceedingly sinful. Then the verbs turn to the present and the man describes the war inside: he wants the good and does not do it, he hates the evil and does it. Twice he says it is no more he, but sin dwelling in him.
“Verse 12 called the law good. What is the next question?”
| Part intro | 2 min |
| Pregame Huddle | 1 min |
| The Game Plan | 1 min |
| Kickoff | 2 min |
| Chalk Talk | 2 min |
| The Drive | 18 min |
| The 2-Minute Drill | 1 min |
| Review | 4 min |
| Postgame | 10 min |
Think of this page as the sideline sheet a head coach carries in his hand on game day. Every series opens with an Opening Snap to get the room engaged, then a Chalk Talk Exercise: the room marks the text in their own Bibles and you take up their answers. A Team Drill follows for a live group. Then The Play Call: what the text actually says, broken into assignments. The Sideline Call is the one line you say slowly. The Coach’s Clipboard holds the extra film — cross-references and background — for when the room wants more. One rule for every coach who runs this plan: say what the text says with conviction, and say what we don’t know with humility.
Verse 13 is the second objection of the chapter, as verse 7 was the first: Paul asks, refuses, and explains. At verse 14 the verbs change from past to present, and the passage reads like a man describing his life as it is. Paul says the same thing twice: 15–17 says it, and 18–20 says it again from deeper down, ending with the same words, “it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.” Readers differ on who this man is: an unbeliever looking back, or a believer describing the war that remains, or Israel under the law, and some hold more than one. The sheet draws the grammar, the tense switch and the repeat, and does not take a side.
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh”
— Galatians 5:17 · WEBName one thing you want to do and don’t, or one thing you hate and do. Say it plainly, without an excuse.
Be able to say the second question (verse 13), the contrast of verse 14, the paradox (verse 15), and the repeat (17 and 20). Be ready for the question of who the “I” is: say that readers differ, say what the text shows, and do not settle it for the room.
Father, You see the good I want and do not do, and the evil I hate and do. I do not excuse myself, and I cannot fix myself. Show me that nothing good dwells in my flesh, and teach me to look outside myself for help. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Did then that which is good become death to me? Never. Sin used the good to show itself exceedingly sinful. The law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. I don’t understand what I am doing: I don’t practice what I desire, but what I hate, that I do. So it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me, for in my flesh dwells no good thing. Desire is present, but not the doing.
13Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful. 14For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. 15For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. 16But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good. 17So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 18For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good. 19For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice. 20But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.
ROMANS 7:13–20 · WEBMark the connecting words, not whole clauses. The shape carries the meaning, so one pen is enough; colors match the arc tags below if you have colored pencils. Chalk Marks, bottom right on this page, draws these same marks into the text of every diagram. The football Play Marks are the coach’s shorthand for the diagrams on this sheet; these are the only marks you need in your own Bible.
Not every word gets marked. Mark the connectors and the flow of thought shows itself: read down the page by the marks and you can hear Paul’s argument.
Ask: “Have you ever done something and then asked yourself why you did it?” Let the room be honest. Verse 15 is Paul saying that about himself.
In pairs, read verses 15–17 and number what Paul wants and what he does. Then say, in one sentence, who he says is doing it. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Did then that which is good become death to him? May it never be. Sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in him through that which is good. The law is spiritual, but he is fleshly, sold under sin. He does not understand what he is doing: he does not practice what he desires, but what he hates, that he does. Then it is no more he that does it, but sin which dwells in him.
“Did then that which is good become death to me?”
“May it never be!”
“sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good”.
“we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin”.
“I don’t understand what I am doing”, “what I hate, that I do”.
“it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me”.
The law is spiritual. I am not.
Picture a man with a map and a broken car. The map is right. He knows where he needs to go. He wants to go. The car will not start. He does not blame the map. He looks under the hood.
Where do you want to do right and find you don’t? Say it without an excuse, and read verse 14 over it: the law is spiritual, I am fleshly.
Here's the first half of the game plan: “Sin is exposed. The law is not to blame.” The good thing did not kill me (v.13), the law is spiritual and I am fleshly (v.14), and what I do, I don’t understand (v.15–17).
Up to verse 13, Paul tells a story in the past tense. From verse 14 he speaks in the present: “I am,” “I do,” “I don’t understand.” That is the grammar. What it means, a man looking back or a man describing his life now, is one of the oldest disputes in the letter. The sheet draws the seam and does not choose.
Verse 17 does not excuse the man. It says who is really doing it. The same words come back at verse 20, and the point is the same: sin is a power in him, and he sees it as separate from what he wants.
Verses 13–17 give the objection and the paradox. Verses 18–20 say it again from the ground up.
Ask: “Is wanting to do right the same as doing right?” Let it sit. Verse 18 says desire is present and the doing is not.
In pairs, read verses 15–17 and 18–20 side by side. What is the same, what is new? Which line is almost word for word? Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul knows that in him, that is, in his flesh, dwells no good thing. Desire is present with him, but he does not find it doing the good. The good which he desires, he does not do, and the evil which he does not desire, that he practices. If so, it is no more he that does it, but sin which dwells in him.
“in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing”.
“desire is present with me”.
“I don’t find it doing that which is good”.
“the good which I desire, I don’t do”; “the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice”.
“it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me”.
Desire is present. The doing is not.
Picture a man standing at the edge of a pool, wanting to swim, with a stone tied to his leg. He wants to swim. He is not lying. He is not going to swim. He needs someone to cut the rope.
What good do you want and not do? Say it plainly to one man this week, and ask him to pray for you, not to fix you.
Here's the whole game plan: “I want the good. I do the evil.” Wanting is not doing (v.18–19), and the same conclusion is stated again (v.20).
Verse 18 says “in me, that is, in my flesh.” Paul explains what he means by “in me”: he is not saying there is nothing good in him, he is saying that nothing good dwells in his flesh. Say that carefully.
Verses 15–17 and 18–20 make the same argument, and verses 17 and 20 end with the same words. The second time, Paul goes deeper: he says why, no good thing dwells in the flesh. The repeat is part of the teaching, so read both aloud.
“I want the good. I do the evil.”The good law did not become death to me. Sin used it to show itself exceedingly sinful. The law is spiritual, I am fleshly, sold under sin. I don’t do what I desire, I do what I hate, and it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. Desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing the good.
Verses 13–20, one series at a time. Ask out loud, let the room answer, then take it up. You will not have time for all of them: pick two or three from each series.
Think of the last week. Name one specific time you wanted to do right and did not, or hated a thing and did it anyway. What was it, and what did you tell yourself afterwards?
Take it to verse 18. “desire is present with me” The thing you named was wanting without the doing. The truth is that no good thing dwells in the flesh, and the gap is not a reason to quit wanting. So here is the one question: where will you look for help, if the help is not in you?
The CallStop trusting your own flesh to do what you want. Say the gap out loud.
Ground you take this week.
The line you hold inside.
Pray ItFather, You see the good I want and do not do, and the evil I hate and do. I do not excuse myself. Show me that nothing good dwells in my flesh, and teach me to look to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Father, You know that we want the good and do not do it, and that we hate the evil and do it. We do not make excuses, and we cannot fix ourselves. Show us that the law is spiritual and that we are fleshly, and teach us to look outside ourselves for help. In Jesus' name, Amen.
What a wretched man I am!
Who will deliver me
out of the body of this death?
Two rounds of the paradox lead to a rule he finds at work: when he wants to do good, evil is present. He delights in God’s law, and sees a different law in his members, warring and taking him captive. The chapter ends on a cry, an answer, and a divided man: “Who will deliver me?” “Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“Paul has said the same paradox twice. What does he gather from it?”
| Part intro | 2 min |
| Pregame Huddle | 1 min |
| The Game Plan | 1 min |
| Kickoff | 2 min |
| Chalk Talk | 2 min |
| The Drive | 16 min |
| The 2-Minute Drill | 1 min |
| Review | 4 min |
| Postgame | 10 min |
Think of this page as the sideline sheet a head coach carries in his hand on game day. Every series opens with an Opening Snap to get the room engaged, then a Chalk Talk Exercise: the room marks the text in their own Bibles and you take up their answers. A Team Drill follows for a live group. Then The Play Call: what the text actually says, broken into assignments. The Sideline Call is the one line you say slowly. The Coach’s Clipboard holds the extra film — cross-references and background — for when the room wants more. One rule for every coach who runs this plan: say what the text says with conviction, and say what we don’t know with humility.
Verse 21 gathers the two rounds of the paradox into one rule, and verses 22–23 give its two halves: delight in God’s law, and a different law in the members. “Law” occurs five times in these three verses and is used in more than one sense; say that plainly. Verse 24 is a cry, verse 25a is the answer, and verse 25b is a summary of the divided man. The WEB reads “I thank God” in 25a, and the best Greek text reads “but thanks be to God”; both answer verse 24. The chapter ends here, and chapter 8 begins with a “therefore”.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”
— Romans 8:1 · WEBWhat does the cry of verse 24 sound like in your own words? What does verse 25a say about who answers it?
Be able to say the rule (verse 21), the two laws (verses 22–23), the cry (verse 24) and the answer (verse 25a). Be ready for the question of what “law” means in 21–23: say that it is used in more than one sense, and read each one.
Lord Jesus, we hear the cry of a man who is held captive by a law in his members, and we know it. Thank You that the answer to “Who will deliver me?” is a person, You. Deliver us, and keep us honest about the war until You finish it. In Your name, Amen.
I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present. I delight in God’s law after the inward person, but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity. What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So I myself serve God’s law with the mind, and sin’s law with the flesh.
21I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present. 22For I delight in God’s law after the inward person, 23but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, sin’s law.
ROMANS 7:21–25 · WEBMark the connecting words, not whole clauses. The shape carries the meaning, so one pen is enough; colors match the arc tags below if you have colored pencils. Chalk Marks, bottom right on this page, draws these same marks into the text of every diagram. The football Play Marks are the coach’s shorthand for the diagrams on this sheet; these are the only marks you need in your own Bible.
Not every word gets marked. Mark the connectors and the flow of thought shows itself: read down the page by the marks and you can hear Paul’s argument.
Ask: “Have you ever found yourself on both sides of the same argument?” Let them say yes. Verses 22–23 describe a man who delights in God’s law and is also taken captive by another.
In pairs, read verses 21–23 and count how many times the word “law” appears. For each one, say who or what it is. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
Paul finds a rule at work: while he desires to do good, evil is present. He delights in God’s law after the inward person, but he sees a different law in his members, warring against the law of his mind and bringing him into captivity under the law of sin.
“while I desire to do good, evil is present”.
“I delight in God’s law after the inward person”.
“I see a different law in my members”.
“warring against the law of my mind”.
“bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members”.
Two laws at war. One is winning.
Picture a country with two governments, one in the capital and one in the hills. The man lives in the capital and obeys the laws he believes in. The one in the hills takes his sons. He is loyal to the first. He is not free.
Where do you see the two sides of the war in your own week? Write down one place you delight in God’s law and one place you are taken captive. Do not explain either.
Here's the first half of the game plan: “A war. A captive. A cry.” A rule at work (v.21), delight against a different law (v.22–23).
The word occurs five times in these three verses. In verse 22 it is God’s law. In verse 21 and in “a different law” and “the law of sin,” it is more likely a rule or a power at work. Readers differ on whether it is the Mosaic law throughout, with sin using it, or a rule in two senses. Read each one and say which sense you take, and do not build a lot on it.
The words in verse 23 are military: warring, then captivity. Each step goes further than the last. The man is not a neutral spectator.
Verses 21–23 describe the war. Verses 24–25 give the cry and the answer.
Ask: “When have you said, out loud or to yourself, I cannot fix this?” Let it be quiet for a moment. Verse 24 is that cry, and verse 25 answers it at once.
In pairs, read verses 24–25 and say who Paul asks for. Is it a method or a person? Then read verse 25b and say what it says about the man. Start them now: the show takes their answers up at the cross-reference stop.
What a wretched man he is! Who will deliver him out of the body of this death? He thanks God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with the mind, he himself serves God’s law, but with the flesh, sin’s law.
“What a wretched man I am!”
“Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?”
“I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!”
“with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, sin’s law”.
Who? Jesus Christ our Lord.
Picture a man in a deep well who has been trying all night to climb out. When the sun comes up, he stops climbing, looks up, and shouts for the one who has a rope. He does not say, I have a better way up. He says, who will get me out?
What have you been trying to climb out of on your own? Say the cry of verse 24 about it, and then say the answer of verse 25 about it, out loud, today.
Here's the whole game plan: “Who will deliver me? Thanks to God.” A wretched man cries out (v.24), the answer is a person (v.25a), and the man is still divided (v.25b).
Paul asks “who,” not “how.” The answer is Jesus Christ our Lord. Chapter 8 will fill it in. Do not rush ahead to it; let the cry stand.
The WEB reads “I thank God through Jesus Christ.” The best Greek text reads “but thanks be to God through Jesus Christ.” Both answer verse 24 and both give thanks. Say that in one line.
“Who will deliver me?”I find a rule at work: I want the good and evil is present. I delight in God’s law, but a different law in my members is warring and taking me captive. What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So I am divided: the mind serves God’s law, the flesh sin’s law.
Verses 21–25, one series at a time. Ask out loud, let the room answer, then take it up. You will not have time for all of them: pick two or three from each series.
Think of the last week. Name one specific moment you felt the war inside, delight in God's law on one side and something else pulling on the other. What was it, and which side won?
Take it to verse 24. “What a wretched man I am!” The war you named is the one Paul describes. The truth is that his cry is answered by a person, not a method. So here is the one question: what would it look like to cry out the way he does, and then give thanks the way he does?
The CallCry out honestly, and give thanks to the one who answers.
Ground you take this week.
The line you hold inside.
Pray ItLord Jesus, I hear in Paul's cry the war I know. Thank You that the answer to “Who will deliver me?” is You. Deliver me, and keep me honest about the war until You finish it. In Your name, Amen.
Lord Jesus, we hear the cry of a man held captive by a law in his members, and we know it. Thank You that the answer is a person, and that You are the one who delivers. Keep us honest about the war, and keep us thankful, until You finish what You have begun. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Romans 7 says what the law can and cannot do. It rules only the living, and we died to it through the body of Christ. It is holy, and it names sin; sin used the commandment to deceive and kill. The man describes the war inside, wanting the good and not doing it, and the chapter ends on a cry and an answer: “Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord” (7:24–25). The next chapter begins: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1).
Read all of Romans 7 in one sitting, marking the relationships the way the arcing sections showed you, and watch the verbs change from past to present at verse 14. Then ask honestly: where is the war inside me this week, and have I cried out the way verse 24 does? Say verse 25a aloud, and bring it to Christ in prayer before you do anything else today.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), which is in the public domain.
The line the rest of this passage is built around.
“Or don’t you know, brothers”
Why it matters: What the law can and cannot do. He asks them if they know, and the question picks up the thread of 6:14: not under law. The rest of the Part is his answer.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“Or don’t you know, brothers”
“(for I speak to men who know the law),”
Why it matters: Because the point he is about to make is a legal one, and they will follow it. He is not teaching them something strange, he is reminding them of how law works.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“Or don’t you know, brothers”
“that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?”
Why it matters: “the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives”. The word dominion is the one from 6:9 and 6:14. A law rules a living person. It does not rule a dead one.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?”
“For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives,”
Why it matters: It binds her. For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives. The example is there to prove the rule of verse 1: the law holds a living person.
One line set against another.
“For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives,”
“but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband.”
Why it matters: She is discharged from the law of the husband. Bound while he lives, released when he dies. The two halves of the marriage law sit side by side.
The reason comes first; this line is the conclusion drawn from it.
“For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives,”
“So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress.”
Why it matters: An adulteress. So then, while the husband lives, joining another man is a breach. The law is still in force as long as he lives.
One line set against another.
“So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress.”
“But if the husband dies, she is free from the law,”
Why it matters: She is free from the law. The same woman, the same act, now no breach. What changed was not her but the husband: he died.
What follows from the line above it.
“But if the husband dies, she is free from the law,”
“so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man.”
Why it matters: To show the freedom is real. She is no adulteress, even though she is joined to another. The law no longer holds her, so it cannot accuse her.
The reason comes first; this line is the conclusion drawn from it.
“that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?”
“Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ,”
Why it matters: You did. You also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ. Notice that in the picture the husband dies, and in the application it is the believer who dies. Paul does not push the picture point for point. He takes one thing from it: death ends the claim.
What the line above it is aiming at.
“Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ,”
“that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead,”
Why it matters: That you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead. Like the widow free to marry, the believer is joined to Christ. The one we are joined to did not stay dead.
What the line above it is aiming at.
“that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead,”
“that we might produce fruit to God.”
Why it matters: That we might produce fruit to God. The aim of the whole move, from death to the law to union with Christ, is fruit.
When the line above it happens.
“the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members”
“For when we were in the flesh,”
Why it matters: To the time before Christ, when we were in the flesh. This clause is a clock: it says when the next line was true.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ,”
“the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members”
Why it matters: The sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members. The law was not the sin, but sin used it to stir up passions. This line backs up verse 4: it says why a death was needed.
What follows from the line above it.
“the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members”
“to bring out fruit to death.”
Why it matters: To death. The result of those passions was fruit to death, the mirror of fruit to God in verse 4. It is the outcome, not what God was aiming at.
One line set against another.
“the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members”
“But now we have been discharged from the law,”
Why it matters: We have been discharged from the law. Then against now: in the flesh, passions, death; now discharged. Only what Christ did changes the line.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“But now we have been discharged from the law,”
“having died to that in which we were held;”
Why it matters: Having died to that in which we were held. The law held us, and we died to it. A dead man cannot be held.
What follows from the line above it.
“But now we have been discharged from the law,”
“so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.”
Why it matters: We serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter. The result is a new way of serving, not no service. Chapter 8 will explain the Spirit; here he is only named.
The line the rest of this passage is built around.
“What shall we say then?”
Why it matters: That the law must be sin. Paul asks the question himself, as he did in 6:1 and 6:15. What shall we say then?
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“What shall we say then?”
“Is the law sin?”
Why it matters: Of being sin. If the law stirs up sin, perhaps the law is the problem. That is the question the whole Part answers.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“What shall we say then?”
“May it never be!”
Why it matters: He refuses it, in the strongest words the language has. The answer comes before the reason, as in 3:4 and 6:2.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“May it never be!”
“However, I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law.”
Why it matters: “I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law”. The law is a light, not a seed. It shows what sin is. Paul is not saying the law made him sin; he is saying the law named it.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“However, I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law.”
“For I wouldn’t have known coveting unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.””
Why it matters: The tenth. For I wouldn’t have known coveting unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” Coveting happens inside, where no one sees it. The commandment named it.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“However, I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law.”
“But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting.”
Why it matters: It found occasion through the commandment and produced all kinds of coveting. Occasion is a base of operations: sin took the command as a place to attack from. The command was good; sin used it.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting.”
“For apart from the law, sin is dead.”
Why it matters: Sin is dead apart from the law. Dead here means lying dormant, not harmless. It sat quiet until the commandment gave it something to push against.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“For apart from the law, sin is dead.”
“I was alive apart from the law once,”
Why it matters: I was alive apart from the law once. The story goes into the first person and the past tense. It is the life of a man who did not yet feel the weight of the command.
When the line above it happens.
“sin revived and I died.”
“but when the commandment came,”
Why it matters: When the commandment came. A clock again: the commandment arrived, and then something happened.
One line set against another.
“I was alive apart from the law once,”
“sin revived and I died.”
Why it matters: Sin revived, and I died. I was alive, sin came to life, and I died. The order is reversed in a way that tells the story in one line. In the Greek, “and I died” opens verse 10.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“sin revived and I died.”
“The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death;”
Why it matters: That it turned out to be for death. The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death. The command was good and was aimed at life. In his experience it ended in death.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death;”
“for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me,”
Why it matters: Sin. Sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me. The scene echoes the serpent in the garden. Sin does the deceiving; the command is the tool it picks up.
Each statement goes one step further than the last.
“for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me,”
“and through it killed me.”
Why it matters: It killed me. Occasion, deceit, death: each step goes further than the last. This line repeats the words of 8a on purpose, to close the story.
The reason comes first; this line is the conclusion drawn from it.
“May it never be!”
“Therefore the law indeed is holy,”
Why it matters: The law is holy. This is the answer to the question of verse 7, drawn from everything in 7–11: the villain was sin, not the law. The law comes out clean.
Two statements side by side, each adding to the same picture.
“Therefore the law indeed is holy,”
“and the commandment holy, righteous, and good.”
Why it matters: Holy, righteous, and good. Three words for the commandment, after the one word for the law. Every time he says it, it gets stronger.
The line the rest of this passage is built around.
“Did then that which is good become death to me?”
Why it matters: Whether the good thing became death to him. The second question of the chapter, as 6:15 was the second of chapter 6.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“Did then that which is good become death to me?”
“May it never be!”
Why it matters: The same: May it never be! The question and its refusal are the same pattern as verse 7. The reason follows.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“May it never be!”
“But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good;”
Why it matters: Sin, using that which is good. Sin was producing death in me through that which is good. The command is not the cause; sin is the cause, and it used the command.
What the line above it is aiming at.
“But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good;”
“that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful.”
Why it matters: That through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful. The law brings sin out into the open, and the more plainly sin sins against a clear command, the more plainly it is seen for what it is.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good;”
“For we know that the law is spiritual,”
Why it matters: For verse 13: sin, not the law, causes death. We know the law is spiritual, so it is not the culprit. The verbs also change here from the past tense to the present, and the next verses read like a man describing his life as it is now.
One line set against another.
“For we know that the law is spiritual,”
“but I am fleshly, sold under sin.”
Why it matters: The law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. It is not the law that is weak, it is the man. Sold under sin is the picture of a slave who has been sold.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“but I am fleshly, sold under sin.”
“For I don’t understand what I am doing.”
Why it matters: He does not understand his own actions. For I don’t understand what I am doing. He cannot account for himself.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“For I don’t understand what I am doing.”
“For I don’t practice what I desire to do;”
Why it matters: He does not do what he wants. For I don’t practice what I desire to do. The wanting and the doing have come apart.
One line set against another.
“For I don’t practice what I desire to do;”
“but what I hate, that I do.”
Why it matters: What he hates. But what I hate, that I do. The first half is the good he does not do; this half is the evil he does. Two halves of the same puzzle.
The “then” holds only if the “if” is true.
“But if what I don’t desire, that I do,”
“I consent to the law that it is good.”
Why it matters: He takes it from verse 15. If what I don’t desire, that I do. It sets the premise; the line after it draws the conclusion.
The reason comes first; this line is the conclusion drawn from it.
“but what I hate, that I do.”
“I consent to the law that it is good.”
Why it matters: He agrees with it. I consent to the law that it is good. The fact that he hates his own failure shows that he sides with the law.
The reason comes first; this line is the conclusion drawn from it.
“But if what I don’t desire, that I do,”
“So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.”
Why it matters: Sin which dwells in me. So now it is no more I that do it, but sin. He does not excuse himself; he says who the real agent is. The same words come back in verse 20.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.”
“For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing.”
Why it matters: That no good thing dwells in it. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. He explains “in me” with “that is, in my flesh”: he does not say there is nothing good in him, he says nothing good in his flesh.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing.”
“For desire is present with me,”
Why it matters: Desire. For desire is present with me. The wanting is there. He wants the good.
One line set against another.
“For desire is present with me,”
“but I don’t find it doing that which is good.”
Why it matters: The doing. But I don’t find it doing that which is good. Wanting is present, doing is not. The Greek manuscripts differ on the last words here, but the sense is the same.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“For desire is present with me,”
“For the good which I desire, I don’t do;”
Why it matters: To drive it deeper. For the good which I desire, I don’t do. This is the paradox of 15 again, now resting on the ground of 18: the wanting is there, the flesh is empty.
One line set against another.
“For the good which I desire, I don’t do;”
“but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.”
Why it matters: The evil that he does not want, that he practices. Good wanted, not done; evil unwanted, done. The same two halves as verse 15.
The “then” holds only if the “if” is true.
“But if what I don’t desire, that I do,”
“it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.”
Why it matters: The same conclusion as verse 17. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, sets the premise again.
The reason comes first; this line is the conclusion drawn from it.
“For the good which I desire, I don’t do;”
“it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.”
Why it matters: They are almost word for word. It is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. The argument of 15–17 runs a second time in 18–20, going deeper, and ends in the same place.
The reason comes first; this line is the conclusion drawn from it.
“it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.”
“I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present.”
Why it matters: A rule he finds at work. I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present. Law here is a principle or pattern, not the commandments. He has been describing it; now he names it.
A reason standing behind the line above it.
“I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present.”
“For I delight in God’s law after the inward person,”
Why it matters: He delights in it. For I delight in God’s law after the inward person. The inward person is the deepest self, and it sides with God.
One line set against another.
“For I delight in God’s law after the inward person,”
“but I see a different law in my members,”
Why it matters: A different law, a rule at work in his members. But I see a different law in my members. Two powers, not one.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“but I see a different law in my members,”
“warring against the law of my mind,”
Why it matters: It is warring against it. The word is military: this is a battle with sides.
Each statement goes one step further than the last.
“warring against the law of my mind,”
“and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.”
Why it matters: In captivity. Warring, then bringing me into captivity under the law of sin. Each step goes further: fight, then defeat, then prison.
The line the rest of this passage is built around.
“What a wretched man I am!”
Why it matters: This. What a wretched man I am! It is a cry, not an argument. The chapter has built to it.
It says what a word or idea in the line above means.
“What a wretched man I am!”
“Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?”
Why it matters: A deliverer. Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? He asks who, not how. He is looking for a person.
A question, and the answer given to it.
“Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?”
“I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!”
Why it matters: Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The answer is a person and a thanksgiving. It points ahead to the first line of chapter 8. (The WEB reads “I thank God”; the best Greek text reads “but thanks be to God”. Both answer verse 24.)
The reason comes first; this line is the conclusion drawn from it.
“What a wretched man I am!”
“So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law,”
Why it matters: That he is divided. So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law. The mind and the flesh point different ways, and he is the one standing between.
One line set against another.
“So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law,”
“but with the flesh, sin’s law.”
Why it matters: With the flesh, sin’s law. The chapter ends on the divided man, and chapter 8 will open on the one who answers him.
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