Romans 7:7-25 - What’s the Remedy?
- Joshua Carpenter
- Jul 17
- 5 min read
God’s Law won't cure you... so what will?
Romans 7:7–25 (NIV)
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 do—this 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.
Canons of Dordt
Article 5: The Inadequacy of the Law
What is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments
given by God through Moses
specifically to the Jews.
For humans cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because,
although it does expose the magnitude of their sin
and increasingly convict them of their guilt,
yet it does not offer a remedy or enable them to escape from human misery,
and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse.
Summary
During my Junior year of High School, the entire year for Bible class was spent going through the book of Romans, seeing how far we could get as we walked verse by verse through the deep but beautiful theology of the letter. I still remember trying to follow Paul’s line of thought through this passage back then, as he goes back and forth from the good he wants to do, the good that he doesn’t do, that which he doesn’t want to do, he does, and so on.
It is here, in this passage, that God, through Paul, delves deeper into what we read yesterday, how the Law brings about knowledge of sin. Paul writes: What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.
Later Paul adds, did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.
The Canons echo this when it says although the Law does expose the magnitude of sin and increasingly convict us of our guilt, yet it does not offer a remedy or enable us to escape from our misery…
So, what is the remedy that mankind needs?
Dig Deeper
As Paul reminds us throughout his various letters, the remedy is not the Law. Even here in this morning’s passage, Paul bemoans the weight of his sin, two laws waging war when he declares: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Perhaps you have groaned that way with Paul before over your own sin. In fact, it is important for us to recognize the weight of our sin, to come to grips with it, being reminded ever of our need for a Savior. There is only one who saves, only one who redeems. It is not the Law, but rather, as Paul writes, thanks be to God [we're saved] through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Thanks be to God that He provided the remedy for us, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who perfectly kept God’s Law in our place which we could never do, died for lost and broken sinners like us who were in need of saving as He took our punishment upon Himself, and rose victoriously from the grave, vindicated!
So, as we read God’s Law week in and week out as a part of our worship services, may God through the Holy Spirit ever convict us of our sin, our need to come and repent, asking for His forgiveness and grace, even as we are pointed once again to the cross of Christ and the forgiveness of our sins that God is faithful and just to give!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose Law we're called to delight in;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God for the strength to continue waging war against the law of sin;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 15
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