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Captivity to the Law of Sin

(Romans 7:14-25)

In Romans 7:14-25, Paul brings us to the root of the struggle; the cause of our constant defeat by sin is our own flesh, the "body of this death" (v. 24).

Every believer is privileged, enabled and obligated to live a holy life. For those resting in the law for justification and sanctification, it is necessary to convince them of their error. The law is insufficient for for these but grace through Jesus Christ is sufficient. A believing Jew is discharged from his obligations to the ceremonial rituals of the law, and is at liberty to come under the gospel of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior (v. 1-4).

The "I's" in this section

A key to the meaning of this section is found in the repetition of Paul referring to himself ("I", "me", "my"). At least, 48 times in this chapter, Paul exposes his own weakness without a single mention of the Holy Ghost. NOTE: In chapter 7 the Law is mentioned more than 20 times and in Chapter 8 the Holy Spirit is mentioned more than 20 times.

Diplomacy

This voice taken in this section is in part a case of Paul using diplomacy. Instead of giving his religious and zealous readers cause to be defensive, Paul reaches out to his brethren and is self-critical and testifies of his experience under the law:

  • "I am carnal, sold under sin."
  • "Sin dwelleth in ME" (indwelling sin)
  • "In me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing"
  • The will to do good is present in me, but the power to peform it, I find not.
  • "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."
  • "when I would do good, evil is present with me."
  • "I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin"
  • "O wretched man that I am!"

The inability of the flesh

The emphasis on self profoundly exhibits the inability of the flesh. Paul in his shared experience under the law testifies what "I" am struggling to do, and utterly failing to do in my own strength.

We see three confessions in this section of the Chapter:

The First Confession: "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." (v. 14)

The 2 words in the Greek for carnal. One implies that which is purely material, and the other implies that which is ethical. The first suggests man's nature as weak, and the second suggests man's character as sinful.

The Second Confession: "In my flesh dwelleth no good thing." (v. 18-20)

Here we see Paul describing a struggle. In him so far as his person was carnal, there dwelt no good thing because of the influence of sin.

The Third Confession: "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me." (v. 21-25)

He is ever conscious of moral contraction and conflict within. He has a desire to do good and yet an evil is always present.

PARALLEL:

On the one hand the inward man is delighted in God's law. On the other hand he saw a different law in his members warring against the law of his mind and bringing him into a spiritual bondage. NOTE: The "inward man" is not the same as "the new man", nor is the mind ever used of the renewed nature. It is the immaterial part of man.

There are four laws mentioned in verses 21-22

  1. Law of God (moral law - written or unwritten)
  2. Law of sin (reigns since fall of man)
  3. Law of the mind (moral sense of man)
  4. Law of members (leads individual to falling under law of sin)

Conclusion of chapter seven

Verse 24 is a cry of agony and conflict:

"O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

The body of this death—what a fearful description of the body! It is unredeemed, unchanged, and under the law of sin in all its members. To dwell undelivered in such a body is to find it a "body of death."

Is this section an accurate description of the born-again believer's relationship to sin?

Romans 3:9—What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

Romans 6:14—For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Can I Overcome Evil? Yes! A Remedy has been provided for indwelling sin (Eph. 6:13; 2 Peter 2:20; 1 John 2:13; Col 3:1-3). Our mind does not have to be captive to sin (Romans 12:2). Verse 25 says, "I thank God, (for deliverance) through Jesus Christ our Lord." In summary, Paul discovered:

  1. That sin dwelt in him, even though he delighted in God's law.
  2. That his will was powerless against it.
  3. That the sinful self was not his real self (which is the image of God).
  4. That there is a difference through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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