CF Bible Study, Romans 7:14-25: “Sin Became Alive and I Died” Part 1

For the next few weeks we are going to study a passage that is one of the most controversial and confusing in the entire Bible. But do not lose heart. Possibly the greatest lesson I have learned in this past year is that the Holy Spirit is the granter of understanding and without Him all else is without worth. That lesson has two sides. On one side, no matter how intelligent you are, apart from the Spirit you are totally impotent. And on the other side, no matter how unintelligent you might be, God may still give you the answer. So what we must do for these next couple of weeks is pray and study hard, and the Lord may grant us the truth.

There are two basic views that have traditionally been taken on these verses.

1. Paul is speaking of his experience as a non-believer under conviction of sin.
2. Paul is speaking of his experience as a believer struggling with indwelling sin.

Tonight we will spend all of our time simply trying to discover which view is correct. Normally, I do not like to teach this way. The Bible ought to be taught positively (by clear statements of truth), not negatively (by refutation of contrary positions). It is not life changing to listen to some one talk about what some scholars have thought in previous centuries. It is boring. I do not want to know why what theologians have thought is wrong. I want to know the Bible says and what is right. I feel, however, that tonight some of that sort of teaching is necessary because the view opposite what I will teach is so prevalent in Christianity. I cannot teach you anything life-changing from this passage until you are convinced that my basic premise is correct.

Something, however, needs to be said first. You can totally miss this text and still have a great idea of the Christian life and of conversion, because the truth drawn from both views is still taught in the rest of scripture. Paul may be referring to himself as a non-believer under conviction of sin, but the Bible still teaches that believers struggle with sin. And Paul may be referring to himself as a believer struggling with sin, and still the Bible still teaches that non-believers undergo conviction of sin. Even if we misunderstand this passage, right doctrine is not necessarily lost.

What is Paul Talking About?

In my opinion 14-25 is Paul’s deeper description of his conviction as an unbeliever. He uses the present tense because it naturally flows out of the grammar in verses 13-14 and because it makes what he says vivid and penetrating. It is his purpose to further show that the Law is good and sin is utterly sinful, and thus protect justification, and to glorify it by depicting his awful bondage so that he can strikingly uncover the One who can deliver him from the “body of this death.”

There are three large reasons I think Paul is not describing himself here as a Christian.

1. 7:14-25 would directly contradict chapters 6 and 8.

The result of chapter 6 is that Paul has built a wall around the cross against those who say that the forgiveness we have gives us license to sin. The wall is this: those who have died to sin cannot still live in it (6:2). Believers have died with Jesus their representative, and in that death the strength of sin was drained. Therefore a new master rules them—no longer master sin but master Christ. Look again at some of the statements that make this point obvious.

“. . . our old self was crucified with Him that our body of sin might be done away with that we would no longer be slaves to sin . . .” (6:6)

“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (6:11)

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (6:14)

“. . . having been freed from sin you became slaves of righteousness.” (6:18)

“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.” (6:22)

Now I want you to notice one of Paul’s first declarations in 7:14-25 and compare it with the tenor of chapter 6.

“ . . . I am of the flesh, sold into bondage to sin.” (7:14)

It is unbelievable that Paul would take all of chapter 6-8 to say that a Christian is not in bondage to sin, and then turn and say that he (a true Christian) is.

Let’s move our focus to chapter 8 for a few moments. Here we are told in several ways that believers are of the Spirit and not the flesh.

“ . . . who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (8:4b)

“. . . those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (8:8b)

“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (8:9)

Now here again is Paul’s assertion in 7:14. And again the contradiction is unbelievable.

“. . . I am of the flesh, sold into bondage to sin.” (7:14)

Could it be that Paul as a believer is of the flesh when those who are in the flesh cannot please God?

2. There is a significant change from chapter 7 to chapter 8.

It does not take more than a surface reading to discern the difference between chapters 7 and 8. You can almost feel it. There is tension in 7, resolution in 8. There is bondage and then there is freedom.

Chapter 7
“I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.” (7:22)

“. . . I find a different law in the members of my body . . . making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.” (7:23b)

“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (7:24b)

Chapter 8
“There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. (8:2)

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!” (8:16)

3. The flow of thought would seem to be notably broken.

In a section of scripture devoted to showing that believers are freed from sin, it would not make sense for Paul to insert ten verses about his struggles with sin as a believer. Some would say that he is simply dealing with reality; he describes a victorious life, but believers do not always experience one. That is possible, but is seems weak. It seems to be put on top of the passage, not pulled out of it. Could he not be simply furthering what he has already said for five verses: the law is good and sin is utterly sinful?

Why Are These Verses Here?

Verse 9 of chapter 7 throws open this section. “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died . . .” In verses 14-15 Paul is describing that death. Before, he considered himself to be a blameless Law-keeper. But when God took the Law and demonstrated to Paul that he was comprehensively unable to keep it (“I am doing the very thing that I hate”), he saw his bondage to sin (“No longer am I the one doing it but sin which indwells me.”) and realized that he was a dead man (Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?”).

There are two main reasons for this deeper account of his conviction. First, it is to protect the cross. He must make clear that the Law is not evil, sin is. If you have the incorrect problem, you will get the incorrect solution. We must know that God’s Law is good (it is “spiritual”). And we must die to it through the cross because we are fleshly and sinful (“but I am of the flesh, sold into bondage to sin.”) and it therefore results in death for us.

The second reason for this section is to glorify the cross. He goes this deep in chapter 7 so that chapter 8 can come and be amazingly beautiful. Who will deliver us from sin and death? The one who came and condemned sin in the flesh!

Bryan Elliff © 2008