Romans 7 | Daily Bible Reading & Reflection

Romans 7 Devotional: Explore the tension between the flesh and the Spirit. Study the role of the Law in exposing human sin and the desperate need for deliverance found only in Jesus Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to Romans Chapter 7. Today we enter one of the most honest and relatable chapters in the entire New Testament. If you have ever felt frustrated by your own inability to be the person God has called you to be, this chapter is for you. Let us listen closely as Paul peels back the layers of the human heart, revealing our deep need for a Savior who is greater than our struggles.

Romans Chapter 7 Introduction: The Struggle and the Savior

Romans 7 is a candid look at the life of a believer who is caught in the "tug-of-war" between their desire to follow God and the remaining pull of their old nature. Paul explains that while the Law of God is holy, righteous, and good, it is powerless to change us—it only serves to act as a mirror, showing us just how far we fall short of God’s standard. This brings us to a place of "holy frustration" where we realize that our own efforts at "being good" are insufficient for salvation or sanctification.

What can we learn from this today? In this chapter, we see the absolute necessity of God's grace and redemption (Article 6). We often try to live the Christian life using our own willpower, only to find ourselves doing exactly what we don't want to do. Paul teaches us that this realization is actually the beginning of victory. When we stop relying on ourselves and cry out, "Who will rescue me?" we finally look to the only Answer: Jesus Christ. This chapter is not about defeat; it is about humility. It reminds us that our identity is not found in our performance, but in our relationship with the One who has delivered us from the law of sin and death.

Bible Verse - Romans 7

7 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

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

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Prayer

Paul concludes this struggle by asking, "Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" As we enter this time of prayer, let us answer with him: "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Prayer Theme: "The Rescuer"

Dear Heavenly Father, We come before You today, acknowledging that You are the Creator and sovereign Lord of all. We thank You for the Law, which reveals Your perfect will and our desperate need for a Savior. We believe that we were created in Your image but fell into sin, and that our only hope for restoration is the grace You have provided through Jesus Christ.

Lord, I bring my own struggles to You today. I confess that I often try to rely on my own strength to live a godly life, only to find myself failing and frustrated. Forgive me for my pride in thinking I can change my own heart. I thank You that my standing before You is not based on my performance, but on the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. When I feel the weight of my own failures, help me to look past my struggle and fix my eyes on my Rescuer.

We lift up those around us who are trapped in a cycle of self-condemnation, feeling that they must "earn" Your love through their own goodness. May they hear the truth that salvation is a gift, and that Your grace is sufficient for them. We pray for a world that feels exhausted by the attempt to find meaning through works and self-improvement; let the Gospel of grace be the light that leads them to the freedom found in Your Son. Guide us by Your Spirit to live not under the burden of our own efforts, but in the victory of Your redemption. Amen.

Daily Application Question

Paul describes a situation where he finds himself doing the very thing he does not want to do. Is there an area of your life where you have been relying on your own willpower rather than the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about change?

Frequently Asked Questions about Romans 7

Is Paul describing a Christian or a non-Christian? Most theologians believe Paul is describing the experience of a believer. A non-believer does not typically experience the internal conflict of "delighting in the law of God in my inner being" because they are spiritually dead; this conflict is the mark of a life being regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
If the Law is "good," why does it bring about death? The Law itself is not the problem; sin is the problem. The Law is like a diagnostic medical tool—it doesn't cause the disease, but it reveals the presence of the illness so that the patient can seek a cure.
Does this chapter give me an excuse to keep sinning? Absolutely not. The realization of our inability to stop sinning on our own is meant to drive us closer to Christ, who gives us His Spirit to empower us to live for Him.

Thank you for wrestling through this deep passage with us. May you walk today in the peace of knowing you are rescued by Christ, not by your own perfection. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for the glorious promise of Romans Chapter 8.

Navigate the Journey

Previous: ← Romans Chapter 6 | Next: Romans Chapter 8 →

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