The Law's Demands Reveal Our Weakness and Show Us Christ

The law of God is holy and good, but I am unable to fulfill it. When I recognize this, I am either driven to despair or to the cross of Jesus Christ, who has fulfilled law. The remainder of this life is a sorrowful yet always joyful mix of obedience and disobedience, all of which is overshadowed by Christ, who will soon deliver us from this wretched body of death.

Main point summary

7:7-25a Arc

editing

Romans 7:7-25

na28

mine

Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία;

What then shall we say? The law is sin?

μὴ γένοιτο• ἀλλὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων

By no means! Instead, I did not know sin

εἰ μὴ διὰ νόμου•

except through the law,

actionmanner

τήν τε γὰρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν

for I would likewise not have known lust

εἰ μὴ ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν• οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις.

except the law was saying, "You shall not lust."

actionresult

ground

negativepositive

ἀφορμὴν δὲ λαβοῦσα ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς κατειργάσατο ἐν ἐμοὶ πᾶσαν ἐπιθυμίαν•

Now, taking an opportunity, sin, through the commandment, brought about in me every lust,

χωρὶς γὰρ νόμου ἁμαρτία νεκρά.

for without the law, sin is dead.

ἐγὼ δὲ ἔζων χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ,

Now, I was living without the law formerly.

ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς ἐντολῆς

Now, when the commandment came,

ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀνέζησεν,

sin came alive.

temporal

ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπέθανον

Now, I died,

καὶ εὑρέθη μοι ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ εἰς ζωήν,

and the commandment that was unto life,

αὕτη εἰς θάνατον•

this was found to me unto death,

situationresponse

series

ἡ γὰρ ἁμαρτία ἀφορμὴν λαβοῦσα διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἐξηπάτησέν με

for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me

καὶ διʼ αὐτῆς ἀπέκτεινεν.

and through it killed [me],

progression

ὥστε ὁ μὲν νόμος ἅγιος

Accordingly, on the one hand the law is holy,

καὶ ἡ ἐντολὴ ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή.

and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

inference

Τὸ οὖν ἀγαθὸν ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο θάνατος;

Therefore, did that good thing to me become death?

μὴ γένοιτο• ἀλλʼ ἡ ἁμαρτία,

By no means! But sin [became death to me],

questionanswer

ἵνα φανῇ ἁμαρτία,

in order that sin might be shown

διὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μοι κατεργαζομένη θάνατον,

by, through the good thing, bringing about death to me,

ἵνα γένηται καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία

in order that sin might become extraordinarily sinful

διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς.

through the commandment,

actionpurpose

Οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι ὁ νόμος πνευματικός ἐστιν,

for we know that the law is spiritual.

ἐγὼ δὲ σάρκινός εἰμι

Now, I am fleshly,

πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν.

having been sold under sin,

ideaexplanation

ὃ γὰρ κατεργάζομαι οὐ γινώσκω•

for what I am bringing about I do not know,

οὐ γὰρ ὃ θέλω

for what I am desiring,

τοῦτο πράσσω,

this I am not doing,

concessive

ἀλλʼ ὃ μισῶ

but what I am hating,

τοῦτο ποιῶ.

this I am doing.

εἰ δὲ ὃ οὐ θέλω

Now if what I am not desiring,

τοῦτο ποιῶ,

this I am doing,

σύμφημι τῷ νόμῳ ὅτι καλός.

I am agreeing with the law–that [it is] good.

νυνὶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγὼ κατεργάζομαι αὐτὸ

Now as it is, I am no longer bringing it about,

ἀλλʼ ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁμαρτία.

but the one dwelling in me, namely sin,

Οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἐμοί,

for I know that good is not dwelling in me,

τοῦτʼ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, ἀγαθόν•

that is, in my flesh,

τὸ γὰρ θέλειν παράκειταί μοι,

for to desire is present with me,

τὸ δὲ κατεργάζεσθαι τὸ καλὸν οὔ•

but to bring about good [is] not,

οὐ γὰρ ὃ θέλω ποιῶ ἀγαθόν,

for what I am desiring, namely the good, I am not doing,

ἀλλʼ ὃ οὐ θέλω κακὸν τοῦτο πράσσω.

instead, what I am not desiring, namely the evil, this I am doing.

εἰ δὲ ὃ οὐ θέλω [ἐγὼ] τοῦτο ποιῶ,

Now if what I am not desiring, this I am doing,

οὐκέτι ἐγὼ κατεργάζομαι αὐτὸ

I am no longer bringing it about,

ἀλλʼ ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁμαρτία.

but the one dwelling in me, namely sin.

εὑρίσκω ἄρα τὸν νόμον, τῷ θέλοντι ἐμοὶ ποιεῖν τὸ καλόν, ὅτι ἐμοὶ τὸ κακὸν παράκειται•

So, I am finding the law with respect to me, the one desiring to do good, that evil is present with me,

συνήδομαι γὰρ τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον,

for I am delighting in the law of God according to the inner person,

βλέπω δὲ ἕτερον νόμον ἐν τοῖς μέλεσίν μου ἀντιστρατευόμενον τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοός μου καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντά με ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῷ ὄντι ἐν τοῖς μέλεσίν μου.

but I am seeing another law in my members which is making war with the law of my mind and taking me captive in the law of sin which is in my members.

Ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος•

I am a wretched man!

τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου;

Who will rescue me from this body of death?

χάρις δὲ τῷ θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν.

Now, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Ἄρα οὖν αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῷ μὲν νοῒ

So then, I myself, on the one hand, with the mind

δουλεύω νόμῳ θεοῦ

am obeying the law of God,

τῇ δὲ σαρκὶ

and on the other hand with the flesh

νόμῳ ἁμαρτίας.

[I am obeying] the law of sin.

This suggests that the law in v. 22 is not the same law being talked about here. Is it the same law as v. 21?

Near demonstrative: the commandment/law is marked as thematic

The development signaled by δε is the concluding statement of the problem.

Back to back near demonstratives continue to make the evil thematically prominent

Near Demonstrative: thematic focus on evil

Near Demonstrative: thematic focus on good

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