Roaming through Romans - Sin Remains (Romans 7:7-25)

During the next few months, the SPC Thursday Evening Bible Study will be looking at Paul's Letter to the Romans, the single work that may best offer his theology and ethic. You see, in this letter, he explained to the church in Rome his understanding of human nature, faith, righteousness, and God's intention for everybody. He also offered practical ways we can live as Christians within the world and the church. And as we'll see during the seventeen sessions, what he had to say to the Romans is just as applicable today as it was almost 2,000 years ago. We'll following the schedule below:

• Session 1 - The Reason for the Letter (Romans 1:1-17)
• Session 2 - Human Guilt (Romans 1:18 – 2:11)
• Session 3 - Including the Jews and Everyone Else (Romans 2:17 – 3:20)
• Session 4 - But There's Faith (Romans 3:21 – 4:25)
• Session 5 - Faith and Righteousness (Romans 5:1-21)
• Session 6 - The Living Dead (Romans 6:1-14)
• Session 7 - Sin, Slaves and Spouses (Romans 6:15 – 7:6)
• Session 8 - Sin Remains (Romans 7:7-25)
• Session 9 - New Life ( Romans 8:1-39)
• Session 10 - Back to the Jews (Romans 9:1-29)
• Session 11 - But They Rejected Jesus (Romans 9:30 – 10:21)
• Session 12 - God's Ultimate Plan (Romans 11:1-36)
• Session 13 - Now What We Should Do (Romans 12:1-21)
• Session 14 - Obedience and Love (Romans 13:1-14)
• Session 15 - Concern for Brothers and Sisters (Romans 14:1 – 15:6)
• Session 16 - Tying It Up (Romans 15:7-33)
• Session 17 - Personal Greetings (Romans 16:1-27)

During our eighth session, we looked at Romans 7:7-25 and discussed how, in spite of what Jesus has done for us, we're still sinners. The recording of our discussion and the passage we discussed is below.

Romans 7:7-25 [New Revised Standard Version] 

What then should 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. 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 in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. Did what is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working 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.

For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.