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Romans 7:7-8:1
New International Version
Romans 7:7-8:1
New International Version
The Law and Sin
7 What shall we say, then?(A) Is the law sinful? Certainly not!(B) Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.(C) For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”[a](D) 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(E) produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.(F) 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life(G) actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(H) deceived me,(I) and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.(J)
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good(K) to bring about my death,(L) so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,(M) sold(N) as a slave to sin.(O) 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.(P) 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.(Q) 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.(R) 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[b](S) For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.(T) 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.(U)
21 So I find this law at work:(V) Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being(W) I delight in God’s law;(X) 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war(Y) against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin(Z) at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?(AA) 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!(AB)
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law,(AC) but in my sinful nature[c] a slave to the law of sin.(AD)
Life Through the Spirit
8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation(AE) for those who are in Christ Jesus,(AF)
Footnotes
- Romans 7:7 Exodus 20:17; Deut. 5:21
- Romans 7:18 Or my flesh
- Romans 7:25 Or in the flesh
Romans 7:7-8:1
New American Standard Bible
Romans 7:7-8:1
New American Standard Bible
7 (A)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? (B)[a]Far from it! On the contrary, (C)I would not have come to know sin except [b]through the Law; for I would not have known about [c]coveting if the Law had not said, “(D)You shall not [d]covet.” 8 But sin, (E)taking an opportunity (F)through the commandment, produced in me [e]coveting of every kind; for (G)apart [f]from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart [g]from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was [h](H)to result in life, proved [i]to result in death for me; 11 for sin, (I)taking an opportunity (J)through the commandment, (K)deceived me, and through it, killed me. 12 (L)So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? [j](M)Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
The Conflict of Serving Two Masters
14 For we know that the Law is (N)spiritual, but I am (O)fleshly, (P)sold [k](Q)into bondage to sin. 15 For (R)I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing (S)what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with (T)the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, (U)no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my (V)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For (W)the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, (X)I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then (Y)the [l]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God [m]in (Z)the inner person, 23 but I see (AA)a different law in [n]the parts of my body waging war against the (AB)law of my mind, and making me a prisoner [o]of (AC)the law of sin, the law which is in [p]my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [q](AD)the body of this (AE)death? 25 (AF)Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh (AG)the law of sin.
Deliverance from Bondage
8 Therefore there is now no (AH)condemnation at all for those who are (AI)in (AJ)Christ Jesus.
Footnotes
- Romans 7:7 Lit May it never happen!
- Romans 7:7 Or through law
- Romans 7:7 Or lust
- Romans 7:7 Or lust
- Romans 7:8 Or lust
- Romans 7:8 Or from law
- Romans 7:9 Or from law
- Romans 7:10 Lit to life
- Romans 7:10 Lit to death
- Romans 7:13 Lit May it never happen!
- Romans 7:14 Lit under sin
- Romans 7:21 Lit law
- Romans 7:22 Or with respect to
- Romans 7:23 Lit my parts waging
- Romans 7:23 Lit in
- Romans 7:23 Lit my parts
- Romans 7:24 Or this body of death
Romans 7:7-8:2
The Message
Romans 7:7-8:2
The Message
7 But I can hear you say, “If the law code was as bad as all that, it’s no better than sin itself.” That’s certainly not true. The law code had a perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for right and wrong, moral behavior would be mostly guesswork. Apart from the succinct, surgical command, “You shall not covet,” I could have dressed covetousness up to look like a virtue and ruined my life with it.
8-12 Don’t you remember how it was? I do, perfectly well. The law code started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of “forbidden fruit” out of it. The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me. Without all the paraphernalia of the law code, sin looked pretty dull and lifeless, and I went along without paying much attention to it. But once sin got its hands on the law code and decked itself out in all that finery, I was fooled, and fell for it. The very command that was supposed to guide me into life was cleverly used to trip me up, throwing me headlong. So sin was plenty alive, and I was stone dead. But the law code itself is God’s good and common sense, each command sane and holy counsel.
13 I can already hear your next question: “Does that mean I can’t even trust what is good [that is, the law]? Is good just as dangerous as evil?” No again! Sin simply did what sin is so famous for doing: using the good as a cover to tempt me to do what would finally destroy me. By hiding within God’s good commandment, sin did far more mischief than it could ever have accomplished on its own.
14-16 I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.
17-20 But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
21-23 It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
24 I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
The Solution Is Life on God’s Terms
8 1-2 With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
Romans 7:7-8:1
Amplified Bible
Romans 7:7-8:1
Amplified Bible
7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, if it had not been for the Law, I would not have recognized sin. For I would not have known [for example] about coveting [what belongs to another, and would have had no sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, “You shall not covet.”(A) 8 But sin, finding an opportunity through the commandment [to express itself] produced in me every kind of coveting and selfish desire. For without the Law sin is dead [the recognition of sin is inactive]. 9 I was once alive without [knowledge of] the Law; but when the commandment came [and I understood its meaning], sin became alive and I died [since the Law sentenced me to death].(B) 10 And the very commandment which was intended to bring life, actually proved to bring death for me.(C) 11 For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, beguiled and completely deceived me, and [a]using it as a weapon killed me [separating me from God]. 12 So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good [the Law], then become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, in order that it might be revealed as sin, was producing death in me by [using] this good thing [as a weapon], so that through the commandment sin would become exceedingly sinful.
The Conflict of Two Natures
14 We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am a creature of the flesh [worldly, self-reliant—carnal and unspiritual], sold into slavery to sin [and serving under its control]. 15 For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not practice what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate [and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity]. 16 Now if I habitually do what I do not want to do, [that means] I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good (morally excellent). 17 So now [if that is the case, then] it is no longer I who do it [the disobedient thing which I despise], but the sin [nature] which lives in me. 18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity]. For the willingness [to do good] is present in me, but the doing of good is not. 19 For the good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want to do, I am no longer the one doing it [that is, it is not me that acts], but the sin [nature] which lives in me.
21 So I find it to be the law [of my inner self], that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully delight in the law of God in my inner self [with my new nature],(D) 23 but I see a different law and rule of action in the members of my body [in its appetites and desires], waging war against the law of my mind and subduing me and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is within my members. 24 Wretched and miserable man that I am! Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt, mortal existence]? 25 Thanks be to God [for my deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness, my sinful capacity—I serve] the law of sin.
Escape from Bondage
8 Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior].(E)
Footnotes
- Romans 7:11 Lit through it killed me.
Romans 7:7-8:1
New Living Translation
Romans 7:7-8:1
New Living Translation
God’s Law Reveals Our Sin
7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”[a] 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.
Struggling with Sin
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[b] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[c] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Life in the Spirit
8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.