Romans 7
Legacy Standard Bible
Released from the Law
7 Or do you not know, (A)brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is master over a person as long as he lives? 2 For (B)the married woman has been bound by law to her [a]husband while he is living, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law [b]concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
4 So, my brothers, you also were (C)made to die (D)to the Law (E)through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were (F)in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were (G)aroused by the Law, were at work (H)in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been (I)released from the Law, having (J)died to that by which we were constrained, so that we serve in (K)newness of [c](L)the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
7 (M)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? (N)May it never be! Rather, (O)I would not have come to know sin except [d]through the Law. For I would not have known about [e]coveting if the Law had not said, “(P)You shall not [f]covet.” 8 But sin, (Q)taking opportunity (R)through the commandment, worked out in me [g]coveting of every kind. For (S)apart [h]from the Law sin is dead. 9 Now I was once alive apart [i]from the Law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was [j](T)to lead to life, was found [k]to lead to death for me. 11 For sin, (U)taking an opportunity (V)through the commandment, (W)deceived me and through it killed me. 12 (X)So, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
The Conflict of Two Natures
13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? (Y)May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by working out my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would [l]become utterly sinful.
14 For we know that the Law is (Z)spiritual, but I am (AA)fleshly, (AB)having been sold [m](AC)into bondage under sin. 15 For what I am working out, (AD)I do not understand; for I am not practicing (AE)what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I agree with (AF)the Law, that it is good. 17 So now, (AG)no longer am I the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my (AH)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the working out of the good is not. 19 For (AI)the good that I want, 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, (AJ)I am no longer the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then (AK)the [n]principle that in me evil is present—in me who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God [o]in (AL)the inner man, 23 but I see (AM)a different law in my members, waging war against the (AN)law of my mind and making me a captive [p]to (AO)the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from [q](AP)the body of this (AQ)death? 25 [r](AR)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 (AS)the law of sin.
Footnotes
- Romans 7:2 Lit living husband
- Romans 7:2 Lit of
- Romans 7:6 Or spirit
- 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 Or prove to be
- Romans 7:14 Lit under sin
- Romans 7:21 Lit law
- Romans 7:22 Or concerning
- Romans 7:23 Lit in
- Romans 7:24 Or this body of death
- Romans 7:25 Lit Grace; with gratitude
Romans 7
Christian Standard Bible
An Illustration from Marriage
7 Since I am speaking to those who know the law, brothers and sisters,(A) don’t you know that the law rules over someone as long as he lives? 2 For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives.(B) But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the husband. 3 So then, if she is married to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she is married to another man, she is not an adulteress.
4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were put to death(C) in relation to the law(D) through the body of Christ(E) so that you may belong to another. You belong to him who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh,(F) the sinful passions aroused through the law were working in us[a](G) to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit(H) and not in the old letter of the law.
Sin’s Use of the Law
7 What should we say then?(I) Is the law sin? Absolutely not!(J) But I would not have known sin if it were not for the law.(K) For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.[b](L) 8 And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment,(M) produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead.(N) 9 Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again 10 and I died. The commandment that was meant for life(O) resulted in death for me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me,(P) and through it killed me. 12 So then, the law is holy,(Q) and the commandment is holy and just and good. 13 Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not!(R) But sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.
The Problem of Sin in Us
14 For we know that the law is spiritual,(S) but I am of the flesh,[c] sold(T) as a slave under sin.(U) 15 For I do not understand what I am doing,(V) because I do not practice what I want to do,(W) but I do what I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh.(X) For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21 So I discover this law:[d](Y) When I want to do what is good,[e] evil is present with me. 22 For in my inner self[f] I delight in God’s law,(Z) 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body,[g](AA) waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?(AB) 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!(AC) So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.
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