Romans 7

Paul uses the analogy of marriage to explain the believer's release from the Mosaic Law's covenantal authority, transitioning from a relationship of condemnation to a new life in Christ that yields fruit unto God. He then wrestles with the ongoing tension between the indwelling Spirit and the remaining influence of the flesh.

• The marriage analogy illustrates how death releases one from the binding authority of a former contract (vv. 1-3).
• Paul applies this to the believer: being dead to the law, they are now married to the resurrected Christ (vv. 4-6).
• He defends the Law against accusations of being 'sin', clarifying that it serves to reveal the true nature of sin (vv. 7-13).
• He concludes with a raw description of the believer's inner duality: the mind desiring to serve God while the flesh remains prone to sin (vv. 14-25).

• The marriage metaphor (husband/wife/adultery)
• The specific commandment: 'Thou shalt not covet'
• The contrast between 'newness of spirit' and 'oldness of the letter'
• The cry of the 'wretched man'
• The shift from the 'inward man' vs. 'members'

This passage defines the transition from the Old Covenant to the New, explaining how the Law remains holy and just while being powerless to produce sanctification, thus necessitating union with the resurrected Christ.

Union with the resurrected Christ liberates the believer from the Law as a covenant of condemnation, initiating a life of service in the Spirit rather than the dead letter.

The argument shifts from the positional change of the believer regarding the Law (vv. 1-6) to the investigative role of the Law regarding sin (vv. 7-13), concluding with the practical reality of the believer's ongoing inner conflict (vv. 14-25).

• If her husband be dead, she is free from that law (v. 3)
• We should serve in newness of spirit (v. 6)

• Paul addresses a mixed community of Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome, necessitating clarification on the ongoing relevance and limitations of the Mosaic Law for those no longer under its judicial administration.

• The marriage laws of the ancient world provided a clear societal frame for understanding legal release; the death of one spouse dissolved the legal union, permitting remarriage.

• This chapter bridges the discussion of 'dead to sin' in chapter 6 and the 'life in the Spirit' in chapter 8.

• Paul interprets the Mosaic Law (especially the Decalogue) through the lens of the New Covenant's liberation from the 'letter'.
• Matthew Henry observes that the law acts as a 'standard' that shows how far short the heart falls, proving that the Law cannot provide the remedy for the depravity it reveals.

• The citation of the tenth commandment ('Thou shalt not covet') in v. 7 points back to Exodus 20:17.

• κυριεύω (kyrieúō) [G2961]: to rule/have dominion. Indicates the Law's binding legal authority.
• καταργέω (katargéō) [G2673]: to be rendered idle/released. Used here for the dissolution of the legal tie to the Law.
• ἀγνοέω (agnoéō) [G50]: to ignore/not know. Used in the opening appeal to his audience's knowledge.
• σῶμα (sōma) [G4983]: body. Used in v. 24 as 'body of this death', referring to the total state of mortal corruption.

• The distinction Paul makes between 'I' (the believer's will) and 'sin that dwelleth in me' (the remaining flesh).
• The shift from the past tense ('I was alive') to the present tense ('I am carnal') in verses 9-14.

• Whether verses 14-25 describe the pre-conversion experience of the Apostle or his current state as a believer. Position A: The unregenerate man (supported by some Fathers and many reformers, focusing on the helplessness of the flesh). Position B: The regenerate man (supported by many modern exegetes and earlier traditions, focusing on the 'delight' in the law in verse 22 as a mark of the new birth).