What does Romans 7:22 mean?

This verse echoes the writer of Psalm 119, as he declared his delight in God's law (Psalm 119:16, 24, 47). Paul, like Aleph, said with sincerity that he too delighted in the law of God in his "inner being" or "inner man." Paul uses this same phrase in 2 Corinthians 4:16 and Ephesians 3:16 to describe the true self inside a person that God renews and strengthens through the Holy Spirit.

Bible scholars who believe Paul is describing the experience of Christians in this section point to this verse as evidence of "regeneration." In other words, they insist that only someone who is in Christ would delight in the law of God in his or her inner being. Paul is saying that he really, truly does love God's law and wants to follow it. This interpretation also seems to fit Paul's Greek grammar, which has shifted in this passage to a first-person, present-tense style.

On the other hand, scholars who believe Paul is describing his life before becoming a Christian, point to the next verse as evidence for their perspective. Paul will write that in spite of his love for God's law, he finds himself captive to the law of sin. These scholars point to statements Paul made in Romans 6:2, 18, and 22 that Christians are freed from slavery to sin through faith in Christ.