Romans 7:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.

NIV: For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.

NASB: For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were brought to light by the Law, were at work in the parts of our body to bear fruit for death.

CSB: For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions aroused through the law were working in us to bear fruit for death.

NLT: When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.

KJV: For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

NKJV: For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.

This verse echoes what Paul wrote at the end of Romans chapter 6. The final result of living as slaves to sin is death, meaning eternal death and separation from God (Romans 6:21). Here he describes slavery to sin as "living in the flesh." Paul is referring to non-Christians, those who do not have the Spirit of God. By "the flesh," he means our limited and sin-controlled bodies.

What stirred up our sinful passions to drive us toward sin? Paul says it was, in fact, the law. While this seems like a controversial claim, Paul will later show how the law both made us aware of sin and increased our appetite for it. Again, Paul insists, the result would be the same: death. The "fruit" or outcome of sin-controlled living under the law is always and ever death. This is true both in the sense of the natural consequences of sin, and the eternal penalty of rejecting a perfectly holy God.

Romans 7:1–6 contains Paul's teaching that those in Christ have been released from following the law of Moses. Why? Our association with Christ's death on the cross created in us a kind of spiritual death that led to a new spiritual life. Paul illustrates his point by pointing to the law of marriage. A woman whose husband has died is released from her commitment to that husband. In the same way, we are released from our obligation to the law and freed up to serve in the new way of the Spirit.

In Romans 7, Paul describes the relationship between Christians and law of Moses and between the law and human sinfulness. Because we died spiritually when we came to faith in Christ, Christians have been freed from our obligation to follow the law. Paul insists, though, that the law is holy and good in the sense that it reveals to all who try to follow it just how very sinful we are. The law shows us that no matter how good our intentions, we still end up in sin and in need of the deliverance available only through faith in Jesus.

Romans 6 revealed that those in Christ have died to sin and are no longer slaves to it. Romans 7 begins by showing that, in Christ, we have also died to our obligation to follow the law of Moses. Paul makes clear, though, that the law is holy and good because it reveals to us just how sinful we are. Paul describes how his failed attempts to follow the law convinced him more fully of his need to be delivered from his sinfulness by God through faith in Christ. Romans 8 will explore many of the benefits of being in Christ.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.

Accessed 5/5/2024 10:57:55 AM