Romans 7:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

NIV: What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'

NASB: What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Far from it! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COVET.'

CSB: What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.

NLT: 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.'

KJV: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

NKJV: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

Paul has previously written in Romans about the connection between the law of Moses and human sinfulness. In Romans 5:20, he wrote that "the law came in to increase the trespass," and in verse 5 in this chapter: "our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members." As with many spiritual ideas, it's easy to miss the context of a statement, misunderstand it, and take offense as a result. Or, to spin those words off into something the author never really intended.

Paul's critics may have suggested he was teaching that the law was, in itself, a bad thing. He quickly answers his own question about this by saying "By no means!" This again uses the phrasing mē genoito in the original Greek, a strong, emphatic "may it never be!" This also follows Paul's pattern of refuting a wrong idea by asking and rejecting an imagined question about it. Paul clarifies: he doesn't believe the law to be sinful. Instead, it is the way that God reveals to human beings that we are sinful. It shows us what sin is and then reveals our desire to sin in that specific way.

Paul uses the example of coveting, deeply desiring something (or someone) that belongs to another person. God's law commanded Israel, "You shall not covet" (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21). Paul learned what coveting was, in a formal sense, from the law. Then, as he writes in the following verse, he discovered the sin of covetousness in himself.

Romans 7:7–25 explores the relationship between the law of Moses and human sin. Paul insists that the law is how he came to know and understand sin, in general, and his own sin specifically. He also explains how knowing the law does not make a person holier; it can actually tempt us to sin even more! Paul changes his perspective in this passage, speaking in a first-person-here-and-now manner, as a Christian, wanting to do what is right and finding himself doing what is sinful instead. Paul recognized his natural inability to do right and realized his need to be delivered from sin by God through Jesus.

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.