Romans 7 Explained
Romans 7 is one of those chapters that can make people stop and say, “Wait a minute. What exactly is Paul talking about?” The chapter moves through several connected ideas, and if we read it carefully, Paul is not blaming God's Law for the problem. He is showing us what the Law can do, what it cannot do, and why we need Jesus Christ. Paul begins by speaking to people who understand law. He uses marriage as an example because everyone could understand that a law has authority over a person while that person is alive. A married woman, for example, is bound to her husband while he lives. If her husband dies, that legal bond ends. Paul uses that simple picture to explain something much bigger about believers and the Law. Then he brings the comparison directly to believers. He says, “So then, my brothers, you also were put to death to the Law through the body of Christ,” Romans 7:4 . Notice what Paul actually says. He does not say...
