The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is unquestionably his greatest piece of writing. It contains many of his most cherished passages. But that’s not to say it’s easy to understand. Christians through the centuries have struggled to track Paul’s thoughts. There is one part of Romans which has produced a substantial amount of confusion. Let’s see if we can throw some light on this challenging section of scripture.
“For we know that the law is spiritual. I, however, am made of flesh, sold as a slave under sin’s authority. I don’t understand what I do. I don’t do what I want, you see, but I do what I hate. So if I do what I don’t want to do, I am agreeing that the law is good. But now it is no longer I that do it; it’s sin, living within me. I know, you see, that no good thing lives in me, that is, in my human flesh. For I can will the good, but I can’t perform it. For I don’t do the good thing I want to do, but I end up doing the evil thing I don’t want to do.” (Romans 7:14-19)
This passage strikes a chord with many Christians. Although they’ve made a profession of loyalty to Jesus, they sense that they’re struggling. They know that Jesus has called them to a high and holy standard of conduct, but they’re falling short. They just can’t seem to achieve victory over their temper, lust, greed, or whatever else might be holding them back.
It’s not difficult to understand why Paul’s words would resonate. Here is the great apostle himself describing what appears to be that same dynamic. Paul knows the right thing to do, but he just can’t bring himself to actually do it. His human frailty is just too weak, and the power of sin is just too strong. Many Christ followers take strange comfort in Paul’s words. For if Paul faced this predicament, then they can take solace in the fact that they are not alone.
There is no question that the Christian life is difficult, and that people can use all the encouragement they can get. But simply put, this part of Romans is not about the Christian life. Rather, it’s about the plight of Israel, living under the law. Importantly, “the law” here is not a general way of talking about right and wrong. When Paul writes about the law, he is always referring to the Torah, the law of Moses given to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai.
Readers of the Old Testament know that God’s original covenant with Israel ultimately led to failure. The law was given to Israel as a code of conduct which would lead to life and flourishing. Through genuine worship and obedience, the children of Israel would bring God’s rich blessing upon themselves. Additionally, they would be a light to the nations. People all over the world could look to Israel and see God’s good and wise intentions for his creation.
The Old Testament records many encouraging moments. But in the end, Israel failed to fulfill the purpose for which God had called her. The people turned away from the Lord and instead fell into idolatry, violence, injustice and immorality. Rather than being a light to the nations, Israel’s behavior was just as bad or worse. God therefore brought judgment upon his chosen people. They were conquered by their enemies, and the survivors went into exile in Babylon.
What went wrong? That is the key question Paul is grappling with as he writes Romans 7. Paul first explains why the old covenant fell short. He will then go on in chapter 8 to demonstrate how the deficiencies of the old covenant have been rectified by what God has done through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
In order to describe the failure of the old covenant, Paul puts himself in the sandals of the ancient Israelites living under Torah. When Paul refers to himself as “I” during this passage, he is stepping into the role of Israel prior to the coming of the Messiah. However, this style of writing has befuddled some Bible readers, who mistakenly believe that Paul is describing his present experience as a Christian, striving to follow Jesus but often stumbling. Fortunately, Paul has given us numerous indications that he’s not talking about the Christian life. Let’s see how this plays out.
The quandary Paul speaks of in Romans 7 clearly involves people (a) in the flesh (b) living under the law. To the modern ear, the term “flesh” sounds like a reference to our physical existence. But for Paul, the meaning of “flesh” is better understood as our sinful inclination to rebel against God’s authority. (That’s why some versions of the Bible, such as the NIV, often translate this term as “sinful nature.”)
The problem certainly wasn’t the Torah itself. The law rightly required Israel to worship the one true God alone and to live in obedience to his commands. If Israel was faithful, God promised them joyful, abundant life. Paul is at pains to emphasize that the pattern of behavior outlined in the Torah was unequivocally a good thing: “the law is holy; and the commandment is holy, upright, and good.” (v12)
The fatal flaw in the old covenant was that Israel – like all humanity – was “in the flesh.” They were controlled by their sinful nature. Their hearts were hard. Just as Pharaoh had once held them in slavery, so the people of Israel were enslaved to sin. The law truly showed them the way of wisdom which would produce the glorious life that God had promised. But due to their corruption, they were unable to obey. Thus, the Torah became for them, not a guide to life, but a death sentence. “The commandment which pointed to life turned out, in my case, to bring death.” (v10)
Paul’s words in Romans 7:14-19 clearly show these two elements at work. The person in question is “in the flesh” and living under the law. “I however am made of flesh, sold as a slave under sin’s authority.” (v14) “I know that no good thing lives in me, that is, in my human flesh.” (18)
Passages on either side of Romans 7:14-19 make it brilliantly clear that Christians are no longer in this situation. In the beginning of chapter 7, Paul repeatedly declares that those “in Christ” are no longer subject to the Torah. Those who have given their loyalty to King Jesus share a certain solidarity with him. Just as he died and rose from the dead, so we in a sense have also died and been raised to new life. “You too died to the law” (v4) “But now we have been cut loose from the law; we have died to the thing in which we were held tightly.” (v6)
In Romans 6, Paul has already pronounced that Christians are “not under law but under grace.” (v14) Those in Christ are no longer “slaves to sin, which leads to death” but are instead “slaves to obedience, which leads to righteousness.” (v16) He later re-emphasizes the same point: “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” (v22) Paul obviously wants us to understand that Christians are no longer sold as slaves to sin, as is the case in Romans 7:14.
Finally, Romans 8 makes it abundantly obvious that Christians are no longer “in the flesh” but are instead “in the Spirit.” The people of Jesus are no longer controlled by our sinful natures. We’ve been renewed through and through. The Holy Spirit is now the dominant power in our lives. “You’re not people of flesh; you’re people of the Spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives within you; note that anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of the Messiah doesn’t belong to him.” (v9)
Therefore, we can be certain that hopeless plight Paul describes in Romans 7:14-19 is not a description of the Christian life.
Why is this important? There are unfortunately streams of thought in the church today which suggest that people are not capable of living up to God’s standards. What we must do (some say) is to abandon our efforts to live righteously, and instead trust that Jesus’ death covers our failure. Purveyors of this viewpoint sometimes latch onto the misinterpretation of Romans 7 in order to support their perspective.
But if we’re equipped with the proper interpretation of Romans 7, we can see the full truth. Namely, for those in Christ, transformation of life is not only possible, but also inevitable! The Torah called Israel to the true worship and obedience of God. Israel according to the flesh failed because of her hardness of heart. But now those of us in Christ (the renewed Israel) can rejoice, because the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live the kind of life which is pleasing to God and brings glory to his name.
