Home
The Conflict in us
Romans 7:15-25a
Good News Translation (GNT)
*************************
15 I do not understand what I do; for I don't do
what I would like to do, but instead
I do what I hate.
16 Since what I do is what I don't want to do, this
shows that I agree that the Law is right.
17 So I am not really the one who does this
thing; rather it is the sin that lives in me.
18 I know that good does not live in me - that is,
in my human nature. For even though the
desire to do good is in me, I am not able
to do it.
19 I don't do the good I want to do;
instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do.
20 If I do what I don't want to do, this means that
I am no longer the one who does it; instead,
it is the sin that lives in me.
21 So I find that this law is at work: when I want
to do what is good, what is evil is the
only choice I have.
22 My inner being delights in the law of God.
23 But I see a different law at work in my body -
a law that fights against the law which my
mind approves of. It makes me a prisoner to
the law of sin which is at work in my body.
24 What an unhappy man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body that is
taking me to death?
25 Thanks be to God, who does this through our
Lord Jesus Christ!
*************************
Taken from 'word-on-the-web' supplied by the
Scripture Union
The Conflict in us
Romans 7:15-25a
Good, bad and sinful
Isn't it strange: when you see a sign 'Wet paint, do not touch,'
you want to find out for yourself!
So, should the sign not have been put there?
Of course not: it was put there for my benefit.
What it has actually done, though,
is to show my tendency to disobey and so,
paradoxically, made me more likely to get paint on me.
Here Paul wrestles further with the problem of the Law.
It is a good gift from God (v 13)
But does this mean that what is good caused my death?
By no means! It was sin that did it;
by using what is good, sin brought death to me,
in order that its true nature as sin might be revealed.
And so, by means of the commandment
sin is shown to be even more terribly sinful,
and yet it appears to have brought harm.
But this is only because it has highlighted our problem;
though it was intended to bring life,
in fact the Law has brought to our attention
the reality of sin in our lives -
which brings death
(v 10).
(v 10 the commandment which was meant to bring life,
in my case brought death.)
Paul talks of the experience of the power of sin in the first person
('I do what I do not want.').
Paul is exploring humanity's experience.
We are subject to sin, which has a kind of power over us.
The Law highlights this but cannot change it,
and more is needed -
This 'more' is the resurrection life we are already experiencing.
But we are not there yet.
Just as we have to consider ourselves dead to sin,
so we have to grow into that reality,
even as we still see the tendency to sin in our lives.
We have been delivered from the penalty of sin;
we are being delivered from its power;
and one day we will be free from its presence.
Other versions are available here
Return to the Home Page
Contact the Benefice Office
Sunday School Rooms, Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE, Northampton, NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 830373
E-mail:
thebeneficeofbhkandr at gmail dot com
Mon., Tues., Wed., Thur.
9:00am to 11:30am
For Baptism bookings (Christenings)
to arrange an appointment please contact
the Benefice Office.
For Wedding bookings:
please contact the Benefice Office to arrange
an appointment.
Who Made This?
Seeing as you asked, if you can give helpful
advice or report factual corrections and
'deliberate mistakes',email:-
regparker3 at gmail dot com
Email addresses shown using words in an
attempt to avoid 'spam',
Type the email address replacing 'at' with '@',
and 'dot' with '.'
|