ROMANS 7

PAUL EXPLAINS THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

Paul emphasizes that the sacrifice of Jesus invites believers into a new way of life. The believers are free to adopt the new faith and live by God’s Spirit instead of being held captive by the law.

Clarifying that following the law is not sinful, Paul points out that the law has provided the way to examine sin. Without the law, the people, including Paul, would not have been aware of their sinful condition. One of the purposes of the law was to highlight the problem of sin. Paul understands that the sin of the world causes people to do things they do not want to and not do the things they do want to do. The law is good for believers because it highlights their inability to carry it out and their ultimate need for a Savior. The law could identify the problem, but only Jesus could fix the problem.

When discussing the Old Testament Law, Paul is referring to the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch, Torah, or Law. These books contain both the rules set out by the law and the history of Israel’s rebellion and failure. Throughout the Old Testament Law, both the need for a Savior and the inability of the people are on full display.

Paul expresses his love for the law, but says that only his mind is able to serve the law, because his flesh naturally follows sin. Despite the desire to follow God fully, the broken state of the world prevents perfection. Only Jesus was able to defeat sin and death fully!