Romans 7:5
For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death.
For when we lived according to the flesh
This phrase sets the stage for understanding the human condition before accepting Christ. The Greek word for "flesh" is "sarx," which often refers to the sinful nature of humanity, emphasizing the inherent weakness and propensity to sin. Historically, this reflects the Jewish understanding of the human struggle against sin, as seen in the Old Testament. Living "according to the flesh" implies a life driven by human desires and instincts, disconnected from the spiritual guidance of God.

the sinful passions
The term "sinful passions" translates from the Greek "pathēma," which denotes strong emotions or affections. These are not just casual desires but intense cravings that lead one away from God's will. In a historical context, this reflects the struggle of the Israelites, who often fell into idolatry and sin despite knowing God's law. The phrase underscores the power of sin to dominate human life without divine intervention.

aroused by the law
This phrase is intriguing because it suggests that the law, which is holy and good, paradoxically stirs up sinful desires. The Greek word "katechō" means to hold back or restrain, yet here it implies an incitement. This reflects the historical Jewish experience where the law, while revealing God's standards, also highlighted human inability to achieve righteousness on their own. It serves as a mirror, showing the depth of human sinfulness and the need for a Savior.

were at work in our bodies
The Greek word "energeō" is used here, meaning to be active or operative. This indicates that sinful passions are not dormant but actively influencing behavior. The "bodies" refer to the whole person, emphasizing that sin affects every aspect of human existence. Historically, this aligns with the biblical narrative of humanity's fall in Genesis, where sin entered the world and corrupted God's perfect creation.

bearing fruit for death
The imagery of "bearing fruit" is agricultural, suggesting that actions have consequences. The Greek word "karpos" means fruit, indicating the natural outcome of living according to the flesh. "Death" here is not just physical but spiritual, signifying eternal separation from God. This phrase echoes the warnings throughout Scripture, from the Old Testament prophets to Jesus' teachings, about the ultimate consequence of sin. It serves as a sobering reminder of the stakes involved in the spiritual battle and the necessity of redemption through Christ.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul the Apostle
The author of the Book of Romans, Paul is addressing the Roman Christians, explaining the relationship between the law, sin, and grace.

2. Roman Christians
The recipients of the letter, a diverse group of Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome.

3. The Law
Refers to the Mosaic Law, which was given to the Israelites and is central to understanding sin and righteousness.

4. Sinful Passions
The desires and inclinations that lead individuals away from God's will, often exacerbated by the law.

5. Death
Represents spiritual death, the ultimate consequence of living in sin and apart from God's grace.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Role of the Law
The law reveals sin but does not have the power to save. It acts as a mirror, showing us our sinful nature and our need for a Savior.

The Nature of Sinful Passions
Sinful passions are inherent in our fallen nature and are often stirred by the law. Recognizing this helps us rely on the Holy Spirit for strength to overcome them.

Bearing Fruit for Death
Living according to the flesh results in spiritual death. This underscores the importance of living by the Spirit to bear fruit for eternal life.

The Transition from Flesh to Spirit
As believers, we are called to transition from living according to the flesh to living by the Spirit, which leads to life and peace.

The Importance of Spiritual Vigilance
Being aware of the sinful nature and its consequences encourages us to remain vigilant in our spiritual walk, constantly seeking God's guidance and strength.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the role of the law help us in our daily walk with Christ?

2. In what ways can we identify and combat sinful passions in our lives?

3. What are some practical steps we can take to ensure we are bearing fruit for life rather than death?

4. How can we encourage one another to live by the Spirit rather than according to the flesh?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced the transition from living according to the flesh to living by the Spirit. What changes did you notice in your life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Romans 6:20-23
Discusses the contrast between being slaves to sin and slaves to righteousness, highlighting the outcome of each path.

Galatians 5:19-21
Lists the acts of the flesh, providing a broader understanding of what living according to the flesh entails.

James 1:14-15
Explains how desire leads to sin, and sin, when fully grown, leads to death, paralleling the process described in Romans 7:5.

Ephesians 2:1-3
Describes the state of being dead in transgressions and sins, living according to the flesh before knowing Christ.
Believers not Under the Law as a Covenant of WorksJ. Stafford.Romans 7:1-6
Dead to the Law, Married to ChristT. Chalmers, D. D.Romans 7:1-6
Marriage with ChristArchdeacon Gifford.Romans 7:1-6
The Believer's Relation to the Law and to ChristR. Wardlaw, D. D.Romans 7:1-6
The Two Marriages of the SoulR.M. Edgar Romans 7:1-6
The Two UnionsT.F. Lockyer Romans 7:1-6
True Christian Liberty ImpliesJ. Lyth, D. D.Romans 7:1-6
The Position of the Law Under the New TestamentC.H. Irwin Romans 7:1-17
A State of Nature and a State of GraceJos. Benson.Romans 7:5-6
Believers Serve in Newness of Spirit as They ServeT. Robinson, D. D.Romans 7:5-6
FleshProf. Godet.Romans 7:5-6
The Believer's FreedomJ. W. Burn.Romans 7:5-6
The Glorious DeliveranceJ. Stafford.Romans 7:5-6
The Law and SinCanon Liddon.Romans 7:5-6
The Law the Innocent Occasion of SinC. Neil, M. A.Romans 7:5-6
The Misery of an Unregenerate StateJ. Stafford.Romans 7:5-6
The Old Service and the NewR. Haldane.Romans 7:5-6
The True Spirit of ServiceC. H. Spurgeon.Romans 7:5-6
Under the Law and Under Grace: Man's ConditionJ. Lyth, D. D.Romans 7:5-6
People
Paul, Romans
Places
Rome
Topics
Action, Always, Aroused, Bear, Bodies, Bodily, Body, Bore, Bring, Death, Earthly, Evil, Faculties, Flesh, Forth, Fruit, Law, Members, Motions, Nature, Natures, Passions, Sinful, Sins, Thraldom, Whilst, Worked, Working, Wrought, Yield
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Romans 7:5

     5020   human nature
     6022   sin, causes of
     6156   fall, of humanity
     6213   participation, in sin
     8777   lust

Romans 7:1-6

     6661   freedom, and law

Romans 7:4-5

     8255   fruit, spiritual

Romans 7:4-6

     5381   law, letter and spirit
     6617   atonement, in NT

Romans 7:4-12

     6139   deadness, spiritual

Romans 7:5-6

     6166   flesh, sinful nature

Library
Advent Lessons
Westminster Abbey, First Sunday in Advent, 1873. Romans vii. 22-25. "I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." This is the first Sunday in Advent. To-day we have prayed that God would give us grace to put away the works
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

July 24. "The Righteousness of the Law Might be Fulfilled in Us" (Rom. vii. 4).
"The righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us" (Rom. vii. 4). In our earlier experiences we know the Holy Ghost only at a distance, in things that happen in a providential direction, or in the Word alone, but after awhile we receive Him as an inward Guest, and He dwells in our very midst, and He speaks to us in the innermost chambers of our being. But then the external working of His power does not cease, but it only increases, and seems the more glorious. The Power that dwells within us
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Original and the Actual Relation of Man to Law.
ROMANS vii. 10.--"The commandment which, was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." The reader of St. Paul's Epistles is struck with the seemingly disparaging manner in which he speaks of the moral law. In one place, he tells his reader that "the law entered that the offence might abound;" in another, that "the law worketh wrath;" in another, that "sin shall not have dominion" over the believer because he is "not under the law;" in another, that Christians "are become dead to the law;" in
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

Sin is Spiritual Slavery
John viii. 34.--"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." The word [Greek: doulos] which is translated "servant," in the text, literally signifies a slave; and the thought which our Lord actually conveyed to those who heard Him is, "Whosoever committeth sin is the slave of sin." The apostle Peter, in that second Epistle of his which is so full of terse and terrible description of the effects of unbridled sensuality upon the human will,
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

The Impotence of the Law.
HEBREWS vii. 19.--"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh to God." It is the aim of the Epistle to the Hebrews, to teach the insufficiency of the Jewish Dispensation to save the human race from the wrath of God and the power of sin, and the all-sufficiency of the Gospel Dispensation to do this. Hence, the writer of this Epistle endeavors with special effort to make the Hebrews feel the weakness of their old and much esteemed religion,
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

The Fainting Warrior
Now, humble Christians are often the dupes of a very foolish error. They look up to certain advanced saints and able ministers, and they say, "Surely, such men as these do not suffer as I do; they do not contend with the same evil passions as those which vex and trouble me." Ah! if they knew the heard of those men, if they could read their inward conflicts, they would soon discover that the nearer a man lives to God, the more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart, and the more his Master
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery.
In this Commandment too a good work is commanded, which includes much and drives away much vice; it is called purity, or chastity, of which much is written and preached, and it is well known to every one, only that it is not as carefully observed and practised as other works which are not commanded. So ready are we to do what is not commanded and to leave undone what is commanded. We see that the world is full of shameful works of unchastity, indecent words, tales and ditties, temptation to which
Dr. Martin Luther—A Treatise on Good Works

"O Wretched Man that I Am!"
"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 7:24, 25). You know the wonderful place that this text has in the wonderful epistle to the Romans. It stands here at the end of the seventh chapter as the gateway into the eighth. In the first sixteen verses of the eighth chapter the name of the Holy Spirit is found sixteen times; you have there the description and promise of the life that a child of God can live in the
Andrew Murray—Absolute Surrender

How Christ is to be Made Use of as Our Life, in Case of Heartlessness and Fainting through Discouragements.
There is another evil and distemper which believers are subject to, and that is a case of fainting through manifold discouragements, which make them so heartless that they can do nothing; yea, and to sit up, as if they were dead. The question then is, how such a soul shall make use of Christ as in the end it may be freed from that fit of fainting, and win over those discouragements: for satisfaction to which we shall, 1. Name some of those discouragements which occasion this. 2. Show what Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Of the Corruption of Nature and the Efficacy of Divine Grace
O Lord my God, who hast created me after thine own image and similitude, grant me this grace, which Thou hast shown to be so great and so necessary for salvation, that I may conquer my wicked nature, which draweth me to sin and to perdition. For I feel in my flesh the law of sin, contradicting the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the obedience of sensuality in many things; nor can I resist its passions, unless Thy most holy grace assist me, fervently poured into my heart. 2. There
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Positive Side
What is the relation of the Law (the Ten Commandments) to Christians? In our previous chapter we pointed out how that three radically different answers have been returned to this question. The first, that sinners become saints by obeying the Law. This is Legalism pure and simple. It is heresy of the most dangerous kind. All who really believe and act on it as the ground of their acceptance by God, will perish eternally. Second, others say that the Law is not binding on Christians because it has been
Arthur W. Pink—The Law and the Saint

Carey's Last Days
1830-1834 The college and mission stripped of all their funds--Failure of the six firms for sixteen millions--Carey's official income reduced from L1560 to L600--His Thoughts and Appeal published in England--His vigour at seventy--Last revision of the Bengali Bible--Final edition of the Bengali New Testament--Carey rejoices in the reforms of Lord William Bentinck's Government--In the emancipation of the slaves--Carey sketched by his younger contemporaries--His latest letters and last message to Christendom--Visits
George Smith—The Life of William Carey

His Freedom from Sin.
THE first impression which we receive from the life of Jesus is that of perfect innocency and sinlessness in the midst of a sinful world. He, and he alone, carried the spotless purity of childhood untarnished through his youth and manhood. Hence the lamb and the dove are his appropriate symbols. He was, indeed, tempted as we are; but he never yielded to temptation.[21]21 His sinlessness was at first only the relative sinlessness of Adam before the fall; which implies the necessity of trial and temptation,
Philip Schaff—The Person of Christ

Sin not a Mere Negation.
"I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind."--Rom. vii. 23. Dr. Böhl's theory, that sin is a mere loss, default, or lack, is an error almost as critical as Manicheism. This should not be misunderstood. This theory does not deny that the sinner is unholy, nor that he ought to be holy. It says two things: (1) that there is no holiness in the sinner; but--and this indicates the real character of sin--(2) that there ought to be holiness in him. A stone does not hear, nor
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Good that I Would I do Not. Rom 7

John Newton—Olney Hymns

There are Therefore in us Evil Desires, by Consenting not unto which we Live...
20. There are therefore in us evil desires, by consenting not unto which we live not ill: there are in us lusts of sins, by obeying not which we perfect not evil, but by having them do not as yet perfect good. The Apostle shows both, that neither is good here perfected, where evil is so lusted after, nor evil here perfected, whereas such lust is not obeyed. The one forsooth he shows, where he says, "To will is present with me, but to perfect good is not;" [1875] the other, where he says, "Walk in
St. Augustine—On Continence

Its Source
Let us here review, briefly, the ground which we have already covered. We have seen, first, that "to justify" means to pronounce righteous. It is not a Divine work, but a Divine verdict, the sentence of the Supreme Court, declaring that the one justified stands perfectly conformed to all the requirements of the law. Justification assures the believer that the Judge of all the earth is for him, and not against him: that justice itself is on his side. Second, we dwelt upon the great and seemingly insoluable
Arthur W. Pink—The Doctrine of Justification

Temptations.
TEMPTATIONS OF SATAN. Satan, even from himself, besides the working of our own lust, doth do us wonderful injury, and hits our souls with many a fiery dart, that we think comes either from ourselves or from heaven and God himself. Satan diligently waiteth to come in at the door, if Careless has left it a little ajar. There is nothing that Satan more desires than to get good men in his sieve to sift them as wheat, that if possible he may leave them nothing but bran; no grace, but the very husk and
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan

Work, for God Works in You
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to work, for His good pleasure.'--Phil. 2:12, 13 In our last chapter we saw what salvation is. It is our being God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. It concludes, as one of its chief and essential elements, all that treasury of good works which God afore prepared that we should walk in them. In the light of this thought we get the true and full meaning of to-day's text. Work
Andrew Murray—Working For God!

Redemption
"Ye shall therefore be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect."--MATT. V. 48. "Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver from the body of this death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."--ROM. VII. 24, 25. We have studied the meaning of reconciliation through the Cross. We have said that to be reconciled to God means to cease to be the object of the Wrath of God, that is, His hostility to sin. We can only cease to be the objects of this Divine Wrath by identifying ourselves
J. H. Beibitz—Gloria Crucis

"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. "
Rom. viii. 1.--"Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." It is no wonder that we cannot speak any thing to purpose of this subject, and that you do not bear with fruit, because it is indeed a mystery to our judgments, and a great stranger to our practice. There is so little of the Spirit, both in teachers and those that come to be taught, that we can but speak of it as an unknown thing, and cannot make you to conceive it, in the living notion of it as it is. Only we may say in general,--it
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Impossible with Man, Possible with God
"And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27). Christ had said to the rich young ruler, "Sell all that thou hast . . . and come, follow me." The young man went away sorrowful. Christ then turned to the disciples, and said: "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!" The disciples, we read, were greatly astonished, and answered: "If it is so difficult to enter the kingdom, who, then, can be saved?" And Christ gave this blessed
Andrew Murray—Absolute Surrender

How Christ is to be Made Use Of, in Reference to the Killing and Crucifying of the Old Man.
Having thus shortly pointed out some things in general, serving to the clearing and opening up the way of our use-making of Christ for sanctification, we come now more particularly to the clearing up of this business. In sanctification we must consider, first, The renewing and changing of our nature and frame; and, next, The washing and purging away of our daily contracted spots. The first of these is commonly divided into two parts, viz. 1st, The mortification, killing, and crucifying of the
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

That all Troubles are to be Endured for the Sake of Eternal Life
"My Son, let not the labours which thou hast undertaken for Me break thee down, nor let tribulations cast thee down in any wise, but let my promise strengthen and comfort thee in every event. I am sufficient to reward thee above all measure and extent. Not long shalt thou labour here, nor always be weighed down with sorrows. Wait yet a little while, and thou shalt see a speedy end of thine evils. An hour shall come when all labour and confusion shall cease. Little and short is all that passeth
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

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