The Book of Romans Chapter 7

In Romans 7, Paul addresses an important question for Jewish believers: If salvation comes through grace, what do we do with the law?

Paul makes it clear that the law is not sinful. The law is holy, righteous, and good. It reveals what holiness looks like and exposes the sin already present within us. But knowing what is right does not always give us the power to do what is right. As Paul honestly admits, “What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

The law can reveal our sin, but it cannot rescue us from it. Rules, knowledge, discipline, and willpower cannot transform a sinful heart. That is why Paul cries out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”

The answer is not greater effort, but a greater Savior.

“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Through Christ, we have been released from the law as the means of becoming righteous before God. We now belong to Jesus, serve in the new way of the Spirit, and depend on His grace. The law can reveal our guilt, but Jesus bore our guilt. The law can show us our need, but Jesus alone can rescue us.