Romans chapter 7

vs 13

Ok, this is one long-ass verse.

The points here seem to be that it was not the law that brought death, but sin that brought death by using the law. Sin becomes sinful, so it can be recognised as sin.

The interesting thing I find here is that sin has the power to corrupt a good thing from God. Yes, I knew that. But I hadn't really thought about it. I talk regularly about God being so powerful that he can transform an evil thing into a good thing. He doesn't just make the best of a bad situation, he actually redeems something that is evil and makes it good.

Well, this shows just how much of a redemption it is - because things started out as good, didn't they? They are only evil because sin has corrupted them. God is in fact turning things back to good.

vs 14

This obviously makes the law somewhat difficult. It's like "We know the law is for people made of titanium; but I am not made of titanium". Now, I don't want to get too deep and meaningful, but when Paul says he is sold as a slave to sin, who sold him? I think, if we think about slavery in Greek and Roman culture, the highest likelihood is that Paul sold himself into the slavery of sin.
Ouch.

vs 15

I love getting people to read these verses out in church :P

This is a very interesting concept - the concept that even a sinful human wants to do the righteous thing. But they find that they simply are incapable of doing it, but rather unwillingly find their body taking them on a wild ride of sinful activity.

This is a little too dualistic for my liking. Paul is not a dualist. But he creeps towards the line here I think. The difference being that he is not a mind/body dualist, but, if anything, a spiritual/sinful dualist. Which is more biblical. I guess the question is, does the desire to do righteousness come from us, or does it come from God?

vs 16

Ok, wait a sec. Is Paul saying that when he sins, he agrees that the law is good? Or have I read this passage wrong, and is Paul saying that his desires can be overrun by his actions, and that what he wants to do is sin, but he doesn't do it, and what he doesn't want to do is righteousness, but that's how he acts?

I don't think so. Although it might seem easier to accept that Paul found the law as good if Paul's actions were righteous, that causes more problems than it solves. Verses 18-20 make it very clear that Paul doesn't want to do evil, but ends up doing it.

So, when he does evil, why is it that the law looks good? I is it because the law is righteous, ie that Paul is using the word 'good' differently to the way he used it in chapter 5? The word here is kalos, which means everything from morally good to beautiful, to precious, to competent. It is used in Romans 12:17 when Paul says "be careful to do what is right". The word he uses in chapter 5 is agathos, which talks about things being useful, pleasant, agreeable, or honourable. But considering that agathos is used in 7:12,13,18,19 - I think Paul might allow the two terms to cross over in meaning.

Perhaps when you are evil, good just looks all the more good. Not nice, perhaps, but contrasting.

vs 17

This is a novel idea. In no way is Paul trying to divorce himself from responsibility for sin - this is not "Elvis made me do it" sort of argument here. Remembering what I was talking about earlier, it is like sin has infected and corrupted him to the point where it doesn't matter what he does, it will be tainted.

vs 18

So good obviously does dwell in him, because the desire to do good is there. But Paul is like a grease-soaked rag - the ability to clean things with a rag is there, but if it's soaked in grease, you can't help but cover everything in a black mess. The rag has lost the ability to clean.

vs 19

This constant harping at the desire to do good existing behind the evil actions is a more difficult subject than I think I've made of it so far. Paul has already made his argument in the early chapters of the book that all people are born with an inherent understanding of God and his law, built in as it were. So he believes that people know what is good, but can't do it. That is, the law (whether the written law or the law of the heart) does not enable you to keep it - it merely judges you and destroys you. But he still thinks the desire to do good is there. Is it? Genesis 6:5 makes it clear that mankind's heart and inclination was only evil all the time.

This is not an easy passage. I know that commentators have struggled with it since basically forever. So I don't feel too bad about it. But I hope I have at least expressed a little bit of the problematic idea that rises up here.