Romans 7:7–16

The Law and Sin

⁷What then are we to say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”^{* 8}But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law sin lies dead.^{* 9}I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived ¹⁰and I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.^{* 11}For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ¹²So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.^*

¹³Did what is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin that was working death in me through what is good, in order that it might be shown to be sin, so that through the commandment sin might become sinful beyond measure.

The Inner Conflict

¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin.^{g 15}I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.^{* 16}Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.