5 for when we were in the flesh, the passions of the sins, that `are' through the law, were working in our members, to bear fruit to the death;
neither present ye your members instruments of unrighteousness to the sin, but present yourselves to God as living out of the dead, and your members instruments of righteousness to God;
what fruit, therefore, were ye having then, in the things of which ye are now ashamed? for the end of those `is' death.
Every one who is doing the sin, the lawlessness also he doth do, and the sin is the lawlessness,
Whence `are' wars and fightings among you? not thence -- out of your passions, that are as soldiers in your members?
afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death.
for we were once -- also we -- thoughtless, disobedient, led astray, serving desires and pleasures manifold, in malice and envy living, odious -- hating one another;
Wherefore, remember, that ye `were' once the nations in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands,
among whom also we all did walk once in the desires of our flesh, doing the wishes of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath -- as also the others,
And manifest also are the works of the flesh, which are: Adultery, whoredom, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strifes, emulations, wraths, rivalries, dissensions, sects, envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revellings, and such like, of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that those doing such things the reign of God shall not inherit.
And I say: In the Spirit walk ye, and the desire of the flesh ye may not complete; for the flesh doth desire contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit contrary to the flesh, and these are opposed one to another, that the things that ye may will -- these ye may not do;
who also made us sufficient `to be' ministrants of a new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter doth kill, and the spirit doth make alive. and if the ministration of the death, in letters, engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look stedfastly to the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face -- which was being made useless, how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more in glory? for if the ministration of the condemnation `is' glory, much more doth the ministration of the righteousness abound in glory;
and the sting of the death `is' the sin, and the power of the sin the law;
and I behold another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of the sin that `is' in my members.
What, then, shall we say? the law `is' sin? let it not be! but the sin I did not know except through law, for also the covetousness I had not known if the law had not said: `Thou shalt not covet;' and the sin having received an opportunity, through the command, did work in me all covetousness -- for apart from law sin is dead. And I was alive apart from law once, and the command having come, the sin revived, and I died; and the command that `is' for life, this was found by me for death; for the sin, having received an opportunity, through the command, did deceive me, and through it did slay `me'; so that the law, indeed, `is' holy, and the command holy, and righteous, and good. That which is good then, to me hath it become death? let it not be! but the sin, that it might appear sin, through the good, working death to me, that the sin might become exceeding sinful through the command,
In the manner of men I speak, because of the weakness of your flesh, for even as ye did present your members servants to the uncleanness and to the lawlessness -- to the lawlessness, so now present your members servants to the righteousness -- to sanctification,
And law came in, that the offence might abound, and where the sin did abound, the grace did overabound,
wherefore by works of law shall no flesh be declared righteous before Him, for through law is a knowledge of sin.
Because of this did God give them up to dishonourable affections, for even their females did change the natural use into that against nature;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Romans 7
Commentary on Romans 7 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 7
We may observe in this chapter,
Rom 7:1-6
Among other arguments used in the foregoing chapter to persuade us against sin, and to holiness, this was one (v. 14), that we are not under the law; and this argument is here further insisted upon and explained (v. 6): We are delivered from the law. What is meant by this? And how is it an argument why sin should not reign over us, and why we should walk in newness of life?
Rom 7:7-14
To what he had said in the former paragraph, the apostle here raises an objection, which he answers very fully: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? When he had been speaking of the dominion of sin, he had said so much of the influence of the law as a covenant upon that dominion that it might easily be misinterpreted as a reflection upon the law, to prevent which he shows from his own experience the great excellency and usefulness of the law, not as a covenant, but as a guide; and further discovers how sin took occasion by the commandment. Observe in particular,
Rom 7:14-25
Here is a description of the conflict between grace and corruption in the heart, between the law of God and the law of sin. And it is applicable two ways:-