Romans 8:31-39

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” ³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Commentary
Vs. 31 Since our Everlasting God and Father has already chosen us, and predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son, who then can thwart His plans for us? As the Apostle Paul asks here, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"  Since it is God, the Eternally Sovereign and Powerful One, who is Father, Son, and Spirit who has no equal, who is working out His Will for us in all our circumstances of life. Therefore if God is for us who can be against us? Who? Who can overthrow His plans and will for us? Who? Every "stick" they yield and every "stone" they throw is simply nothing before His Everlasting OmniPresence and Power. And so it is that all that comes our way simply hastens His fulfilling His own eternally good, and grand, and glorious purposes for us.  

Vs. 32 Now the reason we believe God will fulfill His purposes for us, is based on the fact that if He did not spare His own Son whom He loves from suffering crucifixion death for us, but He "...delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"  

Therefore if God has already paid the highest price to save us from everlasting destruction and ruin, how shall He not now with His Son freely give us all things? For God Himself has already paid the highest price for our redemption from sin and death would He then withhold anything less? And so it is that God Himself has inseparably linked us and our well being with Himself through His Son, guaranteeing not only our spiritual survival, but also our glorification with Christ as well. 

Vs. 33 "Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies." 

For anyone then too try to bring a charge against God's elect is only to be refuted by God Himself. Since He Himself has already justified us through the death and resurrection of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus our faith in Jesus not only saves us from the wrath to come, But it also perpetually justifies us in God's sight for having trusted Him through His Son (Rom 5:1). Thus whoever would bring a charge against us as God's elect would have to find fault with Christ Himself. Since Jesus not only lives in us, but He has also imputed His Righteousness to us. And so it is that it is God Himself who justifies us, for He has already met all of the legal requirements for our eternal justification. 

Vs. 34  "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." 

And thus in ascending the high notes of redemption the Apostle now asks, "Who is he who condemns?" Since all who would try to do so would have to condemn God Himself who justifies us. Again this is done because of what Jesus has already done for our justification, through His own crucifixion death and resurrection from the dead, He has secured our justification for us. But not only that Jesus ascended on High and is now seated at the right hand of God making intercession for us. Therefore to seek to condemn us would mean they would have to condemn not only us, but also God's Holy Son and all He has done to redeem us, and is now doing in His ongoing interceding for us. 

Vs. 35-37  ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” ³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Now since there is no one in the material or spiritual realms who can condemn us, the Apostle now asks if there is anyone or anything that could ever separate us from the love of Christ? Whether this be tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" And so though we all as God's saints have down through the ages been the objects of this worlds wrath and contempt, to various degrees and such, as the Apostle Paul quotes from the Scripture: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Thus not only can we not be condemned by any opposing force, power, or person in this world, we cannot be defeated either. Since it is God who upholds us all against the overwhelming opposition, who though they may kill the body, they cannot kill the soul, since Christ has already secured us with Himself for all eternity. And so no believer should ever fear separation from God, for that is not in the realm of possibilities for us. 

Vs. 38-39 ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And so to cement that truth in our hearts and minds, indeed to build upon it to it's utmost end, the Apostle Paul now searches out every possibility, in case any traces of doubt remain. Death, life, angels, principalities or powers, things present nor things to come (i.e. our circumstances), height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. God's Sovereignty over all things assures each and every believers security In Christ and standing with God Himself. And so there is simply nothing or no-one who can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The only question remains then are you inside or outside of that love? For all that is Christian begins by first being In Christ. Something which requires a definitive decision to repent and believe in the Gospel through one's faith being exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ; crucified for our sins remission and risen from the dead for our justification, and now ascended on High and seated at the right hand of God, waiting till all His enemies are made His footstool. For not until one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as testified to in the Scriptures does God come and make His dellwing inside of us, dwelling inside each and every one of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ by His Holy Spirit, who not only brings us to life, but also sanctifies and seals us for eternal life. Bringing us into the love of God In Christ Jesus our Lord and placing His love inside of each and everyone of us who believe. Therefore I urge you all here and now if you have not made that decision for the Lord Jesus Christ to come and receive His invitation to everlasting life here and now (John 14:6; Rev. 22:17, 21:6-8). For by a simple prayer done in faith, inviting the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior you can have and know the love of God that is In Christ Jesus for you. Therefore simply pray something like this:
Dear Lord Jesus I believe that You were crucified for my sins and transgressions and then You rose from the dead so that I can now have new and everlasting life with You the moment I believe in You. Therefore I now invite You into my heart and life to be my Lord and Savior in Jesus' Name, amen.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Word Studies 

Vs. 33 charge, ἐγκαλέω; Str 1458; GK 1592; TDNT 3.496; TDNTA 394; LN 33.427; Acts 19:38, 40; 23:28, 29; 26:2, 7; Rom 8:33) 7x

"to brings charges", "to accuse", someone of some serious fault or wrong, often in a legal setting. The implication in context being that no-one can bring a condemning charge against God's elect in His courtroom, because He has already justified us through the death and resurrection of His Son. 

Vs. 34 condemns, κατακρίνω; Str 2632; GK 2891; TDNT 3.951; TDNTA 469; LN 56.31 (Matthew 12:41-42; 20:18; 27:3; Mark 10:33; 14:64; 16:16; Luke 11:31-32; John 8:10-11; Rom 2:1; 8:3, 34; 14:23; 1 Cor 11:32; Heb 11:7; James 5:9; 2 Peter 2:6) 19x

Additional Resources Consulted 
MacDonald, William. Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. Edited by Arthur Farstad. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995.

Strong, James. Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001.

Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.

Romans 8:18-30

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ²³ Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Commentary 

Vs. 18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

Here the Apostle Paul does not reflect upon his own sufferings for the Kingdom of heavens sake, rather his focus is fully on the future glory that shall be revealed in all us who believe in Jesus Christ. And so he can boldly say of both his and our sufferings down here that they are not worthy to be compared with that future glory up there. Where Jesus Christ's resurrected glory shall be fully seen in us all. Now what "not worthy" literally means here is that our sufferings have absolutely no comparable value to our future glory with Christ. Like trying to equate a millimeter with a mile. And so whatever trials and tribulations we must pass through in this life before God reveals His glory in us there, these should only be seen as just that, temporary and fleeting. 

Vs. 19 "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." 

The eager anticipation of all of creation which itself is intently watching/waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. For with the revealing of the sons of God its own redemption from sin and death will be ushered in as well when the Lord Jesus Christ sets up His Everlasting Kingdom (consider Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:3). 

Vs. 20-21 ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 

With Adam and Eve's fall, and sin entering the world through them, God subjected not only them, but all of creation to futility. And that is the current state of all of creation, held down and held in bondage and corruption and decay through sin. And so there is this futility about it all, often seen through the endless cycles of birth, life, and death and all the worthless endeavours in between that bring neither peace nor rest to ones soul. Indeed all of creation manifests that tossed and turbulent and alienated state from God that it is all now under because of sin.  Now if that was all that there is to this life, then God would have subjected all of creation to futility without hope. But that is not what God did, He subjected creation to futility in hope. In the hope of its redemption. A Redemption which from the very beginning is spoken of in the Bible as coming only through our Lord Jesus Christ. And so it is that just as we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have been delivered from that futility, so all of creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (vs. 21). When the Lord Jesus Christ returns and sets up His everlasting Kingdom in a new heavens and new earth (see Isaiah 65:17-25; 2 Peter 3:3; Rev 21:3-8).  Until then we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are the "firstfruits" of God's redemption of all of creation, being not only new creations In Christ, but we will be apart of the whole new creation when Christ returns. 

Vs. 22 -23 ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ²³ Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 

And so it is that all of creation groans and labors with birth pangs waiting for its own redemption from sin. Just as we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. Thus there is this groaning from creation which is also longing for its own redemption from sin and death. But until that Day, we who believe have the firstfruits of the Spirit who has sealed our persons guaranteeing our adoption and the redemption of our bodies (Eph 1:13-14). For our souls having already been redeemed and transferred into the Kingdom of heaven, our bodies will also be transformed into their final eternal glorious state when Christ returns and sets up His everlasting Kingdom (see 1 Cor 15:35-49; 1 Thess 4:13-18).

Vs. 24-25 ²⁴ For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

For we were saved in this hope, of having a future with Christ that will be free of sin, and thus all of the travails and pain and sorrow and death because of it.  For that is when sin (with all of it's pernicious effects) will cease to ever be in us or around us, creation having likewise been delivered from it all forever. Hope then like faith is not something that we have by observance (consider 2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:3). Hope like faith comes from the assurance of knowing God's Person and His Unalterable Character and Word. Therefore if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance, because we know and believe the Source and the Guarantor of it.

Vs. 26-27 ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Therefore, just as the Spirit of God has sealed us and is sanctifying us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity, so His Work down here also entails the ministry of intercession. For He not only gives life to our mortal bodies, and Spirit gifts to our persons, but He also helps in our weaknesses (vs. 25). Weakness here being an encompassing thought, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. It is the Spirit of God in our times of weakness or duress who comes alongside of us in prayer and makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (vs. 26). Now these groanings are not "tongues speaking", these are the Spirit interceding to God for us, whose groanings cannot be uttered. For it is the Spirit of God whose groanings on our behalf God alone understands. For just as God searches the hearts, He also knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God (vs. 27). Thus the glorious congruity of the Trinity always works together in perfect harmony on our behalf. With Jesus our High Priest always making intercession for us (Rom 8:34, Heb. 7:25). Though the emphasis here is on the Spirit of God, because in this chapter His work in our persons and lives is being highlighted. 

Vs. 28-30 ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

And so it is our Sovereign God and Father who is working out all things together for our good. Not that all things we experience in our lives are good or will be good. Rather God is working all things together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Vs. 28).
Now that we love God is something that we have from God, who alone is love and who places His love in each and every one of us who repent and believe in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ through the Gospel (Rom 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14; 1 John 4:19). For God's promise here is to all of us who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. A purpose that begins and ends with the glorification of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus our being called by Him is so that we might become apart of that grand purpose, of becoming a people through whom His Son is praised and ultimately glorified.

Now God's foreknowledge of us means in His eternal knowledge of all things He chose us beforehand (LN), and thus is linked with His election of our persons (Eph. 1:4), and here specifically of His predestination of our persons to be conformed to the image of His Son. Therefore we know that all things work together for our good, because having known us in eternity past, God is working out for us an eternal future with Himself, with that great goal in mind of conforming us to the image of His Son. Everything in between then is in many ways a part of our journey as we pass from one glory to the other, until Jesus takes His place as the firstborn amongst many brethren, having the highest place of prominence and pre eminence amongst us all who believe in Him (vs. 29).

"Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

There is then no happenchance of our coming to know God personally through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. From start to finish God has brought about our salvation, working His will into our lives at just the right time in His eternal designs for us all. Notice to in the progression: "predestined", "called", "justified", "glorified" from start to finish it is all the Work of God. And so we have hope in even our most hopeless circumstances, joy in our most defeated times, and guidance in our search for direction. Because we know that it is our Sovereign God and Father who is working out for us and through us His eternal plans for us all who believe in and seek to obey His Son.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted 
MacDonald, William. Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. Edited by Arthur Farstad. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995.

Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 123). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 362). New York: United Bible Societies

Romans 8:12-16

¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Commentary

Vs. 12 Therefore since we have the Spirit of God, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. Meaning we owe the flesh nothing (that is the old carnal nature and all its pride and lusts), just as we owe the world nothing, for our loyalty is not to these, but with Jesus Christ. Therefore we are not debtors to the flesh to live according to it. Instead we are only debtors to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to live according to the Spirit of God, which has not only brought us to life, but is transforming our person and lives as we are led by Him. 

Vs. 13 "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." 

Death here is not just mortal death as a consequence of sin, death here is eternal condemnation. And so we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are obligated to put to death the deeds of the body. Not as means to eternal life, rather as being true to what we already have and are. For living by the Spirit of God is where each and every believer finds their liberty from sin and abundant life, through the Spirit. For to live according to the flesh is only to be unregenerate, not born-again by the Spirit of God, and thus only to be hostile towards all that is of God and Godly. For loyalty to the flesh always means enmity towards God (Rom 8:5-8). So then those who live according to the flesh will die. Because they have rejected God's commandment to repent and be brought to life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is the very sad reality for all who do not repent and believe in the Gospel. For God's grace is not given to us so that we may continue on in our sins, God's grace is given us so that we may by the Spirit of God put to death the sinful deeds of the body.

Vs. 14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

And so every true child of God has the Spirit of God and are led by Him, those who have not, do not. Now it should also be stated that though believers struggle with sin, or with various areas of their persons for a season, the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit always leads each and every one of us to prevail over it all. For being born-again by the Spirit of God is not just the saving of our persons, it is the beginning of God transforming our persons so as to more and more reveal the life of Jesus Christ within us all. For being led by the Spirit of God is just a precursor to when we take our final place for all eternity in the Kingdom of God. 

Vs. 15 ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 

At salvation we did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, (the spirit of bondage being that manner of spirit which holds people in bondage to the lusts of the flesh, and thus in a state of alienation and fear towards God through sin, a state which only lasts until one comes to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, where all fear and alienation ends). And so that is what the Apostle is declaring to us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the end of all alienation towards God for we have received the Spirit of adoption (Spirit here being the Holy Spirit) by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” For God has through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus brought us all near to Himself (Eph. 2:14-18). And so we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ all have an equal standing before God the Father, since we through Christ are all His children, whether we are Jew or Gentile, whether male or female, we all by One Spirit have equal access to the Father. And so because of His Son's Spirit is within everyone one of us who believe we may cry out to Him, "Abba, Father."

Vs. 16-17 ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

There then can be no denying the internal witness that we have through the Spirit, for He Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God (vs. 16). Now since we are God's children we are also heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ!" Meaning we are not only heirs to God's "estate" as it were, but we are also joint heirs with Christ, God's Immortal Son! And so we will share in all that God bestows on Christ. It is than an incredible privilege and honor and blessing to not only be called God's children, but also to know that one day He will bestow on us all who believe in Jesus Christ and inheritance that can neither be measured, nor compared, nor fully comprehended this side of glory. Now in the the second half of the Apostle Paul's declaration there is translated for us a conjunction that is not indicating a condition on salvation or anything else we receive through Christ. Rather the "if" there is indicating (as it does in the original language) that this is our reality if we are really Christians than we will suffer with Christ so that we may also be glorified together. Which then completes the cycle of our unity in every aspect with Christ, being united in death, burial, resurrection, sufferings, and finally glory. And so each and every believer will suffer reproaches, insults, disgrace etc., as well as various degrees and types of persecutions and tribulations. And so what is being spoken here is not some sort of self-imposed or sought after suffering for Christ. For nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to do that. Rather what is being spoken here is words of encouragement for believers everywhere in every generation who will all face hostility and rejection from this world. That is a fact for each and every one of us. For our identity with Jesus Christ cannot be concealed. For the Spirit Himself always manifests the life of Christ through us. And so just as the "world" of Jews and Gentiles united themselves together to crucify our Lord and Savior, so too we will also be hated, rejected, reproached etc., (all to various degrees) just as much for who are are, as much as what we do, or stand for (consider Pr. 29:27; Matthew 5:10; Rev. 22:11).


Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Romans 8:1-11

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Commentary  
Preamble In Romans chapter seven the Apostle Paul declared that through Jesus Christ's crucifixion death He has brought us into a new covenant relationship with God (the old covenant having been annulled as a legal force against us who believe in Jesus Christ when He suffered crucifixion death on the cross, for He has satisfied God's righteous demands there). And thus through the analogy of marriage the Apostle showed us how it is now lawful for us to be "married to another", to Christ (i.e. be in a covenant relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ). For with Jesus Christ's crucifixion death, and thus or co-death with Him, we who believe in Him have not only died to sin (Rom 6:6), but we have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that we may be married to another, to Christ who was raised from the dead, so that we should bear fruit to God (Rom 7:1-4). And so serving God in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter is where each and every believer finds their victory over sin. For as the Apostle Paul stated in chapter seven, "For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve gin the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." Rom 7:5-6

And so being "in the flesh"  and "being under law" is the essence of Romans chapter seven.Yet the law does not provide any empowerment to live by it, nor does it give grace when anyone fails to do it. All the law does as a legal force is expose sin and pronounce a judgment against it. And thus the law simply reveals the fleshes weaknesses and inability to have any sort of victory over sin through it. The Apostle Paul will go on to describe this dilemma in great detail throughout the rest of chapter, coming to a sort of crescendo in 7:24-25 where he cries out and concludes by saying, ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." Rom 7:24-25
And with that the Apostle Paul sets the stage for the indwelling Spirit of God as the Source of life and victory for us who believe in Jesus Christ over sin and death. For as we will see in chapter eight it is the Holy Spirit who not only brings us to Spiritual life. But it is the Holy Spirit who also transforms our persons and lives as we are led by Him. Thus just as chapter seven was all about the fleshes defeat and death through sin, revealed to us all through the laws ministry. Chapter eight is all about the Spiritual life and victory over sin and death (or anything else that could separate us from the love of God) that we all have through the indwelling Spirit of God, which comes to us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ through the Gospel, the moment we believe in Him (Eph. 1:13-14).  

Vs. 1 Here then the Apostle Paul boldly declares every believer's position with God because of our being redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is, there is no condemnation for us all who are In Christ Jesus. Now this is based solely on the Lord Jesus Christ's shed blood and crucifixion death at Calvary where Jesus once and for all time satisfied the justice of God, having paid our sin debt in full there. Thus there can be no condemnation for us who are In Christ Jesus. For in having been delivered from law, sin, and death through Christ's vicarious sacrifice and now living Person, there can be no condemnation of us who believe in Him. And so though we may stumble and sin, as the Apostle Paul makes clear in chapter seven, we will overcome it all by the indwelling Spirit of God.

Now the second part of Romans 8:1 states "...who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Now if taken at a glance one might think what is being implied there is a condition on God's saving us, which if taken that way would throw the whole purpose and accomplishment of the cross (and thus our justification and ongoing sanctification by the Holy Spirit) into complete disarray. Therefore what is being stated is not a condition for our salvation, (or our remaining In Christ, and thus saved) rather it is an exhortation for us all who believe in Jesus Christ not to walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And so we are to live out our redeemed position in Christ, by having a Spirit disposition towards the things of the flesh and the things of Spirit of God. For having been delivered from the law, having died with Christ to what we were held by (Rom 7:4-6), we are now to serve God in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Thus we are neither to live by "the letter" (i.e. basically codified legalism) nor are we to live according to the sinful lusts of the flesh revealed and awakened by the law. Instead we are now living by "the law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus which has made us free from the law of sin and death". Which is the the new Spirit nature within us all who believe in Jesus.

Vs. 2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

Thus it is "the law and the life of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus" that is giving us victory over "the law of sin and death" (vs. 2). For though both are called laws, they are not equated as being equal in our persons. For again, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." And so it is "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" which cause us to rise above the law of sin and death having released us from it's clasps forever. Which is something every believer must apprehend for themselves by faith and not by works of the law. For it is through "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" by which we are not only brought to Spiritual life, but this is the law that is sanctifying us and empowering our persons throughout our lives to bear fruit to God. And so everything about this law is life, because it is rooted in the Holy Spirit indwelling and sanctifying and empowering our persons individually and collectively until the Day of Christ. And so this "law of the the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" has not only released us from "the law of sin and death", but it is the law that is now working within us conforming us to the will of God. And so just as the law of sin and death was once at work within us bearing fruit to death (Rom 7:5) so now the "the law and the life of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus" is at work within every believer sanctifying and equipping and empowering us to bear the fruits of eternal life through our regenerated persons and lives. For just as the law of sin and death inevitably drags people downward to it's terrible and finial end, so "the law and the life of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus" moves each and every believer heavenward, progressively transforming us into what God intends us  to be for all eternity.

Vs. 3-4 ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Here the Apostle Paul explains why and how "the law and the life of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus" became enacted. The why is simple, for though the Law of God is holy and good it cannot resolve the fundamental problem with humanity and that is indwelling sin in our flesh. For though the Law represents the moral character and will of God for us all, it does not address this fundamental problem with us all, and thus the law of sin and death always supplants the law of God as the dominant law within every person unless there is Divine intervention, which there has now been. Therefore what the Law could not do in that it weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. And so in passing a legal judgment against it, as well as providing the atonement for it, Jesus has left no provisions for sin to have a legal mastery of our persons any longer. For Jesus' shed blood has not only brought about the remission of all our, His sacrifice has also perfected us in the sight of God forever, and so the sanctification of each and every believer by His Spirit is assured us (Heb 9:22; 10:14). And so in fullness of time Jesus became a Man and took on human flesh, being born fully human in every way to take the place of Adam as the Feudal head of humanity. Yet Jesus was also born fully separate from sin (1 John 3:5), so that He as God's Righteousness in the flesh for us all could legally condemn sin in the flesh, which He did when He was crucified at Calvary as the propitiation not only for the sins we have committed, but also for the sin nature that we have all inherited from Adam. And thus in doing so Jesus has made the way so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Vs. 5-11 ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Notice the utter contrast than between the Spirit led believer and the one who is not. For these only have their minds set on the things of the flesh (regarding this also consider Phil 3:19 and then Col. 3:2). And so those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. That is their whole person and life is only being lived for the things of the flesh. And so that is where their hearts loyalty begins and ends, with the things of the flesh. Which for them is the measure of everyone and everything. And thus their loyalty is with the flesh and the desires and pursuits of it (antithesis 1 John 2:15-17). In contrast then is the Spirit led and filled believer whose heart and life has it's loyalty with Christ, and and thus whose heart and mind is set on the things of the Spirit. But not as means to salvation, rather the Spirit is as much the center and core of their person, as the fleshes works, lusts and desires are the center and core of the unregenerate person (consider Gal 5:16-25). And so these are contrary to each other, for to be loyal to one is to be hostile towards the other.

Vs. 6-8 ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

"To be carnally minded is death", indicates not only a spiritual condition (that one is dead in one's sins and transgressions) but it indicates a loyalty to this world and the lusts and desires of it. And so there is no vacillation with the Apostle Paul on this. For you can't have your feet on the rock and the sand, you have to take your stand completely with Christ, and not with the other (consider James 4:4). Therefore for us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we must guard and hold dear that spiritual mind that is ours by default (1 Cor 2:16), because that is where life and peace is found in knowing the Will of God and being surrendered to it through Christ via His Word. While to be fleshly or carnally minded is only death, for that is to be alienated from God and living hostile towards God. And so no one who is fleshly minded is at peace with God. Whether secretly or blatantly the carnally minded individual is always at enmity with God, because all that they believe and hold dear is hostile to the Will of God revealed for us all through His Word. Thus the fleshly minded individual is neither subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. Because they are neither subject to Christ, nor are they led or empowered by His Spirit. Their thoughts, lives, and actions are only led and empowered by their own sinful human nature, which inevitably leads them into pursuing and justifying their own unregenerate will and desires. "So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Because they have not yet to come the place of repentance and faith towards God. And so they are either still living carnally, or they are trying to save themselves through what they do, rather than acknowledging their own sinfulness or willfulness or brokenness so that Christ might save, heal, and change them. For there is nothing anyone can do to either save themselves or change themselves, (for the Lord Jesus Christ has already condemned sin in the flesh, vs. 3). Thus our regeneration and transformation must come from God alone, who by His Spirit first initiates it, and later assures of His completing it, by His indwelling Spirit, which comes permanently to indwell and sanctify us all who believe, the moment we repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ through the Gospel (Eph. 1:13-14).

Vs. 9-11 ⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

And so the Apostle Paul now uses a the finest little conjunction in Biblical Greek to begin this section to indicate something being added to what was already stated while here introducing a contrast. And so we have (de) translated here in English "But". Meaning all that the Apostle has previously stated about being "in the flesh", he was not referring to believers. He was simply revealing a contrast between the Spirit minded individual with that of the unbeliever, whose mind is fixated on the things of the flesh. Thus the Apostle Paul now reaffirms us all who believe in Jesus Christ that we are not in the flesh (as a state or condition of our being, even though we may have sinned or struggled with sin), but we are in the Spirit, if  (ei, another conjunction, adverbial marker of condition) the Spirit of God dwells in you. For that is the measure of every true Christian, (not what denomination you belong too, or church you attend, or Bible translation you read, or in what capacity you seek to serve in) but only the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God is the measure of every Christian, for it is He who Spiritually unites and sanctifies each and every one of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." So simple and so true, and yet so misused by those who try to manifest so called Spirit gifts through their own flesh. Yet the true Christian who knows their standing with God, knowing that they already have the Spirit of Christ, don't feel the need to do so. For our security is Christ Himself inside of us. And so our secured standing with God doesn't come from our trying to emulate so called things from the Spirit of God, our being secure with God is God's Spirit indwelling us from the moment we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ until the end of eternity. Something that God's Spirit reveals to our person personally.

Now in verse ten the Apostle Paul says, "And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." vs. 10

And so here the Apostle is moving us away from looking to the flesh and rather living in the Spirit, for that is where our victory over sin is found. For the body is dead because of sin, it can in of itself rise no higher than that condemned and futile state. Now if that is all we were, mere mortal bodies indwelt by sin than we would be without hope, but that is not the case with us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. For as the Apostle Paul goes on to say (using our favorite little conjuction) "but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Spirit here is unmistakably the Holy Spirit. For it is He alone who has brought our once spiritually dead persons to life, and thus it is He who gives life to our mortal bodies because of Jesus Christ's Resurrection life! And so the Spirit is life because of righteousness, which is not our righteousness, but God's (see Rom. 3:19-28, vs. 23-26). For it is God in His Righteousness, through the death and resurrection of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, who has bought us and brought us to life by His Spirit, as the Apostle Paul goes on to say, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." vs. 11
Thus the emphasis here is on life, something sin through the flesh always seeks to undermine. Nonetheless through Christ's resurrection life we now have and experience life through our mortal bodies because of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and uniting us with Him (Rom 6:4, 8, 11) and thus empowering us to overcome sin in the flesh. And so just as we have life in our mortal bodies so we also have the promise of the resurrection life to come (see 1 Cor 15:20-28, 35-55). Thus we have life in the fullness of it here and now. For it is Christ's Spirit who not only brings us to life, He also strengthens us throughout our reborn lives (Psalm 28:7; 59:17; 62:7; Psalm 118:4;  Isaiah 12:2) sustaining us through every trial and tribulation that we must pass through in this life. And so like Moses we may also boldly declare our praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, saying:

"The LORD is my strength and song,

    And He has become my salvation;

    He is my God, and I will praise Him;

    My father’s God, and I will exalt Him." Ex. 15:2

Therefore the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness.For it is God's Righteousness imputed to each and everyone of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ through which we have confidence before Him (2 Cor 5:21). Sin then in this mortal flesh though it will take this mortal body to the grave, (if we die before Christ's return) God's Spirit has already united our persons with Christ, and so just as He is, so are we being transformed by His Spirit to be.  

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted 
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.

Word Studies
Vs. 9 But: LN. 89.124, Str 1161
Vs. 10 If: LN. 89.124, Str 1487

Romans 7:13–25

¹³ Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. ¹⁶ If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. ¹⁷ But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ¹⁹ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ²⁰ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³ 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. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Commentary

Vs. 13 Having declared that the law is holy, and the commandment from the law is holy, just, and good (Rom 7:12). The Apostle Paul now reiterates that the law which was to bring life, instead he found only to bring death (Rom 7:10-11). The reason that it brought death to him, (and to us all) is because of sin. For apart from sin, the law encapsulates all that points to life (Ps. 119:93). However with sin on the scene, sin merely runs amuck, using the law as a grounds to arouse and awaken all manner of sinful desires inside of us. And so here in chapter seven the Apostle Paul reveals the personal dilemma that he found in his own life because of the laws incompatibility with us because of our carnal or sin nature. Thus the law which was meant to bring life he found only to bring death. Since the law does not address the fundamental problem with us all and that is our sin nature. And so through the commandment (which is good) sin becomes exceedingly sinful, so that it's active and destructive presence is so absolutely and undeniable revealed to one and to all, that all who see sins presence in their own lives, or in this world, will flee to God through Jesus Christ via the Gospel. For only then can one be set free from sins destructive grip and control in their persons and lives. The law on the other hand can do nothing to restrict or alleviate one's own desires towards sin, it only makes sin more manifest, and thus eliminates any hope of our change coming through the law (Rom 7:5; 1 Cor 15:56). Thus through the law the Apostle Paul discovered his own sinful condition, yet the law offered him nothing as a remedy for it. For in his flesh he was incapable of keeping it, sin simply defeated him over and over again through it. And that is the dilemma that Paul is expounding here in chapter seven, for both the believer and unbeliever alike, the inherent conflict between the law and the sinful nature of us all, and thus the defeat that comes to us all through our flesh.

Vs. 14-15 ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 

And so here the Apostle Paul reveals the first problem in our fight with sin, that is that the law is spiritual, but we are are all carnal, sold under sin (vs. 14). For the law knows no sin, nor does it make any allowances for sin. We on the other hand are carnal, sold under sin, and so whether we admit it or not, we all know sin (1 John 1:8). Now that Paul says he, and thus we all are sold under sin, is the result of Adam and Eve's disobedience, by which sin entered the world, and thus sin through their fall spread to all of mankind, indeed all of creation. And so the spiritual nature that they once bore (being Spiritually alive with God and apart from sin) has been lost to them, and to us all, as we are all descended from them. Thus we are all Scripturally said to born into Adam's sin as a consequence of their disobedience to God, and thus we are all said to be carnal, sold under sin. Meaning God has sold us all (that is all of humanity) under sin, so that our Redemption from sin and death must come through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore neither law, nor good works, can save us from our sin, because these cannot fundamentally change who and what we are apart from God, carnal and sold under sin. Now as evidence of this point that we are all carnal, sold under sin. The Apostle Paul will now say of himself in verse fifteen, "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." Here then we have the reality and dilemma of our carnal (or fleshly) nature. For as Paul says of himself "what I am doing I do not understand." Paul then (like ourselves) has found himself doing (and saying) things which he cannot explain as to why, nor can he justify. Yet it's not merely a case of being ignorant, as he goes on to say, ..."For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." And so like ourselves, Paul has also gone through this inner turmoil of knowing what is good and right and yet doing doing what he hates.

Vs. 16 "If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good." 
And so in a twist of irony by our doing what we will not to do, we agree with the law that it is good and thus all that is of the flesh is not. 

Vs. 17-19 ¹⁷ But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ¹⁹ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 

And so here the Apostle Paul names the source of this conflict within us, sin. But not as an excuse for our sins, rather to clarify how sin works through the flesh and brings us into subjection to itself. Which is why Paul says nothing good in his flesh dwells (vs. 18). For indwelling sin by default means that nothing good dwells within our flesh, for the flesh is subject to sin, and is thus the means by which sin when "full grown" brings forth death (James 1:15). Now as evidence of this conflict between our will and our flesh, and it's powerlessness because of indwelling sin. The Apostle Paul says in verse eighteen, ..."for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find." Thus the good Paul wants to do he does not find the means to do. The flesh provides him with nothing to attain to that desired end. Yet it's far worse that just not being able to do the good God commands of us all, for as Paul says in verse nineteen, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." vs. 19
And so even well meaning people can very much find themselves in this conundrum of wanting to do good, and yet being overcome by sin through the fleshes weakness. It is then the essential human tragedy, given a will that (when the moral conscience is still intact) instinctively wants to do that which reflects the true nature of us as God's creation, yet because we are all sold under sin, we have no way to exercise that will apart from Divine intervention. If then the flesh had any possibilities by which we could overcome sin, (or find redemption for ourselves from it through it) it would not be the crux through which sin overrides our own will and brings us into death. And so again in the flesh nothing good dwells, for the flesh does not empower anyone to overcome sin and temptations towards it, for the flesh is only subject to sin, being the dwelling place of it. 

Vs. 20-25 ²⁰ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³ 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. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Therefore if I (the one who desires to do good) find myself doing what I do not want to do, then that is evidence enough that there is evil present with me, which is working against my will, and this again is sin (vs. 20). And so the Apostle says, "I find then a law..." , (same word used of the law of God in vs. 22) "...that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good" (vs. 21).  And so indwelling sin is "a law" which has a dominion over the flesh. Thus when we individually or collectively (in of ourselves) try to rise above it, inevitably we are brought back into it's domain, because we are all children of the fall. 

Now as evidence of his (and our) wanting to do good according to the will of God, the Apostle Paul now says, "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man" (vs. 22).  That is the inward man, which is our regenerated (or born-again) person, the new creation (2 Cor 5:17), where Christ and the Holy Spirit dwell inside of us all who believe in Jesus Christ, who having brought us to life and baptized us all into Christ by the Holy Spirit, we have been given a new heart and new mind. Yet we are not yet in our glorified body, and so there is this conflict between the old sinful nature with our new nature until this mortality is swallowed up by life (consider 2 Cor 5:1-8). Therefore as long as we are in this mortal body we will all have to wrestle against indwelling sin, (and or temptations towards it), until we are home in eternity with Christ (12:1-11). For truly the righteous do indeed delight in the law of God according to the inner man (or person). But because of the law of sin within our mortal members we find no means (in of ourselves) to effectively live by it's moral decrees. Sin simply overrides our will and brings us back into it's captivity and bondage through the fleshes weakness (vs. 23). Therefore in an outcry against this state of being, which is our persons here and now, the Apostle Paul now says in verse twenty-four, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" To which he quickly answers in verse twenty five, "I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!..." For truly our deliverance from these mortal bodies will come to us from God through Jesus Christ our Lord, who will transform our lowly bodies of death and conform them to bear the image of Christ's glorious resurrected body, where sin and death will have no more domain or rule (Phil. 3:21, 1 Cor 15:35-49). And so to sum up the Apostle will now say, "So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." 

Scripture Quotation
The New King James Version. Nashville Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Romans 7:7–12

⁷ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” ⁸ But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. ⁹ I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. ¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. ¹² Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. 

Commentary

Vs. 7-10 The Apostle having declared our co-death with Christ, to both sin and law, so that we might be liberated from them, now asks a question that might be in some believers hearts and minds as to the nature of the law. "Is the law sin?" To which he responds with a resounding no! For it is not the law that is sin. Rather it is through the law that the indwelling sin in each one of us is clearly revealed to us. As Paul says, I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” vs. 7

And so before the law came righteousness was purely subjective, we could basically live and do as we pleased, as long as we did not violate the social "norms" around us we felt pretty secure in our own consciences. However when the law came, we were suddenly exposed to the true nature of our own persons and conduct, so that sin ceased to be a subjective reality. Instead sin became living and real to us. But not as some sort of external force or entity, rather as something that is active and alive within us. And thus we came to realize (not only moral right and wrong in the sight of God), but there was something inside of us that desired what was wrong, and was moving our behavior towards that which is sin. Therefore as Paul states in verse eight, it was not the law which was at fault, rather it was sin taking opportunity through the commandment (literally sin seized the law as a base of operations from which it could now fuel all kinds of temptation towards itself) and thus through the law sin produced in us all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead (vs. 8). Not dead as to it's existence, but dead as an awakened force or impulse in our persons. And so as the Apostle Paul says, "I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death." vs. 9-10 

And so before the law came I was alive, that is alive in the sense of having little or no knowledge of sin, nor of the sinful state of my person. And so I felt quite secure and all right in of myself. Sin though present within me was not a controlling force or impulse, and though I sinned, as all men sin, conviction of it was relatively an unknown to me, as long as I stayed inside of the boundaries of "social norms." 
However when the law came, sin revived and I died. And so the law didn't bring life (consider Gal. 3:21). Instead the law became the means by which all manner of sinful desires were awakened within me, and so, as Paul says, I died. All manner of feeling alright in how I was living and what I was doing ceased to be. I suddenly became aware of a whole new sphere of my person, a sphere which I did not like, nor did I have control over, but rather it had control of me! And so when the law comes we are all faced with a dilemma, either acknowledge our own brokenness and helplessness to God, and thus receive redemption and life through the Lord Jesus Christ, who was brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Tim 2:10). Or try to bury the unlawful desires and carry on as "usual", resisting the now aroused sin nature in one's own strength, which usually leads to one yielding to it, or only seeking to justify one's own lawless deeds in the end. For the law is not neutral, through it you will either present yourself to God as a sinner in need of His redemption; and thus receive redemption from Him and new life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Or you will present yourself to sin, and end up serving and reaping the realities of it in your life. 

Vs. 11-12 That is why the Apostle Paul says that it is sin (not the law) that is the problem. For even in his own experience, Paul says it was sin, which ..."taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me." vs. 11
Here Paul is basically reiterating what he said in verse 8 by using the same word translated opportunity there, which is now rendered occasion here in verse 11. That it is sin which uses the law as a "starting point", or a "base of operations" to begin it's assault on our persons. And so it is sin which takes occasion by the commandment, and through it sin deceives us, and kill us (vs. 11). Now sin can deceive us in many ways, from temptations towards it, too outright denying it's devastating consequences in our persons and lives if we obey it. Sin is ultimately deceitful, and so we are all warned about the deceitfulness of sin, which not only destroys lives, but it also hardens those who give their hearts over to it from the truth of God (Heb. 3:13). And so those who do so, who carry on in their sins, and or forward temptations towards the same, will receive everlasting punishment on themselves (consider Mark 9:42-50; 2 Thess. 2:9-12). For through the law God has laid down the everlasting moral boundaries by which we now have an objective reality as to right and wrong. And so there is no ambiguity in the law as to right and wrong. These do not change, just as God does not change (Heb. 13:5). Therefore no matter how this world turns, or where it stands in regards to "social norms" or it's "evolving" values, God's law is the moral compass that always points true north. Therefore the law is rightfully called holy, and the commandment holy and just and good (vs. 12),

Scripture Quotation

The New King James Version. Nashville Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Word Studies 

Vs. 8 opportunity, Vincent, Marvin Richardson. Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887.

Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.