Romans 7:7-25

The Law and Sin

7What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, aI would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if bthe law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8But sin, cseizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. dFor apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10The very commandment ethat promised life proved to be death to me. 11For sin, fseizing an opportunity through the commandment, gdeceived me and through it killed me. 12So hthe law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, isold under sin. 15For I do not understand my own actions. For jI do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with kthe law, that it is good. 17So now lit is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells min me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 nFor I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want, oit is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22For pI delight in the law of God, qin my inner being, 23but I see in my members ranother law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from sthis body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

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