Romans 7 Outline
7:1-6
Released from the Law
7:1-3
Death frees one from the law of marriage
7:4-6
Christians died to the law
7:7-13
Sin and the Law
7:7-8
Paul knew coveting because of the Law
7:9-11
Sin deceives and kills
7:12-13
The Law was holy
7:14-2
Christian struggle of mind and body
7:14-20
Paul’s conflict within
7:21-25
Deliverance through God and Christ.
Death and the Law
Paul employs a marriage analogy to demonstrate that death releases parties that are bound to a legal agreement. When a wife’s husband dies, she is free to remarry. When a person is baptized he dies with Christ (Romans 6:3-8), and dies to the Law (Romans 7:4). Death severs the bonds of law (Romans 7:1).
| Old Union |
Event |
New Union |
| Wife & Husband |
Death |
Wife & New Husband |
| Believer & Old Law |
Baptism |
Believer & Christ |
Bearing Fruit for God
Paul wrote that Christians were joined to Christ so that they “may bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4). The fruit of good works was dear to Paul.
He wrote, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV)
Mind vs. Body
Christians fight on the battleground of mind versus body. Flesh and Spirit strive against each other (Galatians 5:17). Even the Apostle Paul struggled with this. Paul’s desire to do good was occasionally beaten by what he called “sin which dwells in me” (Romans 7:20).
Paul ends Romans 7 with an outburst of thanksgiving that God will free him from “this body of death” (Romans 7:24).