Romans 7 may be one of the most misunderstand chapters in the Bible. Most believe that it speaks about our struggles as Christians. The Apostle Paul wrote:
“For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.(Romans 7:15-20)
From this we assume that since Paul is speaking in the first person that he must be referring to his constant failings after his conversion… and therefore it is a microcosm of the Christian life. Everything he wants to do he can’t and everything he attempts to avoid he does. And to a degree this gives us some comfort. After all, if the great Apostle struggled in this manner, we no less. We’ve been told ad nauseum that even after our conversion that “the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it” and there’s nothing we can do about it.
Paul continued:
I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (Romans 7:21-24)
Could Paul be any clearer? Don’t you feel like a prisoner of sin as you wage this holy war!
We truly do struggle. Of this fact there is no doubt. However, after most of my life believing that the above passage is a snapshot of my life post conversion, I have finally been persuaded that this is not what Paul is arguing. By the methodical arguments laid out in the videos that follow, I do not believe this is the correct interpretation of Romans 7. I was very stubborn as I considered an alternate interpretation since understanding it had been so deeply embedded in my psyche. But eventually I could not deny the convincing exegetical arguments against this defeatist worldview.
You may say, how can this be? It seems as plain as day. Paul, we are told, is simply mirroring the struggles we endure daily as Christians. How many times do we do the very thing we hate? And given the fact that the reformers came to this same majority view conclusion, it seemed rather precarious to traverse a path few have traveled. If you take a serious look at this passage while hearing the arguments, I’m confident that you will be challenged and blessed. That is, if you lay your presuppositions down long enough to allow another point of view to percolate. As you study, please ask God for wisdom.
Other than the dominant pessimistic eschatological view of our day, I would say this ranks second in terms of undermining our expectations…and ultimately hindering a victorious life. As tens of millions expect the Church to be defeated, they expect no less for their own lives… and Romans 7 has a great deal to do with that.
Question: Are we the same post conversion? Did nothing change when we received the Holy Spirit? Are we still just wretched worms…saved by grace? Or have we set the bar too low?
In the first podcast below is an excerpt of an outstanding interview John-Michael Smith did with Dr. Joseph R. Dodson: A Deep Dive Into Romans 7 and Why it Matters. If you have time, watch the second podcast listed below which is the long-play version. I assure you, you will be challenged and blessed. At the bottom of the page is Dodson’s book, Conquerors Not Captives:
Long-play version of Disciple Dojo’s immersion into Romans 7.
Below is the Wise Disciples: Romans 7 Is Not About the Christian Life – Here’s Why. This is another excellent analysis of Romans 7.
Then there’s Cross to Crown Ministries, Doug Goodin’s “It’s Easy to Get Romans 7 Completely Wrong.” Doug’s podcasts are outstanding. He teaches through entire books of the Bible.
Following are Doug Goodin’s podcasts as he exegeted Romans 7.
In the below sermon, David Curtis, pastor of the Berean Bible Church, explored Romans 7’s “wretched man.” Who is depicted in this chapter? Is it an unsaved man, a Christian, a carnal Christian or a mature Christian? How does this text apply to us?
And lastly, this was a lecture of John-Michael Smith (The Disciple Dojo) on “Who Is Actually Speaking in Romans 7?”
Dr. Joseph R. Dodson’s “Conquerors Not Captives”
In Conquerors, Not Captives, Joseph R. Dodson and Mattie Mae Motl challenge the popular view that Romans 7:14-25 describes the typical Christian battle against sin. The “wretched man” of Romans 7 seems unable to do what God’s law demands and, for many Christians, his inner conflict and turmoil seem all too relatable. But are we impotent before sin and powerless to do good? When we reexamine Romans 7 in light of Paul’s writings elsewhere and his interpreters throughout church history, we encounter better news.
Conquerors, Not Captives is an accessible and thoughtful study that rebukes our gloomy expectations and invites us to take seriously the Bible’s assurances that the Holy Spirit frees us from sin’s power.