WHO IS THE “I” IN ROMANS 7?
Romans 7:14–25
Paul has just defended God's Law.
He has told us:
“The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
— Romans 7:12
The Law was not the problem.
Sin was.
Now Paul continues:
“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.”
— Romans 7:14
And suddenly Paul's language becomes intensely personal.
I.
Me.
My.
Again and again.
But who is this “I”?
Is Paul describing himself before becoming a Christian?
Is he describing his present struggle as a Christian?
Is he speaking as a representative Israelite living under the Law?
Or is there some combination of these ideas?
Before deciding, let's listen carefully to Paul.
“I DO NOT UNDERSTAND MY OWN ACTIONS”
Paul writes:
“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
— Romans 7:15
There is a conflict.
The person Paul describes knows what is right.
He wants what is right.
He even hates what is wrong.
Yet he cannot consistently do what he wants to do.
That tells us something important.
Knowing God's Law is not the same thing as having the power to overcome sin.
THE LAW IS NOT THE PROBLEM
Paul continues:
“Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.”
— Romans 7:16
There it is again.
The Law is good.
Paul has not changed his conclusion from verse 12.
The person described here agrees with God's Law.
The problem is not a bad Law.
The problem is the power of sin.
“SIN THAT DWELLS WITHIN ME”
Paul says:
“So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”
— Romans 7:17
Paul is not denying personal responsibility.
He is describing the terrible power of sin.
There is a conflict between what the person wants and what sin actually produces.
Paul continues:
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.”
— Romans 7:18
Notice Paul's qualification:
“That is, in my flesh.”
Then:
“For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”
That is the problem in one sentence.
Desire is present.
Ability is not.
WANTING TO DO RIGHT IS NOT ENOUGH
Paul repeats the point:
“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”
— Romans 7:19
This person isn't saying:
“I don't care what God says.”
Quite the opposite.
He wants to obey.
But wanting to obey God's Law has not freed him from sin.
That should remind us of where Paul has already taken us in Romans.
The Law can identify sin.
The Law can condemn sin.
The Law can show us what righteousness looks like.
But the Law itself cannot rescue the sinner from the power of sin.
Something more is needed.
TWO FORCES AT WORK
Paul says:
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.”
— Romans 7:21
Then comes a remarkable statement:
“For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being.”
— Romans 7:22
This person doesn't hate God's Law.
He delights in it.
But Paul continues:
“But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin.”
— Romans 7:23
There is a war going on.
The mind recognizes and delights in God's Law.
But sin takes the person captive.
And that brings Paul to a cry for help.
“WHO WILL DELIVER ME?”
“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
— Romans 7:24
Notice the question.
Paul does not ask:
“What law will deliver me?”
He asks:
“WHO will deliver me?”
The answer is not another commandment.
The answer is a person.
“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
— Romans 7:25
That is where Paul's argument has been heading.
The Law can tell us what is right.
But Jesus Christ is the Deliverer.
BUT WHO IS THE “I”?
Now we can return to our original question.
There are reasons Christians have understood this passage differently.
Some point to statements such as:
“I delight in the law of God, in my inner being.”
That certainly sounds like someone who loves God and wants to obey Him.
Others point to statements such as:
“I am of the flesh, sold under sin.”
and:
“Making me captive to the law of sin.”
Those statements seem difficult to reconcile with what Paul has just said about Christians in Romans 6:
“You have been set free from sin.”
— Romans 6:18
and:
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God...”
— Romans 6:22
That tension matters.
We shouldn't ignore either side.
LOOK AT WHAT CAME BEFORE
Remember Paul's argument.
In Romans 6 he said Christians have:
died to sin,
been set free from sin,
and become:
slaves of righteousness and slaves of God.
Then in Romans 7 he describes someone as:
“sold under sin”
and:
“captive to the law of sin.”
Those descriptions do not sound identical.
That should at least make us cautious about simply assuming Romans 7:14–25 is Paul's description of the normal Christian life.
But we still haven't reached the end of his argument.
LOOK AT WHAT COMES NEXT
One of the easiest mistakes in Bible study is stopping at a chapter number.
Remember: Paul did not write the chapter numbers.
Romans 7 ends:
“Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
And Romans 8 begins:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Then Paul says:
“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
— Romans 8:2
Notice the contrast.
Romans 7:
“captive to the law of sin.”
Romans 8:
“set you free...from the law of sin and death.”
We should not decide what Romans 7 means without allowing Romans 8 to participate in the discussion.
READ ACROSS THE CHAPTER DIVISION
This is an excellent example of why context matters.
If we stop at Romans 7:25, we may picture Christianity primarily as endless defeat:
I want to obey.
I fail.
I am captive.
Wretched man that I am!
But Paul's argument doesn't stop there.
He asks:
“Who will deliver me?”
And immediately points us toward the answer:
Jesus Christ.
Then Romans 8 explains the freedom found “in Christ Jesus.”
The chapter number should not interrupt Paul's argument.
READ PAUL BEFORE READING A SYSTEM INTO PAUL
We don't need to pretend that the identity of the “I” is an easy question.
Good students of Romans have disagreed.
But we can establish some things before choosing among the interpretations.
The person Paul describes:
knows God's Law,
agrees that the Law is good,
wants to do what is right,
delights in God's Law,
yet is:
“sold under sin,”
unable to carry out the good he desires,
and:
“captive to the law of sin.”
Finally he cries:
“Who will deliver me?”
And Paul points to:
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Whatever conclusion we eventually reach about the “I,” our interpretation must account for all of those statements—not just the ones that fit our position.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Don't stop reading at the end of Romans 7.
Paul's question is still ringing:
“Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
The next section gives us Paul's answer.
Not Law.
Not greater human determination.
Not merely trying harder.
Christ.
And through Christ:
“The law of the Spirit of life has set you free.”
So our next study should be Romans 8:1–11:
NO CONDEMNATION — SET FREE IN CHRIST
And Romans 8 may also help us answer the question we began with:
Who is the “I” of Romans 7?
TEXT B4 TRADITION
Read First. Conclude Later.
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