Romans 7

My fellow {Jewish} believers, you are well-aware that the laws {God gave the Jews} must be obeyed by {Jewish} people throughout their whole lives. ({I know that you are well-aware of this fact}, because I am speaking to people who are familiar with the laws {God gave the Jews}.) \*

For instance, according to the laws {God gave the Jews}, a married woman must remain married to her husband as long as he lives. However, if her husband dies, {God’s} law no longer requires her to remain married to him.

Therefore, if she marries another man while her husband is alive, {according to God’s law} she will be an adulterous woman. However, if her husband dies, she no longer has to obey {what} God’s law {requires of those who are married}. As a result, she would not be an adulterous woman if she married another man. \*

So, my fellow {Jewish} believers, by means of the Messiah dying {on the cross} the laws {God gave the Jews} no longer control you. {God did this} in order to unite you to the Messiah, {as if you were marrying a new husband}. He is the person whom God made alive again after he had died. {God did this} in order that we may do things that please him.

Indeed, when living sinfully used to control us, the laws {God gave us} caused us to want to sin even more. {Our living sinfully} controlled what we did with our body parts. As a result, we would {eventually} die {eternally}. \*

But now {that we trust in Jesus}, God cancels what his laws require {us to do}. The laws {God gave the Jews} no longer control us as if we were prisoners. As a result, we now serve God in the new way that comes from the {Holy} Spirit. {We} no longer {serve God} in the old way that the written rules {God gave the Jews} require. \*

{Someone might say,} “{If what you have said is true,} then surely the laws {God gave the Jews} are sinful!” {Then I would say,} “Of course not!” On the contrary, without the laws {God gave the Jews}, I would never have become aware of {what it means to} sin. For instance, if God did not say in his laws, “You must not covet,” I would never have become aware of {what it means to} covet.

However, since I am sinful, I wanted to covet in many ways because I knew that {God} commanded {us not to covet}. {This is} because if the laws {God gave the Jews} did not exist, living sinfully would cease. \*

There was a time when I was living without being aware of the laws {God gave the Jews}. But, when I became aware of those commandments, I wanted to sin even more.

I became {spiritually} dead. God’s command was supposed to result in me living {eternally}. But God’s command actually will result in me dying {eternally}. \*

{This is so} because {I} wanted to sin even more because I knew what God had commanded. When I sinned, I tricked myself. Then {disobeying} what God had commanded killed me {spiritually}.

So the laws {God gave the Jews} are worthy of God and what God has commanded is worthy of God, just, and good. \*

So, {God’s laws}, which are good, surely did not cause me to die {spiritually}! Of course not! Rather, living sinfully did so. {This happened} so that {God’s} good {laws} would reveal how sinful it is to live sinfully. {This also happened} so that what God commands would reveal that living sinfully is utterly sinful.

{This is true} because we are {all} aware that the laws {God gave the Jews} are from God’s Spirit. But as for me, I am {spiritually} weak. {It is as if} I must serve as a slave to living sinfully. \*

{This is true} because I do not comprehend what I do! Indeed, I keep on doing what I do not want to do. But I do what I hate {that I do}.

Now because I do what I do not want {to do}, {this proves that} I agree with the laws {God gave the Jews}. {I also testify} that they are good {laws}. \*

This means that now I am no longer the one who causes me to do {these sinful things}. Rather, my wanting to live sinfully causes me {to do them}.

Indeed, I am aware that I am not good {at all}. In other words, my sinful self {is not good at all}. {This is true} because, even though I really want to do {what is good}, I am unable to do so. \*

Indeed, I do not do the good things I want {to do}. Rather, I keep on doing evil things that I do not want {to do}.

Now because I do what I do not want {to do}, I am no longer the one who causes me to do {these sinful things}. Rather, my wanting to live sinfully causes me {to do them}.

Consequently, I realized that a principle exists: I keep on doing evil things, {even though} I really want to do good things. \*

{This is true} because the laws God gave {the Jews} make my mind rejoice.

Yet, I notice another principle that controls what I do with my body parts. {This principle} conflicts with the {other} principle that my mind {accepts}. It also controls me, making me its prisoner by means of the principle that I tend to live sinfully. {Living sinfully} controls what I do with my body parts. \*

I am truly a wretched person! {I feel as though there is no one} who could {possibly} rescue me from this body that kills me!

I thank God {who rescued me} by means of our Lord Jesus the Messiah! Therefore, I actually do obey with my mind the laws God gave {the Jews}. Yet {at the same time} with my sinful self {I obey} the principle that I tend to live sinfully. \*