Essay on The Book of Romans

“This is a section of the letter in which Paul is speaking of himself, describing a fierce internal struggle with sin” (Boice). Paul demonstrates to us, as Christians, we understand and love the law of God even though, we are unable to fill His righteous need due to our flesh. That is why God sacrificed Jesus, so followers of Christ do not face His condemnation. Tim Keller introduces the context of my passage when he says, “We must remember that the flow of Romans 5 to 8 is from justification by faith to glorification and that chapters 6 to 7 are parentheses inserted between 5 and 8” (#). My passage, Romans 7:14-25 gives Paul’s struggle. The passages of these verses show why Paul conducted an intimate judgment.

In Romans one through six, Paul introduces his key purpose of the whole book of Romans and is that his mission is to proclaim the Gospel, and then he launches in an explanation on why humans are condemned and explains all of the sins. Then, Paul explains that every person is guilty of sin. Paul answers questions that he thinks his audience will ask. Like, if Jews are better than Gentiles and why are they special. Paul turns the point to the gift that everyone receives through Jesus dying on the cross. Paul also gives an explanation of goodness and what God’s righteousness is and how we should trust His mercy. Paul prepares us for chapter seven where he proposes the question about why Christians continue to sin after they have been saved. Paul explains that through the death of Christ we are saved, but we will still be tempted. The death of Christ does not mean that we become perfect, it just means that we are saved because of His love. Paul also explains that it does not mean that we can sin freely. He reminds us that even though we are freed from sin, we need to choose his righteousness. All of this text leads up to the beginning of chapter seven where Paul defines the basis of Christianity again. He reiterates the fact that to be banded together with Christ, we must be dead to the Law. Then, in verses fourteen through twenty-five, Paul shares his struggle with being a Christian. This is where he introduces chapter eight where he introduces our legal reality as Christians. It is through Jesus we do not have to pay for our sins. My passage is a segue to the foundation of Christianity: the full redemption of our sins just because God loves us. That is why Paul leads up with explaining sin, his battle, and describes how through Jesus there is a transformation in our hearts.

The main point in Romans 7:14-25 is the inner struggle of Paul. Paul is crying out to the power outside of himself. Why is it significant that Paul includes his endeavors? In these verses, Paul describes the “war within” or the opposition of our mind and our hearts. He explains to us the desires of his mind do not line up with the desires of God because of his flesh. Paul reveals to us that no matter what we do, as sinners, we are commenced in sin.

Also, a repeated theme in these verses is that we are slaves to sin. Even though the word, sin, is only mentioned four times it is a crucial part of this passage. “Paul uses the of the Law and the law of sin. The Law of God judges us according to our sin and what is at the bottom of our hearts. It was made to make us sin more so that God would give us more grace” (Bible knowledge author 27). Paul also uses the term “good” four times in these verses. What Paul is trying to say when he says the word good? How do we know what is good? The goodness Paul is what God delights in. Another repeated theme is the word “want” and the words “my, I, and me.” This is significant because it is giving us a human perspective on his walk with Christ. Even Paul one of the greatest apostles falls short. Paul becomes relatable when he expresses how he desires not to but repeatedly falls short. He uses personal pronouns, like I, to be completely transparent. He uses this to also reveals the first step of forgiveness and transformation in our lives. In verse twenty-four Paul poses another question that highlights the focal point that our moralistic crippling is attached to our body. This reveals our verdict. That through Jesus, the law is fulfilled. That even though we are guilty, our legal reality is that we do not have to pay for the crimes we committed.

In conclusion, this passage presents the dilemma of being a Christ-follower. It shows Christians that even one of the most highly regarded apostles, who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament, has human struggles. This is significant because this passage defines what it means to have an inability to be righteous. Every human is on the same level playing field. A highly regarded apostle, myself, and a murderer are all the same. We are all sinners which show us that our flesh prevents us from living up to God’s righteousness and His standards. Like Paul, we have an inner “war.” This means our minds and our heart’s desire fall short in every aspect of our lives: school, sports, relationships. Paul shows that even though our sinning is inevitable we still need to strive to be like Jesus. Just because Jesus paid our debt does not mean we should strive to sin. John Piper explains it well when he says, “We should not make peace with our sin; we should make war on our sin” (Desiring God). As Christians, we should not choose defeat, choose to live in the victory of Jesus.