Understanding Romans 7:25 – Do We Serve the Law of Sin?

Question:

What is the meaning of Romans 7:25? Does it mean we continue serving the law of sin?

Romans 7:25 (ESV):

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

Explanation:

In Romans chapter 7, the Apostle Paul describes a profound and personal struggle between two realities:

1. His inner desire to obey God,

2. And the sinful nature (the flesh) that continues to wage war against that desire.

Paul is not making excuses for sin, nor is he promoting a life of spiritual defeat. Rather, he is revealing the deep conflict that exists in the life of every believer: the tension between the regenerate mind (which loves God’s law) and the unredeemed flesh (which is still prone to sin).

Paul’s Inner Conflict:

In Romans 7:19–20 (NIV), Paul says:

“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

This passage reveals the dual nature of the believer’s experience:

• The “inner man” delights in God’s law (v.22).

• But the “members of the body” are still influenced by sin.

This doesn’t mean Paul is justifying sin, but rather acknowledging that sin still resides in the body, even though the heart and mind have been transformed by Christ.

The Purpose of Romans 7:

Paul uses Romans 7 to show that the Mosaic Law, while holy and good (v.12), does not have the power to free someone from sin. In fact, it reveals sin more clearly, but doesn’t provide a solution.

Paul’s main point is to demonstrate the limits of human effort — that trying to fulfill the law in our own strength is impossible because of the power of sin that still works in our flesh.

Romans 7:25 – A Cry of Hope, Not Defeat

When Paul says, “With my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh the law of sin,” he is not endorsing a double life. Instead, he is:

• Acknowledging the ongoing presence of sinful impulses in the flesh,

• While celebrating the deliverance that comes only through Jesus Christ.

This verse acts as a transition between chapters 7 and 8 — from the hopeless struggle under the law to the hopeful victory through the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8 – The Solution: Life in the Spirit

Paul doesn’t stop at chapter 7. He moves immediately to the solution in Romans 8:1–2 (NKJV):

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

In other words:

• The law could point out sin,

• But only the Holy Spirit can empower us to overcome it.

Theological Insight:

This conflict between flesh and Spirit is also explained in Galatians 5:16–18 (ESV):

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit… But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Here, Paul teaches that victory over sin doesn’t come from self-effort or law-keeping, but from a Spirit-filled life — one in which we submit daily to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:

Romans 7:25 is not a statement of defeat — it’s a turning point.

Paul wants believers to understand that:

• The battle with sin is real,

• But we are not left helpless.

• Through Jesus Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live in victory over the power of sin.

It’s a call to every believer to stop relying on their own strength and start walking in step with the Spirit.

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