Romans 7: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Romans 7 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Paul begins by stating that the law has authority over a person only while he lives (vv. 1-3). He uses marriage as an example, saying a woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive.

Key verse

“What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, the sin’s law.”
Romans 7:24-25 (WEB)

Outline

Romans 7:1–3 The Law's Authority in Marriage
Romans 7:4–6 Dying to the Law through Christ
Romans 7:7–13 Sin Revealed through the Law
Romans 7:14–24 The Struggle with Sin
Romans 7:25 Thankfulness for Deliverance

Discussion questions

In v4, what does Paul mean by being 'made dead to the law'?
In v12, how does Paul describe the law and the commandment?
Paul's conflict in vv. 15-20: what does he mean by 'it is no more I that do it'?
The phrase 'warring against the law of my mind' in v23: what does this suggest about inner conflict?
When have you experienced a struggle between what you desire and what you actually do?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Romans 7: Psalm 119, Galatians 5, Romans 8.

Before next time: read Romans 8.