READING • ROMANS 7
A problem every disciple must face
The original lesson describes sin as an addiction. That comparison can be helpful, but the Bible itself more often speaks of sin as a master that enslaves. Sin is not merely a list of bad acts: it is a power expressed through human desires, choices and habits, and it leads to death.
Paul’s struggle with sin
Romans 7 is one of the most searching passages in the New Testament. Paul knew God’s law and wanted to obey it, yet he also knew the pull of human nature. He describes a conflict between what he approves in his mind and what he sometimes finds himself doing.
“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”
Romans 7:14–15 • King James Version
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing... For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
Romans 7:18–19 • King James Version
Paul is not excusing sin. He is describing why discipleship involves a real struggle. Knowing what is right is not the same as doing it. We need God’s forgiveness, His Word and the help provided through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sin can be attractive — but its pleasure does not last
Temptation often appeals to something we desire: pleasure, comfort, pride, revenge, approval, power or an easier path. Moses deliberately chose faithfulness rather than the temporary attraction of sin:
“Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”
Hebrews 11:25 • King James Version
No single description explains every sin. Sometimes we act from desire, sometimes from fear, anger, pride or habit. But the responsibility is ours: temptation does not remove our duty to choose God’s way.
Love is the right motive for obedience
A life of discipleship cannot be sustained merely by fear or a sense of duty. Jesus put love for God at the centre of obedience:
“The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:”
Mark 12:29–30 • King James Version
What is sin?
A simple definition
Sin is disobedience to God and failure to live according to His righteous will. Scripture also presents sin as a power that rules, deceives and enslaves. Its consequence is death.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 • King James Version
Sin and death entered the human story
The Bible takes us back to Eden. God gave Adam a clear command concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were not compelled to disobey; they chose to place their own judgement above God’s word. Romans describes the result:
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
Romans 5:12 • King James Version
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Romans 5:19 • King James Version
The point is not that every person is personally guilty of Adam’s individual act. Rather, Adam’s disobedience brought mortality into the human family, and every one of us confirms the problem by committing sins of our own.
What happened in Eden?
STEP
WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS
God gave a command
Adam was told what he must not do and what the consequence would be (Genesis 2:16–17).
Desire challenged obedience
Eve saw the forbidden fruit as desirable and chose the serpent’s words over God’s command (Genesis 3:1–6).
Adam also chose to eat
He was not forced; he knowingly joined in the disobedience.
Sin brought death
The sentence “unto dust shalt thou return” became the condition of human life (Genesis 3:19).
Fellowship was damaged
Adam and Eve hid from God and were sent from the garden (Genesis 3:8, 23–24).
Worship is more than words
The original lesson rightly stresses that worship is not limited to a meeting or a prayer. Obedience in ordinary life is part of honouring the Creator. Sin does not literally prove that we believe God does not exist, but in practice it places our own will above His authority.
A question for every choice
Am I treating God’s Word as the highest authority, or am I deciding that my own desire matters more?
Blaming someone else
After the first sin, Adam and Eve both shifted attention away from their own responsibility. Adam blamed the woman; Eve blamed the serpent:
“The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”
Genesis 3:12 • King James Version
“The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”
Genesis 3:13 • King James Version
There were influences around them, but the choices were still theirs. Scripture repeatedly brings responsibility back to the human heart.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9 • King James Version
Temptation comes from within
Jesus taught that the things which defile a person arise from within. James gives the same basic sequence: desire draws us, temptation is accepted, sin follows, and sin leads to death.
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts... All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Mark 7:21, 23 • King James Version
“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
James 1:14–15 • King James Version
This does not mean that outside pressure, bad examples or difficult circumstances are unreal. It means that we cannot finally transfer moral responsibility for our choices to somebody else.
The devil and personal responsibility
Earlier lessons explained the Christadelphian understanding that biblical “devil” language personifies sin and the adversarial power of human nature rather than describing an immortal supernatural rebel against God. In this lesson the practical point is especially important: blaming an external tempter must never become a way of avoiding responsibility for our own choices.
The source lesson connects “children of the devil” and “offspring of vipers” with lives characterised by disobedience. The key contrast is between a life shaped by sin and one increasingly shaped by God’s righteousness. First John also warns us not to pretend that believers become instantly sinless:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
1 John 1:8 • King James Version
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 • King James Version
The Christian response
Do not deny sin, excuse it or blame it entirely on somebody else. Recognise it, confess it, repent of it, and seek God’s forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sin separates us from God
Death is not the only consequence of sin. Sin damages our relationship with God. Isaiah expresses this plainly:
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
Isaiah 59:2 • King James Version
Eden illustrates this separation. After sinning, Adam and Eve hid from God, and the close relationship they had enjoyed was broken. The same spiritual danger remains for us when sin is cherished rather than confessed and resisted.
Sin is ultimately against God
David’s adultery with Bathsheba and the death of Uriah caused terrible harm to other people. Yet when David confessed his sin, he recognised that all wrongdoing is ultimately an offence against God’s law and holiness:
“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:”
Psalm 51:4 • King James Version
David was not saying that nobody else had been wronged. He was acknowledging the deepest level of responsibility: God is the One whose righteous standard had been violated.
“Missing the mark”
One common New Testament word translated “sin” carries the idea of missing a mark. The perfect standard is seen in the Lord Jesus. We may fail in ways that appear small or large, but every failure shows why we need grace. At the same time, disciples are not to surrender and say that sin does not matter.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 7:21 • King James Version
Baptism does not make us instantly perfect
The New Testament does not teach that baptized believers never sin again. It does teach that they must not make peace with sin or choose it as their settled way of life. A disciple may fall, but must repent, seek forgiveness and continue the struggle to follow Christ.
WRONG RESPONSE
CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
“My sin is not serious.”
Measure conduct by God’s Word, not by comparison with other people.
“It was somebody else’s fault.”
Recognise influences honestly, but take responsibility for your own choice.
“I have failed, so there is no point trying.”
Confess, seek forgiveness, learn, and continue in faith.
“Grace means behaviour does not matter.”
Grace teaches us to turn from sin and live as disciples of Christ.
Finding the way back to God
The first Beatitude begins with humility:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3 • King James Version
To be “poor in spirit” is to recognise our spiritual need rather than imagining that we can save ourselves. That recognition does not lead to despair. It leads us to God, because He has provided the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s answer to the problem
Romans 7 does not end with Paul trapped forever in hopelessness. After describing the struggle, he asks who can deliver him and immediately gives thanks to God through Jesus Christ:
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 7:24–25 • King James Version
The next chapter begins with the good news of release from condemnation for those who are in Christ and walk after the Spirit:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:1–2 • King James Version
The Gospel is God’s answer
The solution to sin is not human self-confidence. It is the grace of God shown in His Son. Christ lived without sin, died, was raised from the dead, and now provides the way of forgiveness and life for those who belong to him.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16 • King James Version
A disciple does not claim to be sinless. The aim is to belong to Christ, resist sin, confess failures honestly and keep moving toward the Kingdom in faith and obedience.
SUMMARY
1
Sin is a universal human problem. We all experience the conflict between knowing what is right and failing to do it.
2
Sin is our responsibility. Temptation may be influenced by circumstances, but Scripture directs us to examine our own hearts and choices.
3
Sin brings death and separation from God. It must never be treated as harmless or unimportant.
4
Disciples still need repentance and forgiveness. Baptism begins a new life, not instant sinless perfection.
5
Jesus is God’s answer to sin. Through him there is forgiveness, freedom from condemnation and the hope of everlasting life.
Chapters to read
Romans 6–8 • James 1:12–18 • Psalm 51 • 1 John 1 • Mark 7:14–23
LEARN BY HEART • ROMANS 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 • King James Version
CHRISTADELPHIAN BIBLE MISSION • 5
CHRISTADELPHIAN BIBLE MISSION • 1