Very good. Many falsely use Romans 7 as an excuse to not overcome sin by God’s grace.

Verses 5 & 6 are key:

5 For when we were in the flesh [Jews under the law], the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit to death. 6 But now we have been *discharged from the law*, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in *newness of the spirit*, and not in *oldness of the letter*.

As is Romans 8:

Verse 4 says the *law* is fulfilled in us if we walk according to the Holy Spirit.

Verse 13 says we will die if we live after the flesh, but will live if we put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit.

Verse 14 says those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God.

Verse 1: we have “no condemnation,” not because we said a prayer to be born-again (the start), but because we’re actually “in Christ Jesus” because we don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Galatians 5 is parallel: the two lists. Verse 24: “Those WHO BELONG TO CHRIST have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.” Whereas, those who live in the “works of the flesh” list will not inherit the kingdom, which we know for sure means salvation because of what Paul warns us in Galatians 6 about sowing and reaping.

Why Romans 7 is NOT Talking about Christians: Dr. Joey Dodson

Jul 25, 2022

Dr. Joseph (Joey) Dodson is the Craig L. Blomberg Endowed Chair of New Testament at Denver Seminary. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and continued his studies at the University of Tübingen in Germany. He has written a number of articles for peer review journals such as Harvard Theological Review, Novum Testamentum, the Journal for Jewish Studies, and Catholic Biblical Quarterly. His most recent books include The Things I Want to Do: Romans 7 Revisited (forthcoming), A Little Book for New Bible Scholars with E. Randolph Richards (2017) and a co-edited volume with David E. Briones, Paul and Seneca in Dialogue (2017). Dr. Dodson’s current research includes a Romans commentary in the Brill Exegetical Commentary Series and a Colossians-Philemon commentary in The Christian Standard Commentary Series. And–Joey is my best friend. We met at Aberdeen years ago and have been joined at the hip ever since. In this conversation, Joey shows why Romans 7 is NOT talking about a Christian, but a pre-converted first century Jew.

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#993 – Why Romans 7 is NOT Talking about Christians: Dr. Joey Dodson – Theology in the raw

#993 – Why Romans 7 is NOT Talking about Christians: Dr. Joey Dodson