Romans
7:13-25
(Romans 7:15-25a)
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- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- III.XX.3, IV.XXXVI.8, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- III.3, III.11, IV.7, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- Chapter XLVI, Chapter LI, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Tertullian (c. 211)
- V.14, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 212)
- Chapter XVII, On Modesty, Tertullian (c. 217)
- III.IV.2, III.IV.4, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
- VII.XX, VII.L, VIII.LIV, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246)
- From Martin Luther's Bible Commentary (1545).
- From the Geneva Notes.
- "He sets himself before us as an example, since he has been regenerated, and in whom may easily appear the strife of the Spirit and the flesh, and therefore of the law of God, and our wickedness."
- From
Matthew Henry's
Commentary.
- "Compared with the holy rule of conduct in the law of God, the apostle found himself so very far short of perfection, that he seemed to be carnal."
- From
Wesley's Notes.
- "St. Paul, having compared together the past and present state of believers...interweaves the whole process of a man reasoning, groaning, striving, and escaping from the legal to the evangelical state."
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- "...coexistence and mutual hostility of "flesh" and "spirit" in the same renewed man, which is so clearly taught in Ro 8:4, &c., and in Ga 5:16, &c., is the true and only key to the language of this and the following verses."
- From The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
- "The inner man, the better nature, our spiritual being, approves of and delights in the law of God. This is the part of our being that "wills to do good," spoken of in verse 21, but is overcome by evil."
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
- "Paul," sermon discussion from Frederick Buechner, Frederick Buechner Blog. "Alcoholics Anonymous," from Beyond Words.
- "And how long was the whole great circus to last? Paul said, why, until we all become human beings at last, until we all 'come to maturity,' as he put it; and then, since there had been only one really human being since the world began, until we all make it to where we're like him, he said - 'to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ' (Ephesians 4:13). Christs to each other, Christs to God. All of us. Finally. It was just as easy, and just as hard, as that."
- Commentary,
Romans 7:15-25a, Walter F. Taylor, Jr., Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
- "When most Americans hear the word sin they think of individual acts of sinning. While Paul can use the word that way, his basic understanding of sin is that it is a power--sin with a capital 'S.'"
- "No," David Lose, Dear Working Preacher, 2011.
- "In this case, it may be helpful to remind our people that, according to Paul, saying "no" is difficult, runs against our nature, and requires help. But saying 'no' is also requisite to saying 'yes.'"
- "First
Thoughts on Year A Epistle Passages in the Lectionary," Pentecost 4, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in
Australia.
- "Paul is employing observation of human experience to add further support for his gospel which depends on a relationship of faith to change people, not observance of the Law."
- "We Are Not Alone," Bruce Reyes-Chow, The Hardest Question, 2011.
- "The insidious nature of sin and brokenness in communities of faith."
- "Struggling with Sin,"Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
- Commentary, Psalm 51 / Romans 7:14-25, Marvin A. McMickle, The
African American Lectionary, 2008.
- "The only person mentioned in scripture deserving of being the model for human conduct is Christ. Only Christ sets a constantly perfect example."
-
Commentary,
Romans 7:15-25a, Marion L. Soards, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
- "The tone of these chapters is reflective, meditative. Yet, no portion of the epistle is more challenging to understand than these four chapters."
- Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, God's Saving Work in the Letter to the Romans: Lectionary Texts for the Pentecost Season, Arland J. Hurtgren, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1993.
- "Habit's Harsh Bondage," study guide, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Pornographic Culture," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2002.
- "The War
Within (Romans 7:14-25)," by Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- "The Christian’s agony comes from realizing that our sinful flesh refuses to respond to the requirements of God’s Law."
- "An
Eye for an 'I': The Relevance of the Identification of the 'I' in Romans 7:7-25,"
by D. Wayne Stiles, II, at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- "The first occurrence of the word “I” (ejgw) in the book of Romans is in ch. 7. Since in the Greek language no first-person subject need be stated apart from the verb, Paul’s use of “I” eight times is for emphasis."
- Reflection on
Romans 7:21 - 8:6, Rev. Tom Harries. At Environmental Reflections, Lectionary Year
A, Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, Environmental Stewardship Commission.
- "Paul does the flesh and our physical selves a great disservice here."
-
"Romans 5-8 as Pastoral Theology," Stanley N. Olson, Word & World,
1986.
- "The unity and functions of the exhortation and assurance in Romans 5-8 are clarified when the section is understood as pastoral theology."
-
"Romans 7:7-25 and the Impotence of the Law," Stefano Romanello,
Biblica, 2003.
- "By means of a literary-rhetorical analysis, it can be stated that Rom 7,7-25 forms a literary unit, depending upon the propositio of Rom 7,7a. In fact, the question on the possible equalization between Mosaic Law and sin raises a new discussion, carried out precisely in Rom 7,7-25."
- "Paul," sermon discussion from Frederick Buechner, Frederick Buechner Blog. "Alcoholics Anonymous," from Beyond Words.
-
Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Bruckner, James K., "The Creational Context of Law
before Sinai: Law and Liberty in Pre-Sinai Narratives and Romans 7,"
Ex Auditu, 1995.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Busch, Austin,
"The Figure of Eve in Romans 7:5-25," Biblical Interpretation,
2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Chang, Hae-Kyung, "The Christian Life in a
Dialectical Tension? Romans 7:7-25 Reconsidered," Novum Testamentum,
2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Cook, Anthony, "Homiletical Helps on LSB Series A -
Epistles," (Romans 7:14-25 begins on page 114), Concordia Journal,
2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Eisenbaum, Pamela,
"A Remedy for Having Been Born of Woman: Jesus, Gentiles, and Genealogy in
Romans," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Greenberg, Irving,
"The Maturation of Covenant in Judaism and Christianity," The Living
Pulpit, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hultgren, Arland J., "God's Saving
Work in the Letter to the Romans: Lectionary Texts for the Pentecost
Season," Word & World, 1993.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Jewett, Robert, "The Basic Human
Dilemma: Weakness or Zealous Violence?" Ex Auditu, 1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Marshall, I. Howard,
"Living in the 'Flesh'," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Napier, Daniel, "Paul's Analysis of Sin and Torah in
Romans 7:7-25," Restoration Quarterly, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Neyrey, Jerome H., S.J.,
"God, Benefactor and Patron: The Major Cultural Model for Interpreting the
Deity in Greco-Roman Antiquity," Journal for the Study of the New
Testament, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Nickle,
Keith F., "Expository Article, Romans 7:7-25," Interpretation,
1979.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - O'Brien, Bill, "The
Blame Game," The Christian Century, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Olson,
Stanley N., "Romans 5-8 as Pastoral Theology," Word & World, 1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Russell, Walt,
"Insights from Postmodernism's Emphasis on Interpretive Communities in
the Interpretation of Romans 7," Journal of the Evangelical
Theological Society, 1994.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Siefrid, Mark A., "The
Subject of Romans 7:14-25," Novum Testamentum, 1992.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Smith, Edgar W., Jr.,
"The Form and Religious Background of Romans 7:24-25a," Novum
Testamentum, 1971.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Snodgrass, Klyne,
"Spheres of Influence: A Possible Solution to the Problem of Paul and
the Law," Journal for the Study of the New Testament,
1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Talbert, Charles H.,
"Tracing Paul's Train of Thought in Romans 6-8," Review & Expositor,
2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Toussaint, Stanley D.,
"The Contrast between the Spiritual Conflict in Romans 7 and Galatians 5,"
Bibliotheca Sacra, 1966.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wasserman, Emma, "The Death of the Soul in Romans 7:
Revisiting Paul's Anthropology in Light of Hellenistic Moral
Psychology," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wasserman, Emma, "Paul
among the Philosophers: the Case of Sin in Romans 6-8," Journal
for the Study of the New Testament,
2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Ziesler, J.A., "The Role of the Tenth Commandment in
Romans 7," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Bruckner, James K., "The Creational Context of Law
before Sinai: Law and Liberty in Pre-Sinai Narratives and Romans 7,"
Ex Auditu, 1995.
- Sermons:
- Captive Free! Steven E. Albertin, SermonStudio.
- "I Don't Do What I Want To Do," from a series of sermons on the book of Romans by Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Washington.
- Captive Free! Steven E. Albertin, SermonStudio.
- With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Proper 9, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2011.
- Missing The Bull's Eye, Wesley T. Runk, SermonStudio.
- Drama:
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Hymnal Scripture References, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
- "We Played the Flute," Brenton Prigge, NewHymn, a new, relevant hymn set to traditional tunes.
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of Romans
