New Living Translation
Romans 7:5
5When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.
Romans 7:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
- New International Version (NIV)For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.
Context of Romans 7:5
3So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. 4So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. 7Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”
Read all of Romans 7Romans 7:5 word by word
ὅτε γὰρ ἦμεν ἐν τῇ σαρκί, τὰ παθήματα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὰ διὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐνηργεῖτο ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν εἰς τὸ καρποφορῆσαι τῷ θανάτῳ·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- whenὅτεhote ho te hē te tō te · whenG3753
- we wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
- the motionsπάθημαpathēma · sufferingG3804
- of sinsἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
- byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
- did workἐνεργέωenergeō · be activeG1754
- ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- membersμέλοςmelos · memberG3196
- toεἰςeis · towardG1519
- bring forth fruitκαρποφορέωkarpophoreō · to bear fruitG2592
- unto deathθάνατοςthanatos · deathG2288
Cross-references for Romans 7:5
- Romans 8:8That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
- John 3:6Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
- Galatians 5:16So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
- Ephesians 2:3All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
- Romans 1:26That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.
- Romans 3:20For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
- Romans 4:15For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
- Romans 5:20God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.
- 1 Corinthians 15:56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
- 2 Corinthians 3:6He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
- Galatians 3:10But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”
- James 2:9But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
- 1 John 3:4Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.
- Romans 7:8But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.
- Matthew 15:19For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.
- Galatians 5:19When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
Commentaries on Romans 7:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5For, when we were in the flesh - When we were without the Gospel, in our carnal and unregenerated state, though believing in the law of Moses, and performing the rites and offices of our religion. The motions of sins, which were by the law - ̔, the passions of sins, the evil propensities to sins; to every particular sin there is a propensity: one propensity does not excite to all kinds of sinful acts; hence the apostle uses the plural number, the Passions…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5For when - The illustration in this verse and the following is designed to show more at length the effect of the Law, whenever and whereever applied; whether in a state of nature or of grace. It was always the same. It was the occasion of agitation and conflict in a man‘s own mind. This was true when a sinner was under conviction; and it was true when a man was a Christian. In all circumstances where the Law was applied to the corrupt mind of man, it…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5the flesh: The word flesh can sometimes refer to the human body in a neutral way. For example, Paul speaks of Christ coming “in the flesh” (see 8:3). More often, however, Paul uses flesh in a negative sense. It describes human life lived apart from God. To live according to the flesh means to be ruled by sin and opposed to God. the sinful passions aroused by the law: God’s law is good in itself (see 7:12). However, because people have sinful hearts (inner…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. For when we were in the flesh--in our unregenerate state, as we came into the world. See on Joh 3:6 and Ro 8:5-9. the motions--"passions" (Margin), "affections" (as in Ga 5:24), or "stirrings." of sins--that is, "prompting to the commission of sins." which were by the law--by occasion of the law, which fretted, irritated our inward corruption by its prohibitions. See on Ro 7:7-9. did work in our members--the members of the body, as the instruments by…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 7:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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