A Deep Dive into Romans 7! (with Dr. Joseph R. Dodson) 

I see this as Paul reflecting on himself and the fight he has from his learned mind and his heartfelt spirit filled heart

Thank you for a wonderful discussion on Romans. Joey fits the Dojo style well. Does your conversation about sin delineate between the habitual practice of sin and our sinful nature? Perhaps this is a helpful distinction? We are free from the power of sin, but I have yet to meet the believer that is entirely free from the presence of sin. Many passages in the new testament point out that believers do not continue to sin (habitually), but there is also a definite need to repent of sin. So then perhaps it is accurate to say that the sin nature remains in us and wars against the Spirit, but we ourselves do not remain ''in sin'' (the habitual practice).

I had never read Romans 7 this way. Great discussion and exegesis and the conversation really made me want to read Dr. Dodson's book. I have no idea why you don't have millions of subscribers--your content is miles above other channels, yet you are never pedantic when discussing the finer points of language or the Bible. And rock on with Superhero Seminary!

Such a great talk. Book ordered and will be delivered next week. The speed run through Romans chapters 1-6 was a lot of fun to listen to. I’d love to get that same speed run throughout the rest of the book.

Fantastic. So interestingly cool and and meaningful. Thank you both! 🥰

Thank you so much for this, JM & Dr. Dodson. I admit v. 15-21 confused me. I’ll add Dr. Dodson’s book to my wish list.

Thanks for the conversation. I agree that Paul is describing an unbeliever in the latter half of chapter 7. This is not the view taken in most of the Christian circles I've walked in for the past three decades (including myself at one time), so it's refreshing to know that I'm not totally crazy. In fact, I'm rather surprised that most scholars take our viewpoint. Did I really hear you correctly on that? That Paul is using an impersonation is something I haven't considered before. I'm still leaning toward the idea that Paul truly was describing himself prior to becoming a Christian ... but will chew on what you presented. If I may add two points to the discussion: First, chapter 6:17-18 describes how Christians WERE SLAVES of sin who BECAME SLAVES of righteousness. In other words, in the same way in which an unbeliever could not help but practice sin, so now the Christian cannot help but practice righteousness. Not to say that unbelievers never do good, or that Christians never sin ... but that their general dispositions and natures are radically different. It seems to me that many in the church see Christians as people who moved from being a slave to sin to someone who is neither a slave to sin nor to righteousness ... which is wrong thinking. Second, chapter 6:14-23 is Paul contrasting the two different kinds of living which his readers have undergone, under the law (as former unbelievers) and then under grace (now as Christians). Chapter 7:1-6 is a continuation of that thought, with Paul using marriage as a kind of analogy. Christians are people who were married to the law as unbelievers, but then died to the law (marriage dissolved) and became married to Jesus. What I find interesting here is how verses 2-3 describe the incompatibility of these two marriages. You cannot be married to both the law and Jesus; you have to die to one (the law) in order to be married to the other (Jesus), otherwise that would be adultery. Only after being released from the law in verse 6 is the person joined to Jesus, now being under grace. Verses 7-13 then describes how the law is good, but that sin is able to effect death through the law (because the law is weak, as Paul reasons in 8:3). The reader should not abandon Paul's marriage analogy here ... it is still part of the context. In verse 13, sin is effecting death in Paul through the law in which Paul, the unbeliever, is married to. Paul then continues to use himself as an illustration of this wretched existence for the rest of the chapter. I'm not trying to provoke a fight in what I'm about to say next, but I do want to provoke some thought. When people in the church say that they are Christians under the bondage of sin in chapter 7:14-25 (i.e. a Christian with two opposing natures), they are basically saying that they are married to two partners, and that Jesus entered into an adulterous relationship with them.

Thank you for this great conversation!

Bro, it's good, and I agree with you. And I have read this and understood it somewhat this way before too. And I know that I am dead to sin and alive in Christ. And When I sin, I don't make excuses and claim that oh well, I am just a sinner. I straight up tell God I did what I did cause I wanted to and I knew it was wrong but I did it anyway, even though I really don't want to let Him down, and I am sorry. And I think 1 John 1:9 and prior are there for a real reason. But the times when I do that or have done that, I see that description that Paul so eloquently detailed at work. Even though I can see it is there for another purpose. And I'll venture a guess that Paul did know about in his own life betimes too unless he was way more controlled by the Spirit than your everyday person is. Which, it figures he was, but he still had to live it all out for himself too, as we do. I like that you presented how to have victory over sin through the Holy Spirit. If you ask Jesus anything in His name, he has promised to do it. If you ask Him to empower the Spirit to give you victory over a chronic sin or temptation, it happens. The freedom is there, just like the Bible tells us. We need more emphasis on that part of it, I think.

He's so funny

Okay, this is a strong argument and I can accept this different interpretation based on the solid evidence presented. The struggle this brings now is, what does this mean for the Christian who IS struggling with habitual sin, such as addiction or compulsion or just really strongly ingrained habits? Because I have always taken comfort in these verses when I’ve been in one of those places, understanding them to mean that God hadn’t given up on me yet even when I was struggling and failing with my own sin. This interpretation seems to indicate that people in those positions have not in fact been made new in Christ, i.e. are not actually saved. Is that correct? If not, what am I missing?

I think Paul is explaining to them his past life and how he struggled and that he was a sinner too once upon a Time and that before he was knocked off the horse on the road to Damascus and was saved by the blood of Jesus Christ that's how he was and he's saying that that's how they are so he's showing them that he can relate to them and telling them that they can be saved they can be set free by the Lord Jesus Christ

Doesn’t the passage suggest the “I” is he who acts according to his own will? And our will is tainted. So when Christ acts through us we do not sin but when we act according to our own will we naturally sin? Am I missing something?

🙏❤️📖

Hello JM!

Ray Comfort uses Roman’s 6:23 all the time when witnessing to non-believers. Would you say he’s wrong in doing that since Paul is talking to the church?

Great video JM Q: which denominations do you think misread Romans 7 the most(catholic,Jw’s, Calvinist,I know these aren’t denominations but you know what I mean?)now don’t be prejudice it might be a human ignorance as we learn the Word on our journey?

Comment

I was a full blown Catholic no debates to any blue collar workers back then.

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Galatians 5:17 For me this is the thing which settles the Romans 7 debate, here the context is the war between the spirit and the flesh and it literally says the same thing as in Romans 7, we are in a war so we aren't slaves to sin but we aren't free to do the good we want to do due to sin which lives in our flesh. I think Paul's argument in Romans flows better with this understanding, in Romans 6 we are dead to sin and freed from it, in Romans 7 despite being freed from sin there is still a war between the spirit and the flesh and we aren't free to do what we want to do, in Romans 8 despite sin still in us we aren't condemned because we are in Christ and the Spirit helps us to mortify the flesh and win the war.

That’s probably the reason flesh and blood will Never inherit the kingdom of God.