Romans 7:23
Read Romans 7:23 Using Other Translations
What does Romans 7:23 mean?
But I see another law in my members
That is, he saw, he perceived it by experience; he felt the force
and power of inbred corruption working in him, and as a law
demanding obedience to it; and which he might well call "another
law", it being not only distinct from, but opposite to the law of
God he delighted in; the one is good, the other evil; this other
law is a transgression of the law of God, and which he observed
to be "in [his] members", i.e. in the members of his body; not
that it had its seat only, or chiefly in his body, and the parts
of it, but because it exerted itself by them, it made use of them
to fulfil its lusts: the same phrase is used in the Targum on (
Psalms 38:3 )
; which renders the words there thus, there is no peace,
(yrbab) , "in my members"
because of my sin: now this law was, says he,
warring against the law of my mind;
by the "law of [his] mind" is meant, either the law of God
written on his mind in conversion, and which he delighted in, and
served with his mind, as renewed by the Spirit of God; or the new
nature in him, the principle of grace wrought in his mind, called
"the law" of it, because it was the governing principle there;
which reigns, and will reign in every regenerate person through
righteousness, unto eternal life, though the law of sin opposes
all its force and power against it; that is not only contrary to
it, lusts against it, but wars, and commits acts of hostility
against it: the state of regenerate persons is a warfare, they
have many enemies to combat with, as Satan and the world; but
those of their own household, within themselves, in their own
hearts, are the worst of all; there is a civil war in them, as it
were a company of two armies, flesh and spirit, sin and grace,
combating together; and so it will be as long as this life lasts;
so true is that saying of the Jews F13, in which they agree
with the apostle,
``as long as the righteous live, (Nruy Me Mymxln) , "they are at war with the corruption of their nature"; when they die they are at rest:''hence we read of (erh Nuy tmxlm) , "the war of the evil imagination" {n}: but what is worst of all, this is sometimes
bringing [them] into captivity to the law of sin, which is
in
[their] members;
that is, to itself; for the law in the members, and the law of
sin in the members, must be the same: and it may be said to bring
into captivity to itself, when it only endeavours to do it,
though it does not effect it; for sometimes words which express
an effect only design the endeavour to effect, but not that
itself; see ( Ezekiel
24:13 ) ( Genesis
37:21 Genesis
37:22 ) ( Exodus 8:18 ) . But
admitting that this phrase intends the real and actual effecting
of it, it is to be understood of a captivity to sin, different
from that an unregenerate man is in; who is a voluntary captive
to sin and Satan, gives up himself to such slavery and bondage,
and rather goes, than is brought or carried into it; whereas a
regenerate man is, through the force of sin, and power of
temptation, violently drawn and carried into captivity; in which
he is held against his will, and to his great uneasiness:
besides, this expression does not denote absolute dominion, which
sin has not over a regenerate man; nor is it utterly inconsistent
with his character as such; for as a subject of one nation may be
taken a prisoner, and be carried captive into another nation, and
yet remain a subject where he was, and does not become one of
that country of which he is carried captive; so a regenerate man,
being carried captive by sin, does not come under the absolute
dominion of sin, or cease to be a subject of the kingdom of
grace, or in other words, a regenerate person: moreover, the very
phrase of "bringing into captivity" supposes that the person
before was not a captive; whereas every unregenerate man one, was
always so, and never otherwise: add to all this, that this
captivity was very distressing and uneasy to the person, and
makes him cry out, "O wretched man" whereas the captivity of an
unregenerate person is very agreeable to him; he likes his
prison, he loves his chains, and do not choose to be in any other
state and condition; though, as the Jews F15 say,
there is no captivity (hmvnh
twlgk) , "like the captivity of the soul"; and nothing so
grieving and afflictive to a good man as that is. The apostle
uses much such language as his countrymen do, who frequently
represent man as having two principles in him, the one good, the
other bad; the one they call (erh
ruy) , "the evil imagination", or corruption of nature;
the other they call (bwjh)
(ruy) , "the good
imagination", or principle of grace and goodness; which they say
F16, are at continual war with each
other, and the one is sometimes (hbvn) , "carried captive" by the other. The good
imagination, they say F17, is like to one that (Nyrwoax tybb vwbx) , "is bound in a
prison"; as it is said, "out of prison he cometh to reign"; to
which agrees what they say F18,
``how shall I serve my Creator whilst I am (yruy ryoa) , "a captive to my corruption", and a servant to my lust?''
F13 Bereshit Rabba, Parash. 9. fol. 7. 4.
F14 Tzeror Hammer, fol. 93. 3. & 113. 3. & 115. 2. & 144. 4. & 145. 1, 2.
F15 Caphtor, fol. 14. 2.
F16 Zohar in Gen. fol. 56. 3.
F17 Pirke Abot R. Nathan, c. 16. fol. 5. 2.
F18 Machzor Jud. Hispan. apud L. Capell. in Rom. vi. 16.
