Remnant: A Daily Verse-by-Verse Devotional

We are nearing the end of chapter seven, and this verse starts a transition from the problem (sin, even when we really don't want to sin) to the solution (Jesus and the Spirit).

Paul wraps up a series of verses here in verse 20 by concluding his big point that we are going to sin in this life. We talk about how if Paul isn't immune from sin, then we can't be either. And we preview where we'll go with that fact in chapter eight.

Paul re-states his point from verse 15, that he continues to sin even after accepting Christ. We talk about the root of how we fall short: our desire to control our lives.

Paul gives us in verse 18 the core argument he's trying to make: that no matter how hard we try to not sin, we can't help but slip up from time to time. We talk about what that really means for us.

Paul writes that sin dwelling within us can make Christians do things we don't want to do. We explore that concept by once again channeling Dwight L. Moody.

Paul makes the point here in verse 16 that when we recognize that we fall short, we acknowledge and agree with the law.

Christians still struggle with sin. Paul writes here about his own struggle, that he does the very thing he hates (sin). We explore that concept and preview the fix.

Paul changes tenses and perspective here in verse 14, and now addresses the ongoing struggles that Christians have with sin in our day-to-day lives.

Paul offers a transition here in verse 13 that both restates his question from verse seven, and then introduces where he's going for the remainder of chapter seven. The takeaway is that the law is good because it puts a label on sin and lets us know that sin leads to death.

Paul begins this verse with the word "so," signaling a conclusion flowing from the prior verses. But his conclusion isn't what we'd expect, though it's the correct conclusion. We talk about Paul's conclusion.

Paul restates his point from verses nine and ten again here in verse eleven. We talk about how our fallen human minds can't help but be "deceived" when given the opportunity.

Paul restates his point from verse nine but adds the irony of the situation--that a verse promising life produced death. We talk about backfiring laws.

Paul offers in verse nine a curious verse that has theological scholars debating its core meaning, a topic I am ill-suited to tackle. But I talk about Paul and his experiences in life.

Paul writes that there's a part of us that rebels and seeks perversity in the face of laws. We explore that through Augustine today.

Paul launches an explanation of the relationship between law and sin here in verse seven with the example of coveting, writing that he would not know what it is to covet without the law.

Paul concludes a major theme on sin, law, and our release from sin here in verse six by telling us that we have been released, and that we now serve in the new way of the Spirit.

Having talked about lives that bear fruit for God in verse four, Paul gives the opposite in verse five: lives consumed by our personal passions that bear fruit for death. We explore that concept.

Paul introduces his death-marriage analogy in verse four, writing that we are dead to our old ways and free to follow new ways in Jesus. And following new ways is meant to bear fruit.

Paul is setting up an analogy about how death changes one's legal status from adulterer to not, but we use the lead-in to talk about adultery in general.

Paul cites marriage as an example that the law of marriage exists during life but ceases at death. We use this example as an excuse to touch on marriage.

Paul starts chapter seven by noting that the law is binding only on the living. I take a little detour by talking about that legal concept.

Romans 6:23 is one of the more well-known verses in the Bible, and for good reason. Paul encapsulates first first six chapters of Romans in this one verse, writing that we earn death by sin, or we can accept the free gift of eternal life from Jesus Christ.

Paul now talks about the good fruit we get from loving God, and how that fruit leads to sanctification. We talk about sanctification and how we grow more like Jesus over time.

Paul asks what type of fruit were our lives producing when we were slaves to sin. We talk about the link between this verse and Jesus's instructions to identify false prophets by their fruit.

Paul continues his streak of excellent use of logic in verse 20, pointing out that when we were sinners we were free of righteousness, setting up a coming point that we should now be free of sin. But today we talk about that word that we translate to "righteousness."