Romans 7:8

And, you know, we all have a bad part in us that wants to do bad things, so when that bad part in us hears the law, it makes us want to do that same wrong thing that the law talks about. But if we don’t hear that law, that bad part in us can’t get us to go wrong like that.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

In Context

7Some people might reckon that the old law is no good because it made us go wrong, but that’s not true. The law is good. You see, God gave people the law to clearly show them what is right and what is wrong. For example, a part of that law says, “If something belongs to somebody else, don’t think about getting it for yourself.” Now think about this. If somebody doesn’t know that law, they don’t know that it is wrong to want to get other people’s things.

9And you know, some people didn’t know that law at first, but after they heard it, that bad part in them made them want to do those bad things.

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Cross References

John 15:22I came and talked to them, but they didn’t listen to me. So they are going against God, and he will say they are guilty. And they can’t argue with him. They can’t say they didn’t hear my message.

Romans 4:15People try to follow that law, but they can’t do it, and whenever they break that law, God gets angry with them and punishes them. So all the law does is give us trouble. (The only way people will not break the law is if there is no law to break.)

Romans 7:11That bad part of us uses that law to trick us, so that we do bad things. And then we have to die.

Romans 7:17So really, it’s not us that does those bad things. It’s that bad part of us that is inside us.

James 1:14We do it to ourselves. Whenever we think about things we want for ourselves, and we don’t think about things God wants us to do, we just trick ourselves. Then we go ahead and do wrong things. You know, if we keep on doing those bad things, we will die.

Matthew Henry on Romans 7:8-25

Excellency of the Law; Usefulness of the Law. ( a. d. 58.) 7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto… Read the whole commentary →

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