Romans 7:9

And 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.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

In Context

8And, 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.

10So then they had to die. You see, it’s like this. That law’s job is to show us how to live, but we don’t do everything it says, so the law tells us that we have to die.

Read all of Romans 7

Cross References

Matthew 5:21Jesus said, “You know, the teachers of God’s law tell you what God told the people, a long time ago. They say, ‘Don’t murder anybody. If you murder somebody, then you have to go to court, and the judge will punish you.’

Luke 10:25One day, a Jewish law man went to Jesus. He wanted to test Jesus, to see if he can answer a hard question. So he asked Jesus, “Teacher, what can I do so that I will live with God for ever?”

Luke 18:9Some people there thought that they were really good, and they rubbished everyone else. They reckoned, “We are so good that God will always say we are all right.” So Jesus told them this picture story. He said,

Romans 3:19You know, it’s like this. God gave his law to the Jewish people for them to follow. And God is the judge of everybody in the whole world. And nobody has kept all of that law, so nobody can argue with him. Nobody can tell God, “I have kept all those laws, so I’m all right. You can’t punish me.” We can’t say that, because we all broke that law at some time. So why is the law there? It is there just to let us know that we always go wrong. That’s what it is there for.

Romans 7:6But now we believe in Jesus, we don’t have to live that old way any more. It’s like we died to that old way, so we don’t have to follow that old law any more. We have the Holy Spirit in us now, and he helps us to do what God wants us to do. So we live that new way now.

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 →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Romans 7:9