Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
What does Romans 7:20 mean?
Paul repeats the point to show that this struggle is real and ongoing. Sin is still present in him, but it is no longer his true delight or master.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Romans 7:16-20 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Context in Romans 7
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Romans 7 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as justification and Abraham. Romans is Paul’s fullest sustained exposition of sin, grace, righteousness, faith, Israel, the Spirit, and transformed life in Christ. Read this chapter with the wider themes of justification, grace, and faith in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Central texts on sin, grace, faith, Christ’s saving work, and the Bible’s announcement that salvation is received rather than achieved.
Passages on peace with God, peace in the heart, peace in community, and the biblical difference between true peace and false reassurance.
Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.