Romans 7:7

Easy To Read Version

You might think that I am saying that sin and the law {\cf2\super [54]} are the same thing. That is not true. But the law was the only way I could learn what sin means. I would never have known what it means to want something wrong. But the law said, “You must not want \{things that belong to other people\}.” {\cf2\super [55]}

Cross References

Genesis 3:6

The woman saw the tree was beautiful. She saw the fruit was good to eat. And it was exciting that the tree would make her wise. So the woman took fruit from the tree and ate it. Her husband was there with her, so she gave some of the fruit to him and he ate it.

2 Samuel 11:2

In the evening, he got up from his bed. He walked around on the roof of the king’s house. While David was on the roof, he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful.

Psalm 119:96

Everything has its limits,\par except your law.\par

Exodus 20:17

“You must not want to take your neighbor’s house. You must not want his wife. And you must not want his men and women servants, or his cattle, or his donkeys. You must not want to take anything that belongs to another person!”

Micah 2:2

They want fields,\par so they take them.\par They want houses,\par so they take them.\par They cheat a man\par and take his house.\par They cheat a man\par and take his land from him.\par

Matthew 5:28

But I tell you that if a person looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, then that person has already done that sin with the woman in his mind.

Luke 12:15

Then Jesus said to them. “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. A person does not get life from the many things he owns.”

Luke 20:16

He will come and kill those farmers! Then he will lease the land to some other farmers.”

Acts 20:33

When I was with you, I never wanted anyone’s money or fine clothes.

Romans 13:9

\{Why do I say this?\} Because the law says, “You must not do the sin of adultery, {\cf2\super [136]} you must not murder anyone, you must not steal anything, you must not want things that belong to other people.” {\cf2\super [137]} All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love other people the same as you love yourself.” {\cf2\super [138]}

Romans 3:20

Why? Because no person can be made right with God by following the law. The law only shows us our sin.

Romans 3:5

When we do wrong, that shows more clearly that God is right. So can we say that God does wrong when he punishes us? (I am using an idea that some people might have.)

Romans 4:1

So what can we say about Abraham, {\cf2\super [32]} the father of our people? What did he learn about faith?

Romans 4:15

Why? Because the law can only bring God’s anger \{when the law is not obeyed\}. But if there is no law, then there is nothing to disobey.

Romans 5:20

The law came to make people have more sin. But when people had more sin, God gave them more of his grace (kindness).

Romans 6:15

So what should we do? Should we sin because we are under grace (kindness) and not under law? No!

Romans 7:11

Sin found a way to fool me by using the command. Sin used the command to make me die \{spiritually\}.

Romans 7:13

Does this mean that something that is good brought death to me? No! But sin used something that is good to bring death to me. This happened so that I could see what sin is really like. It happened to show that sin is something very, very bad. And the command was used to show this.

Romans 7:5

In the past, we were ruled by our sinful selves. The law made us want to do sinful things. And those sinful things we wanted to do controlled our bodies, so that the things we did were only bringing us spiritual death.

Romans 7:8

And sin found a way to use that command and make me want every kind of wrong thing. So sin came to me because of that command. But without the law, sin has no power.

1 Corinthians 15:56

Death’s power to hurt is sin. And the power of sin is the law.

Ephesians 5:3

But there must be no sexual sin among you. There must not be any kind of evil or selfishly wanting more and more. Why? Because those things are not right for God’s holy people. {\cf2\super [38]}

Deuteronomy 5:21

“You must not want another man’s wife. You must not want his house, his fields, his men and women servants, his cows or his donkeys. You must not want to take anything that belongs to another person!”

Colossians 3:5

So put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and selfishly wanting more and more. This wanting really means to live serving a false god.

1 Thessalonians 4:5

Don’t let your physical desires control you. The people of the world who don’t know God do that.

Hebrews 7:19

The law \{of Moses\} could not make anything perfect. And now a better hope has been given to us. And with that hope we can come near to God.

Joshua 7:21

{We captured the city of Jericho and all the things in it.} I saw a beautiful coat from Babylon, about 5 pounds [36] of silver; and about a pound [37] of gold. I wanted these things for myself. So I took them. You will find those things buried in the ground under my tent. The silver is under the coat.”