wretched

Romans 7:14-25

Observe:
Key words: law, sin, death.
Contrasts the spiritual aspect of the law with the unspiritual aspect of Paul (and therefore us).
Contrasts God's law with the law of sin.

Interpret:
Paul is saying that the law is spiritual and therefore good but that his depravity has taken the good intended by the law and twisted it to bring about evil and death. He has the desire to do what the law requires but cannot because he is such a slave to sin. In his regenerated state, his desire to do good is increased, because he has the law of God at work in him. However, even with that, there is still the law of sin at work, seeking to keep him enslaved to sin. In the end, the only way he can be rescued is through Jesus Christ.
Paul's whole point is that the law does not bring life, even though that is what it was intended to do. Life, therefore, must come through faith in Christ (just as the law does not bring righteousness but righteousness comes through faith in Christ).

Apply:
Some people think that this whole section describes Paul before he became a Christian. Thankfully Paul talks about this struggle in the present tense. This gives me a lot of hope that I am not alone in my struggle against sin: I still don't do the things that I want to do and do the things that I don't want to do. My tendency has been to make rules for myself and I think there is some merit in that (Christ commands us to cut off those things that cause us to sin) however, I have also seen that creating more rules creates more opportunity for failure and shame. I need to find out how I can rely on Christ rather than create rules for myself. How do I increase my faith so that I can truly live?