Sermon Notes

Romans 8:1–17 | Congregational Outline
Pastor Al Soto
Big Idea: We cannot overcome sin or live the Christian life in our own strength. Through Jesus, we are freed from condemnation, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and adopted into God’s family.
1.1. Walk in the Spirit by Living Free from Condemnation
Romans 8:1–4 | In Christ, ______________________ is removed and the Spirit empowers a ___________ life.
Remember your new standing before God: failure does not have the final word; Jesus does.
Depend on the Spirit’s power: the Law exposes sin but cannot rescue us from its mastery.
Live out the righteous life God desires: grace changes both our standing and how we walk.
Greek words: katakrima (κατάκριμα), condemnation; eleutheroō (ἐλευθερόω), set free; peripateō (περιπατέω), walk/live.
2.2. Walk in the Spirit by Changing the Way You Think
Romans 8:5–8 | The _____________ of our lives is shaped by what occupies our minds and governs our desires.
The flesh-centered mindset asks, “What do I want?” The Spirit-directed mindset asks, “What does God desire?”
The mind set on the Spirit leads to life and peace; independence from God cannot produce spiritual life.
Greek words: phroneō (φρονέω), set one’s mind; sarx (σάρξ), fallen humanity operating apart from God; eirēnē (εἰρήνη), peace, wholeness, well-being.
3.3. Walk in the Spirit by Depending on His Power Every Day
Romans 8:9–13 | The Spirit dwells in believers and empowers us to reject sin.
Remember who lives in you: you are not left to fight sin _________________.
Tune in to the Spirit through Scripture, prayer, worship, and listening; _______________ throughout the day.
Obey what God shows you: take practical steps of repentance, accountability, and new patterns.
Greek words: oikeō (οἰκέω), dwell/make a home; thanatoō (θανατόω), put to death.
4.4. Walk in the Spirit by Living as a Beloved _____________ of God
Romans 8:14–17 | The Spirit leads us, assures us, and forms our identity as God’s children.
Follow the Spirit’s leading toward Christlikeness, truth, holiness, love, and service.
Live from love rather than fear: through Christ, we are welcomed into God’s family.
Receive the Spirit’s assurance and live with the hope and responsibility of an heir with Christ.
Greek words: agō (ἄγω), lead/guide; huiothesia (υἱοθεσία), adoption into the family; symmartyreō (συμμαρτυρέω), bear witness together.
5.Summary: Four Ways to Walk in the Spirit
                   

Romans 8	Key response
8:1–4	Receive freedom from condemnation; walk in grace.
8:5–8	Set your mind on the Spirit; pursue life and peace.
8:9–13	Depend on the Spirit and put sinful patterns to death.
8:14–17	Live as God’s beloved child and heir with Christ.

6.Six Key-Point Fill-in-the-Blanks
Complete each statement using the key points from the message.
7.In Christ, I am free from Condemnation.
8.The Holy Spirit empowers me to live a CHANGED/TRANSFORMED life.
9.My mindset influences the DIRECTION of my life.
10.The Spirit dwells in me, so I do not have to fight sin ALONE.
11.Walking in the Spirit means I must listen and then stay attentive.
12.Because of Jesus, I am a beloved CHILD of God.
Answer Key: condemnation; changed/transformed; direction; alone; obey; child.
13.Huddle Group Discussion
Read Romans 8:1–17 together. Choose the questions most helpful for your group.
How is the Holy Spirit’s conviction different from condemnation? What helps you live in the freedom Christ gives?
What most often shapes your thinking when you are stressed or tempted? What helps you set your mind on the Spirit?
Where are you tempted to rely on willpower instead of the Spirit’s help?
What habit, attitude, or behavior may God be asking you to confront, and what practical step can you take?
How does knowing you are God’s beloved child change how you approach Him and face failure?
Take-home challenge: Identify one thing to stop feeding, one truth to keep in mind, and one step of obedience to take this week.
Closing prayer: Holy Spirit, renew our minds, empower us to reject sin, and help us live confidently as beloved children of our heavenly Father. Amen.
14.Greek Word Notes and Textual Footnotes
1. Katakrima (κατάκριμα): condemnation, a judicial sentence of guilt. Romans 8:1’s shorter reading—“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”—is supported by early witnesses and adopted by modern critical editions. The longer phrase about walking according to the Spirit likely reflects harmonization with Romans 8:4. See Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th ed., and Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed. (1994).
2. Eleutheroō (ἐλευθερόω): set free or liberate. In Romans 8:2, manuscripts vary between “you” (σε) and “me” (με); “you” has stronger early support, while “me” may reflect assimilation to Paul’s first-person struggle in Romans 7:24. See Metzger, A Textual Commentary, discussion of Romans 8:2.
3. Peripateō (περιπατέω): to walk; figuratively, to conduct one’s life.
4. Phroneō (φρονέω): to set one’s mind on something or adopt an outlook.
5. Sarx (σάρξ): flesh; here, fallen humanity operating apart from God, not merely the physical body.
6. Eirēnē (εἰρήνη): peace, wholeness, harmony, and comprehensive well-being; closely related to the Hebrew concept shalom.
7. Oikeō (οἰκέω): dwell, reside, make a home; from oikos (οἶκος), house/home. Romans 7:17–20 describes sin dwelling within; Romans 8:9, 11 describes the Spirit dwelling in believers.
8. Thanatoō (θανατόω): put to death; in Romans 8:13, sinful practices are put to death by the Spirit.
9. Agō (ἄγω): lead, guide, bring along.
10. Huiothesia (υἱοθεσία): adoption into the family with full status and inheritance. Paul’s “sons” language emphasizes full family status for all believers, women and men alike.
11. Symmartyreō (συμμαρτυρέω): bear witness together; the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
15.Selected Resources
Black, Matthew, et al., eds. The Greek New Testament. United Bible Societies, 1966/1968.
Bromiley, Geoffrey W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged in One Volume. Eerdmans / Paternoster Press, 1985.
Cranfield, C. E. B. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, vol. 1. T&T Clark, 1975/1982.
Fee, Gordon D. God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul. Hendrickson, 1994.
Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994.
Murray, John. The Epistle to the Romans. Eerdmans, 1959/1965.
Rienecker, Fritz, and Cleon Rogers. Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament. Zondervan, 1976.
Witherington III, Ben, and Darlene Hyatt. Paul’s Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Eerdmans, 2004.

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Expository Message Outline | Romans 7:1–25 | ESV
Pastor Al Soto


Today’s Passage – Romans 7:1-151, ESV2:


“Or do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For [example] a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress.
4 Likewise [Therefore]3, my brothers and sisters, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.4 6 But now we are released from the law, having died5 to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. [When Jesus fulfilled the law with His death … It is fulfilled it is completed]6
7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive, and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good7 dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”




Big Idea: We cannot overcome the sin within us by pretending it isn't there or trying harder to be good. We must honestly acknowledge our struggle and depend on Jesus Christ for deliverance.


Introduction:


1. The Law __________ Our Problem, but It Cannot Change Our Hearts
Romans 7:1–13 (ESV)


Truth: God's Law is holy and good, but it exposes our sin rather than providing the power to overcome it.


A. The Law identifies sin (Romans 7:7–12)


“Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.” — Romans 7:7, ESV
Key Greek word: hamartia (ἁμαρτία) — “sin.” In Romans 7, sin is more than an isolated mistake. Paul describes it as a destructive power that takes advantage of human weakness. Key Greek word: epithymia (ἐπιθυμία) — “desire” or “coveting.” In verse 7, Paul identifies coveting as an inward desire, showing that God's concern reaches beyond outward conduct to the motivations of the heart.
Application: Don't just recognize your sin—bring it to Jesus.


B. Sin exploits even what is good to deceive us (Romans 7:8–11)
“For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” — Romans 7:11, ESV
- Key Greek word: exapataō (ἐξαπατάω)8 — “to deceive thoroughly.” Paul emphasizes the deceptive character of sin. Sin rarely presents itself as destruction; it often disguises itself as something desirable, deserved, or harmless.


Application: Stop believing the promises sin makes.
Ask yourself: What am I telling myself is harmless that God may be revealing as destructive?


C. Through Christ, we are released from the old way to serve in the new way of the Spirit (Romans 7:1–6)


“But now9 we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” — Romans 7:6, ESV
Key Greek word: katargeō (καταργέω)10 — “to release,” “render inoperative,” or “bring to an end.” In verse 6, it describes our release from the former binding relationship to the Law.
Key Greek word: pneuma (πνεῦμα)11 — “Spirit.” In this context, the contrast is between serving under the old written code and serving in the new way empowered by the Spirit.


Application: Stop trying to earn God's acceptance.


Key question: Am I relying on my ability to behave better, or on the Spirit's power to make me more like Jesus?


2. The Sin Within Is a Battle We Must Honestly _________________
Romans 7:14–23 (ESV)


Truth: Paul describes the painful conflict between wanting to do what is right and finding himself doing what he hates.


A. We can know what is right and still struggle to do it (Romans 7:14–18)
“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” — Romans 7:15, ESV




Key Greek word: sarx (σάρξ)12 — “flesh.” In this passage, the term points to our fallen human condition and its vulnerability to sin, not simply our physical bodies.
Key Greek word: thelō (θέλω)13 — “to will,” “to want,” or “to desire.” Paul repeatedly describes what he wants to do. His struggle exposes the difference between desiring what is right and possessing the power to accomplish it.


Application: Recognize your triggers.
Ask yourself: Where is the gap between what I say I believe and how I actually respond?


B. Sin can exploit our weaknesses and repeatedly pull us toward destructive patterns (Romans 7:19–21)


“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” — Romans 7:19, ESV


- Key Greek word: katergazomai (κατεργάζομαι) — “to work out,” “to bring about,” or “to produce.” In verse 18, Paul uses this verb to describe his inability, in the flesh, to bring about the good he desires. The issue is not a lack of awareness but an inability to produce the desired result through his own resources.


Application: Own your reactions.
Ask yourself: What recurring behavior am I explaining away instead of allowing Jesus to transform?


C. There is a genuine battle between our desire to honor God and the pull of sin (Romans 7:22–23)


“For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind.” — Romans 7:22–23, ESV
Key Greek word: stratiōtēs is not the word used here; rather, the verb antistrateuomai (ἀντιστρατεύομαι) conveys “to wage war against” or “to oppose in battle. In Romans 7:23, Paul uses military imagery to describe the conflict taking place within him.
Key Greek word: aichmalōtizō (αἰχμαλωτίζω) — “to take captive.” Paul describes sin as seeking to make him a prisoner. This language communicates the seriousness of the struggle rather than treating sin as a harmless personality quirk.


Application: Reject the “I'm different” trap.


First Corinthians 10:12 warns, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”




Ask yourself: Have I become so confident in my spiritual maturity that I have stopped paying attention to my vulnerabilities?


3. Our Deliverance Comes Through Jesus, Not ____________
Romans 7:24–25 (ESV)


Truth: Paul doesn't end with self-improvement or despair. He cries out for deliverance and declares his gratitude to God through Jesus Christ.


A. Paul recognizes the seriousness of his struggle (Romans 7:24)


“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” — Romans 7:24, ESV


Paul doesn't minimize his struggle or pretend he has everything under control. His honesty brings him to a crucial question: Who can deliver him?
- Key Greek word: talaipōros (ταλαίπωρος) — “wretched,” “miserable,” or “distressed.” Paul expresses deep anguish over his condition. This is not an invitation to live in shame; it is an honest recognition that he needs deliverance beyond himself.


Application: Practice humility instead of hiding.


Ask yourself: Am I willing to tell the truth about my struggle so that I can receive the help I need?
B. Paul asks the essential question: Who will deliver me? (Romans 7:24)


- Key Greek word: rhyomai (ῥύομαι) — “to rescue” or “to deliver.” Paul's question points to the need for a rescuer. His hope cannot rest in determination, rules, or willpower alone.


Application: Choose vulnerability over hypocrisy.
Ask yourself: Am I creating a community where people can be honest about their struggles and receive help, or one where they feel compelled to pretend?


C. Paul directs his hope to Jesus Christ (Romans 7:25)


“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” — Romans 7:25, ESV


Key Greek word: charis (χάρις) — “grace.” Although this noun does not appear in Romans 7:25 itself, grace is central to Paul's wider argument in Romans. Our hope is grounded in God's gracious action through Christ, not in our ability to achieve sinless perfection by willpower.
Key Greek word: kyrios (κύριος) — “Lord.” Calling Jesus “our Lord” points to His authority and our allegiance to Him. We are not merely asking Jesus to help us manage our lives; we are learning to live under His leadership.


Application: Help others fight their battles.




Ask yourself: Am I relying on Jesus as Lord, or am I still trying to be my own deliverer?


Conclusion: Tame the Traitor; Don't Pretend He's Gone
What Happens When We Fail to Take the Traitor Within Seriously?14
1) We'll be ___________ by sin.
“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” — 1 Corinthians 10:12, ESV
We cannot move forward with Jesus until we're willing to own our own stuff.
2) We'll focus on the ____________ enemy.
3) We'll become DISILLUSIONED and ______________.15
4) We'll create a climate of HYPOCRISY and ________________.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” — 1 John 1:9, ESV


Four responses Jesus calls us to practice:

• Humility — I recognize that I am still a person in process.
• Honesty — I take responsibility for my weaknesses and failures.
• Vulnerability — I allow trusted people to walk with me in the struggle.
• Service — I use what God is teaching me to help others grow.

Final challenge:


Closing declaration:
“I don't have to pretend I'm perfect to experience God's grace. Through Jesus, I can face the truth about myself and keep growing in His transforming power.”


Answers: Reveals, Acknowledge, Denial, Blindsided, Wrong, Cynical, Harshness


 Huddle Group Life Application Questions:

1. Mirror Check: If your reactions this week were played back like a highlight reel, which moment would reveal the biggest gap between what you want to do and what you actually do? What might Jesus be exposing beneath that reaction? (Message: “Recognize your triggers”; Romans 7:15, 18–19)
2. The Warning-Label Challenge: If one recurring temptation came with an honest warning label, what would it say instead of the attractive promise it usually makes? (Message: “Stop believing the promises sin makes”; Romans 7:8–11)
3. Spiritual Dashboard: Which warning light is blinking in your life right now—anger, envy, pride, resentment, withdrawal, or something else? What is one way you can bring it to Jesus rather than merely trying harder? (Message: “The Law reveals our problem, but it cannot change our hearts”; Romans 7:7, 12–13)
4. Button-Pusher Inventory: When are you easiest to “push”—when tired, stressed, disappointed, rejected, or hurt? Share one practical response you could rehearse before that situation happens again. (Message: “Own your reactions”; Romans 7:14–20)
5. The “I’m Different” Test: Where are you most tempted to think, “That could never happen to me”? What kind of accountability would help you take heed without living in fear? (Message: “Reject the ‘I’m different’ trap”; Romans 7:22–23; 1 Corinthians 10:12)
6. No-Mask Minute: Without oversharing, name one struggle you usually edit out of your “church answer.” What would humility, honesty, and vulnerability look like in that area this week? (Message: “Practice humility instead of hiding”; Romans 7:24)
7. Grace in the Group Chat: Imagine someone admits a repeated failure to this group. What response would combine truth, compassion, prayer, and accountability rather than either harshness or excuse-making? (Message: “Choose vulnerability over hypocrisy”; Romans 7:24; 1 John 1:9)
8. Who, Not Just What: What is one area where you have been acting as your own deliverer? Complete this sentence: “This week, I will depend on Jesus by…” (Message: “Our deliverance comes through Jesus, not denial”; Romans 7:24–25)

Resources:


Al Soto, MA. The Traitor Within! Romans 7:1-25. July 17, 2022. Bayside Church of Placerville now known as Radiant Church, Placerville, CA.
Cranfield, C.E.B. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary  on the Epistle to Romans. The International Critical Commentary  of the Old and New Testaments. Edited by F.B.A.; C.E.B. Cranfield J.A. Emerton, F.B.A.: G.N. Stanton. Vol. 1, Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark Limited, 1975. 1982.
Fee, Gordon D. God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994. 1. Holy Spirit-Biblical Teaching 2. Bible New Testament 3. Epistles of Paul 4. Criticism,, interpretation.
The Greek New Testament. Edited by Matthew Black Kurt Aland, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger and Allen Wikgren in cooperation with the Institute for New Testament Textual Research. New York & Stuttgart, Germany: United Bible Societies, 1966,1968.
Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. 3rd, 1975 ed. Edited by Matthew Black Briuce M. Metzger on behalf and in cooperation with the Editoral Committee of the United Bibe Committee of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament Kurt Alans, Carlo M. Martini, and Allen Wikgren. New York, New York: United Bible Socities, 1971.
Murray, John. The Epistle to the Romans. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Edited by F.F. Bruce. Vol. 1 of 2 in Romans, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959, 1965, Reprinted February 1980.
The Nasb Interlinear Greek-English New Testament. Edited by Alfred Marshall. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Regenecy Reference Library: Zonervan Publishing House, 1984.
Osborn, Dr. Larry. The Traitor Within: Romans 7:1-25. March 25–26, 2017. Northcoast Church, Vista, CA.
Rogers, Fritz Rienecker and Cleon. "Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament." Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1976.
Schell, Dr. Steve. Study Verse by Verse Romans. Federal Way, Washington: Life Lessons Publishing, 2015.
Witherington III, Ben, and Darlene Hyatt. Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004.


 1 The NASB Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, ed. Alfred Marshall (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Regenecy Reference Library: Zonervan Publishing House, 1984). p 622-625. Note: This is interlinear that I use to check my translation work.  
 2 The Greek New Testament, ed. Matthew Black Kurt Aland, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger and Allen Wikgren in cooperation with the Institute for New Testament Textual Research (New York & Stuttgart, Germany: United Bible Societies, 1966,1968). p 545-548.
 3 C.E.B. Cranfield, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary  on the Epistle to Romans, ed. F.B.A.; C.E.B. Cranfield J.A. Emerton, F.B.A.: G.N. Stanton, vol. 1, The International Critical Commentary of the Old and New Testaments, (Edinburgh, Scotland: T&T Clark Limited, 1975; repr., 1982). p 335. Authors Note: “Therefore”, (inferential, not the ‘so’ which is correlative to ‘as’ which in the Greek would be ουτωζ). Paul is drawing his conclusion from the principle stated in verse 1 as clarified by verses 2 and 3; he is not treating his illustration as allegory to be interpreted.  
 4 Ben Witherington III and Darlene Hyatt, Paul's letter to the Romans: A socio-rhetorical commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004). p 182. Note: In Pelagius view, sin comes from human beings’ free imitation of Adam and can be overcome by imitating Christ. This becomes a form of classical conditioning. Pelagius also promoted the idea that final justification comes through determined moral action. This removes the conviction that there is a sin nature that needs to be put to death as part of the inner transformation of a believer.  
 5 Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary On The Greek New Testament, 3rd, 1975 ed., ed. Matthew Black Briuce M. Metzger on behalf and in cooperation with the Editoral Committee of the United Bibe Committee of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament Kurt Alans, Carlo M. Martini, and Allen Wikgren (New York, New York: United Bible Socities, 1971). p 514. Note: In Romans 7:6, ἀποθανόντος (apothanontos, genitive masculine singular) can be understood as “that being dead,” reflected in the KJV’s wording, “that being dead wherein we were held.” The variant ἀποθανόντες (apothanontes, nominative masculine plural), reflected in the ESV’s “having died to that which held us captive,” identifies believers as those who died. The difference is a single Greek letter, shifting the grammatical emphasis from that which held us captive to the believers who died to it.
 6 Dr. Steve Schell, study verse by verse Romans (Federal Way, Washington: Life Lessons Publishing, 2015). p 65. Authors Note: Once these Jewish Believers became righteous by faith, they entered into an entirely new relationship with the Law. No longer were they forced to obey it down to the smallest detail.  
 7 Metzger, A Textual Commentary On The Greek New Testament. p 514. Note: Paul uses two Greek terms associated with goodness: ἀγαθός (agathos), often understood as intrinsic or moral goodness, and καλός (kalos), often describing what is good, fine, proper, or commendable. Commentators differ on whether Paul maintains a clear semantic distinction between these terms throughout Romans 7 or uses them more fluidly. Their precise meaning should therefore be determined by the context rather than assuming a rigid distinction.
 
 
 8 The Greek verb ἐξαπατάω (exapatáō) means “to deceive thoroughly,” “to delude,” or “to lead astray.” It combines ἐκ(ek/ex), meaning “out of” and sometimes intensifying the action, with ἀπατάω (apatáō), meaning “to deceive” or “to cheat.” The resulting word can convey the idea of being thoroughly deceived or led into error. In the New Testament, it appears in passages such as Romans 7:11, where Paul describes sin as seizing an opportunity through the commandment and deceiving him. The word also appears in 2 Corinthians 11:3, where Paul warns that, just as the serpent deceived Eve, believers can be led away from sincere devotion to Christ. In Romans 7, the emphasis is that sin is deceptive: it misleads us about its nature, its promises, and its destructive consequences.
 9 John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, ed. F.F. Bruce, vol. 1 of 2 in Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959, 1965, Reprinted February 1980). p 244. Note: Contrasting “When we were in the flesh.”  
 10 Fritz Rienecker and Cleon Rogers, "Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament," (Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1976). p 363.  
 11 Gordon D. Fee, God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994), 1. Holy Spirit-Biblical Teaching 2. Bible New Testament 3. Epistles of Paul 4. Criticism,, interpretation.
 12 Note: The Greek word σάρξ (sarx), meaning “flesh,” appears 147 times in the New Testament and carries several meanings depending on context. It can refer to the physical body, human weakness and mortality, or, particularly in Paul’s letters (e.g., Romans 7 and Galatians 5), the fallen, self-reliant human disposition operating independently of God and in opposition to the Holy Spirit. It is important to distinguish sarx from σῶμα (sōma), meaning “body,” which more generally refers to the physical organism. Unlike sōma, sarx can carry a negative theological meaning in certain contexts, but it does not always refer to sinful human nature.
 
 
 13 Note: The Greek verb θέλω (thélō), Strong’s G2309, means “to want,” “to wish,” “to desire,” “to choose,” or “to will.” Depending on context, it expresses not merely a passing wish but also a person’s willingness, intention, inclination, or deliberate choice to act. In the New Testament, it is used more than 200 times to describe both human desires and God’s will, purpose, or pleasure. A familiar example appears in Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane: “Not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36, ESV). The verb highlights the importance of the will—what a person desires or chooses—and, in its biblical context, invites us to consider whether our desires and intentions are surrendered to God.
 
 
 14 Dr. Larry Osborn, The Traitor Within: Romans 7:1-25, March 25–26, 2017, Northcoast Church, Vista, CA. Note: basic concepts used in this message.  
 15 MA Al Soto, The Traitor Within! Romans 7:1-25, July 17, 2022, Bayside Church of Placerville now known as Radiant Church, Placerville, CA. Note: Used the concepts that this communicatgor developed.  

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