14. (a) How might a negative view be taken of Paul’s words at Romans 7:18-23? (b) How does the context help to give a more balanced view?

¹⁴ As to freedom from enslavement, it is important to appreciate the true position in this regard. Sometimes Paul’s words are quoted as being the Christian’s actual experience in hard fact, when he said: “I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within,

15. From whose viewpoint does Paul argue in Romans, chapter 7, and elsewhere?

¹⁵ Then, with empathy, Paul puts himself in the position of those Jewish Christians who argued that God’s favor, for themselves and for Gentiles, finally depended on meeting the requirements of the Law given through Moses, including circumcision.