Conquerors Not Captives: Reframing Romans 7 for the Christian Life

Discover good news for the Christian lifeUnderstand how Christ has defeated sin’s powerIdentify the “wretch” in Romans 7

Is the Christian battle against sin a long defeat?

In Conquerors, Not Captives, Joseph R. Dodson and Mattie Mae Motl challenge the popular view that Romans 7:14–25 describes the typical Christian battle against sin. The “wretched man” of Romans 7 seems unable to do what God’s law demands and, for many Christians, his inner conflict and turmoil seem all too relatable. But are we impotent before sin and powerless to do good? When we reexamine Romans 7 in light of Paul’s writings elsewhere and his interpreters throughout church history, we encounter better news. 

Conquerors, Not Captives is an accessible and thoughtful study that rebukes our gloomy expectations and invites us to take seriously the Bible’s assurances that the Holy Spirit frees us from sin’s power.