The Law is spiritual. To show us that it is not God's Law, but rather sin that is the source of death, Paul points out the conflict in man. The Law requires actions which are spiritual, as our mind and conscience tells us. But I am mortal man. He means this in its worst sense (compare Romans 8:5-8). Sold as a slave to sin. Obligated to do whatever evil actions he is prompted to do by sinful desires. Remember Luther's description of the Christian: "at the same time righteous and sinful." A Christian does not find life by trying to reform his human nature, nor by purifying his human nature from its sinfulness; but he gets above it and lives in a new existence in Christ. Paul explains this in chapter 8.

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Old Testament