*7:4 This refers to His physical body, and probably to the death of that body.
†7:5 ‘In the flesh’ contrasts with ‘in Christ’ and probably refers to the natural/old man.
‡7:6 We are slaves in any case. What is in view is a change of owner.
§7:7 If not a synonym for the fallen nature, or ‘the flesh’, ‘the sin’ appears to be closely related to it. ‘The flesh’ is Satan's ally inside us while ‘the world’ is his ally outside us. So without the Holy Spirit a person is in a bad way.
*7:8 Anyone who has children has seen this principle at work (also if he can still remember how it was when he was a child). Once upon a time there was a doctrine that said that the children of Christians are born without a sin nature—I have always thought that the only people who could believe that would be people with no children!
†7:14 A person who was sold became a slave ‘under’ a new owner, so I take Paul's point to be that sin is giving the orders.
‡7:15 In this interesting passage Paul contrast his two natures. As an aid to the reader, I will attempt to identify the two natures throughout the passage. 14 We know that the law is spiritual, but I [old] am fleshly, having been ‘sold’ under sin 15—you see, I [new] do not understand what I am [old] doing: I [old] do not practice what I [new] want to do, but I [old] do what I [new] hate! 16 But if I [old] do what I [new] do not want to do, I [new] agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I [new] who am doing it, but the sin dwelling in me [both]. 18 Further, I [new] know that nothing good dwells in me [old], that is, in my flesh; because to will is present with me [new], but I [old] do not find how to perform the good. 19 Because I [old] do not do the good that I [new] want to do; rather I [old] practice the evil that I [new] do not want to do. 20 Now if I [old] do what I [new] do not want to do, it is no longer I [new] who do it, but the sin dwelling in me [both]. 21 So I [new] find this ‘law’, when I [new] want to do good, evil is right there with me [both]. 22 I [new] joyfully agree with God's law according to the inner man [new], 23 but I [new] see a different ‘law’ in my body parts [old], warring against the law of my mind [new] and taking me [both] captive to the law of the sin that is in my body parts [old]. 24 What a wretched man I am [both]! Who will deliver me [new] from this body of death [old]? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself [new] serve God's law, but with the flesh [old], sin's law.
§7:24 A body that insists on sinning is a body that is condemned to death.