Romans Chapter 7

Is the Law Sin?

Chapter 7, Verses 7-13 

Rom. 7:7 "What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful." 

"What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid."  While the law condemns us because of sin, the law itself should not be thought of as being sinful.  Paul gives an emphatic, "God forbid," to the idea that the law is sin and even to the idea that someone would look upon the law as being sinful.  The law is not sin.  God gave the law.  Sin is the disobedience of the commandment. 

"Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."  The law gives knowledge of sin and without the law we do not have knowledge of sin.  In Chapter 5, Paul had said, "Sin is not imputed when there is no law."  Sin, by its very definition is the "disobedience of the commandment.  If no commandment is given then we can have no disobedience to the commandment.  Likewise, when we have no knowledge of the commandment, we are not aware that we have disobeyed the commandment.  Knowledge of the law brings us to know that we have broken the law.  Paul said, that the reason he knew lust was that the law had said, "Thou shalt not covet."   

"But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence."  Concupiscence means "inordinate desire or lust."  Because of the sinful nature of the flesh, sin, taking occasion by the commandment which said, "thou shalt not covet," had wrought in Paul all manner of inordinate desire or lust.  The sinful nature of the flesh uses the commandment to bring forth all manner of concupiscence by the flesh. 

"For without the law sin was dead. 9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."  While sin resides in our flesh, we go back to the definition of sin, which is disobedience of the commandment and note that without the commandment sin is dead.  You cannot have sin without a commandment.  Therefore, Paul said, "I was alive without the law once."  Till the commandment came, sin was dead and Paul was alive.  While this was true of Paul, it was also true of us.  When we consider the commandment, we should remember that there are two types of laws.  There is the outward letter of the law, such as the Ten Commandments.  In addition, there is the law written in the heart in the new birth.  Without the law written in our heart, we have no conviction of sin.  Without this law written in our heart, we do not view ourselves as being sinners and we have no conviction of sin.  In essence, we are alive without the law.  Once, the law is written in our heart because of the new birth, and then we begin to have conviction of sin in the courtroom of our heart and mind.  Then when we read and learn of the outward letter of the law, we see how sin has worked in our members, sin revives, and we die in the convictions of our mind and heart.   

"And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death."  God gave the commandments that we should live by them.  They were ordained (appointed by God) that we should live by them (keep them) which is certainly good for us.  Yet, because sin resides in our flesh, we disobey the commandments and that brings forth a conviction to condemnation in our heart and mind (death).      

 Sin is a Deceiver

"For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me."  Notice, the commandment did not deceive Paul, but sin deceived Paul.  The same is true with us.  The commandment does not deceive us, but sin in our flesh deceives us into thinking that it is okay and good to break the commandment.  By deceiving us, sin slays us.  It brings forth death in us.

"Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful."  Again, Paul affirms that the law is holy, and just, and good, and that sin in the flesh works death in us by that which is good.  The law gives knowledge of sin and the commandment brings forth to us the exceeding sinfulness of sin.