Romans 7:7-13 – The Relationship between the Law and Sin

The purpose and intent of the Law was good. God gave it for man’s benefit. But man’s sinful nature took advantage of it, distorted it and brought about a contorted result. Primarily the Law was given to define sin and to make sin evident. But the sin nature of man took advantage of the Law and proliferated sin. God gave the Law so that it would reveal the truth to us but sin used it and brought deception to destroy us.

Paul began in verse 7 with a question: Is the Law sin? He then quickly retorted by an emphatic “No.” The Law cannot be evil because it came from God. Paul tells us that sin would not be recognized unless the Law had revealed it. For example, if there were no speed limit law, we would not recognize that driving above 150 km per hour in an 80 km per hour zone is wrong. The Law defines sin for us. From his experience, Paul said that he would not know what sin was outside of the Law.

In verse 8, Paul showed that the Law not only helped to identify sin but it also stirred the desire to sin. For without the Law, man would not be conscious of sin. Sin existed in each man even before the Law was given, but before the Law was given, man was not fully aware of wrong. However, once the Law was given, the sin nature in man seized the opportunity and used it to stir the desire to sin.

In verse 9, Paul was saying that he was doing quite fine in life until the Law convicted him. Prior to the realization of the demands of the Law, he was contented with his self-righteous life. But once he understood the import of the Law, he also knew how far short he was from God’s requirements. It was there and then that his life was shattered. He could no longer find security or satisfaction in his self-effort. He realized how undone he was in life and that brought a sense of ruin.

In verse 10 he discovered that the Law, given with the intention to give him a full and meaningful life, had actually brought devastation. Why? Because Paul realized that by himself he didn't have the ability to obey the Law. So instead of giving him life, the Law actually brought ruin. In verse 11, Paul said that sin killed him while the Law convicted him. He was a member of the Sanhedrin and, very likely, he thought that God was pleased with him. But then he was confronted with the reality of God's holy Law. He saw then how wretched he was within. Sin deceives by making one believes that by good works, God can be pleased. In that way, sin deceived Paul and led him to expect one thing while he was experiencing another. He thought that if he were righteous in himself, he would find true blessing and purpose in life. But all that he got was misery, unhappiness and disillusionment.

In verse 12, Paul concluded that the Law is holy, just and good. The real problem lies with the offender and not with the Law. The Law was never to be blamed because it did not cause sin; it merely exposed sin. It is not to be blamed just because man can't live up to it. The Law was given to produce life and not death. And when truly understood, the Law of God exposes the true character of sin. When the Law exposes sin, it brings about death because it reveals how far short one has fallen from God's perfect standards. Here Paul was also trying to describe for us the very evil nature of sin. Sin is so terrible that it would even use something so good, like the Law, as an instrument to bludgeon us.

Thank God that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. It is a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. The Law reveals our sin but do not have the power to save. Christ is the One who has saved us. Let’s remember to thank God for His grace and then live to the praise of His glory!