"For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death" (Romans 7:11)

We always want what we can't have. That is the rebellious nature of mankind. We see something that is just out of our reach and then the desire to have it comes alive on the inside of us. We can see evidences of this in children. As soon as you tell them not to touch something, then the command produces within them the desire to touch it. Chances are before you spoke to the situation the child was only mildly interested in the object. However, afterwards the child strives to disobey and take hold of that object. The same thing happened with humankind when the law was introduced.

When the commandment came then sin sprang alive on the inside of us. Sin had been alive in us since birth, but it was revived when we realized God's standards for the first time. When the commandment came, we desired to do the very things God commanded us not to do. This may seem like a double edged sword, but Paul stresses that this a necessary byproduct of those commandments? Sin, which was always alive on the inside of us, used the law to beguile, entrap and bring death. It used the commandments as a weapon to kill us. Why was this allowed to happen to us?

It happened fulfill the true purpose of the Law. The true purpose of the law was to point us to Christ Jesus as our savior. The law was to show us our shortcomings and thus held us accountable before God ( Romans 3:19-20, Galatians 3:10-14 ). Before the law was given, God did not hold men's sin's against them ( Romans 5:13 ), so without understanding what sin was, it would be easy to misinterpret it and believe that we were good enough on our own accord. The truth is that sin had already defeated us and made us slaves, but until the law gave us the perfect representation of God's requirements, we were blinded to it. When the law came, the realization that we were defeated came with it. The harder we tried, the farther we fell. Sin used the very things that God spoke to condemn us to death before him. In order that we could come to him and find mercy.

Paul is using this passage in Romans 7 to build the case for grace. He is showing us that when we were bound to the law we were bound to sin. The law strengthen that bond by awakening and feeding the desire to continue in sin. It was a vicious cycle. The result is that we would never be able to break free of sin by adhering to the law. Fortunately for us, Paul explained that Jesus freed us from both the sin nature and the law so we could live in the new way of the spirit ( Romans 6:6-7; Romans 7:6 ). This was accomplished upon the cross. What we were powerless to do, Jesus did by offering himself in our place ( Romans 5:6 ). He was condemned for our sins and was sacrificed for us to pay the price of reconciliation ( Romans 5:9-11 ). Since he broke the cycle that held us in bondage, we are totally free by trusting him as our savior. Doing this fulfils the true purpose of the law, and once the law is fulfilled in our lives then we are no longer under its control.

Today, I am thankful that God used the commandments to show us our need for Jesus. He did not leave us unaware. Rather he showed us the truth that we were previously blinded to in order that we would eagerly except his unconditional offer of grace. Today I pray that you also experience this gift and are forever changed. Amen!

Previous: Romans 7:10  Next: Romans 7:12-13

Original article published November 9, 2009.

"I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death" (Romans 7:10)

Isn't it interesting that the law actually widened the gap between us and God. Instead of reconciling fellowship with the Lord, it proved to be our undoing. Paul said in verse 9 that sin was revived within him once he understood his sin in contrast to God's holiness, a contrast that was illuminated through the law. This disparity is evident because the law describes the standard to which God requires and to which we cannot obtain on our own. Trouble comes when we look to works of the law as a means to obtain salvation. In that sense, the law, which holds the keys to life, actually brings about death.

How can something that is good, righteous and holy bring us death? It condemns us, because it stands as our accuser before God. It shows the level of righteousness that God possesses and it shows us how we fall short of obtaining the required standard. Jesus said in Matthew 5, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." ( Matthew 5:20 ). The Pharisees were the most righteous holy people that have ever lived in the world. They went through great pains to live by every commandment handed down by Moses. The average person will never measure up to the standard that the Pharisees lived by and yet, Jesus said for us to see the kingdom of heaven our righteousness has to far exceed them. How can this be?

Paul is speaking to those aware of the law. He knew how important adherence to the law was for the Jews. Paul himself started out as a Pharisee. He was a devout follower of the Law and lived by the letter of it. As a teacher of the law, I am sure Paul loved the scriptures and took great pride in following them. Along the way as he grew in knowledge, he must have realized that living a perfect holy life, to which the law required, was impossible. However, he continued to do this until he came face to face with Jesus on the road to Damascus. After that experience, Paul had a revelation of grace. This revelation led him to pen this very thought, "the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death" ( Romans 7:10 ) The Law in itself is good and holy, but as a Pharisee, Paul misinterpreted the application of the scriptures. It was never a means to make him justification before God. After knowing Jesus and what he had done, he understood the real purpose of the law. The law was intended to bring him to a place where he fell upon God mercy and received his grace.

The good news for us today, is that our salvation is not in the written code. Our Salvation is in Jesus. While it is true that the law points out our shortcomings compared to God's righteousness, it also points the only one who has ever fulfilled the law, Jesus. By trusting in him to save us, his holiness is transferred to us and we stand before God completely justified. Today, may you rejoice in knowing that you are freely and eternally justified by Jesus... May you experience true freedom in him from now on. Amen!

Previous: Romans 7:9  Next: Romans 7:11

Original article published November 6, 2009.