Paul wrote that the believer is dead to both sin (6:2) and the Law (7:4). Are they in some sense the same? The answer is no (v. 7). The apostle referred to the relationship between sin and the Law in verse 5, but now he developed it more fully. Essentially his argument was that the Law is not sinful simply because it provides awareness of sin (cf. 3:20). The Law is similar to an X-ray machine that reveals a tumor. The machine itself is not bad simply because it reveals something bad. Likewise the Law is not sinful because it exposes sin.
The apostle probably appealed to his own personal experience in verses 7-12.216He broadened this into a more general picture of the struggle that every believer encounters when he or she tries to serve God by obeying the Law.217Every believer feels frustrated by the operation of his or her sinful human nature (vv. 13-25).
"Before beginning the study of this great struggle of Paul's, let us get it settled firmly in our minds that Paul is here exercised not at all about pardon, but about deliverance: Who shall deliver me from this body of death?' The whole question is concerning indwelling sin, as a power; and not committed sins, as a danger."218
7:7 Paul's example of the Law, the tenth commandment, clarifies that by "the Law"he was not referring to the whole Old Testament. He meant the Mosaic Law and particularly the moral part of it, namely the Ten Commandments. Reformed theologians like to distinguish the moral from the ceremonial parts of the Mosaic Law. Many of them contend that God has only terminated the ceremonial part of the Law.219However here Paul, arguing that the Christian is dead to the Law, used one of the Ten Commandments as an example of the Law. He was not saying, however, that immoral behavior is all right for the Christian (cf. 8:4).
Paul's use of "sin"in this paragraph shows that he was thinking of sin as a force within everyone, our sinful human nature. He was not thinking of an act of sin. It is that force or sin principle that the Law's prohibitions and requirements arouse. The basic meaning of the Greek word translated "sin"(hamartia) is "falling short."We see that we fall short of what God requires when we become aware of His laws.
"The Law is a mirror that reveals the inner man and shows us how dirty we are (James 1:22-25)."220
The demands of the Law, in this case "Thou shalt not covet,"make us consciously aware of our sin. Probably Paul selected the tenth commandment for his illustration because it deals with desires (i.e., illicit desires of every kind). Our desires are the roots of our actions. The tenth commandment is also the most convicting commandment. Everyone who is honest would have to admit that he or she has broken it.
7:8 One illustration of what Paul had in mind here is the story of the temptation and Fall in Genesis 3. Whenever someone establishes a law prohibiting something, the natural tendency of people is to resist it. If you tell a small child, "Don't do such-and-such,"you may create a desire within him or her to do it, a desire that was not there before.
"Suppose a man determined to drive his automobile to the very limit of its speed. If . . . signs along the road would say, No Speed Limit, the man's only thought would be to press his machine forward. But now suddenly he encounters a road with frequent signs limiting speed to thirty miles an hour. The man's will rebels, and his rebellion is aroused still further by threats: Speed Limit Strictly Enforced. Now the man drives on fiercely, conscious both of his desire to speed,' and his rebellion against restraint. The speed limit signs did not create the wild desire to rush forward: that was there before. But the notices brought the man into conscious conflict with authority."221
"Coveting"or "desire"covers a wide range of appetites, not just sexual desires, which the AV translation "lust"(and "concupiscence,"v. 8) implies.
"Dead"here means dormant or inactive but not completely impotent, as is clear from verse 9 where this "dead"sin springs to life. The absence of the verb before "dead"in the Greek text indicates that what Paul was saying was a generalization rather than a specific historical allusion.
7:9 Paul was relatively alive apart from the Law. No one is ever completely unrelated to it. However in his past, Paul had lived unaware of the Law's true demands and was therefore self-righteous (cf. Phil. 3:6). His preconversion struggles were mainly intellectual (e.g., Was Jesus the Messiah?) rather than moral.
"Saul of Tarsus could have headed the Spanish Inquisition, and have had no qualms of conscience!"222
When the commandment entered Paul's consciousness, it aroused sin, and he died in the sense that he became aware of his spiritual deadness. He was not speaking of His union with Christ in death here.
7:10 The intent of the Law was to bring people blessing (life) as they obeyed it (Lev. 18:5). Nevertheless because Paul did not obey it, he found that it condemned him.
". . . it seems fair to conclude that the law would have given life had it been perfectly obeyed."223
7:11 Paul personified sin as acting here. Sin plays the part of the tempter. It deceived Paul and slew him (cf. Gen. 3). Paul's sinful nature urged him to do the very thing the commandment forbade.
"As the new Christian grows, he comes into contact with various philosophies of the Christian life. He can read books, attend seminars, listen to tapes, and get a great deal of information. If he is not careful, he will start following a human leader and accept his teachings as Law. This practice is a very subtle form of legalism, and it kills spiritual growth. No human teacher can take the place of Christ; no book can take the place of the Bible. Men can give us information, but only the Spirit can give us illumination and help us understand spiritual truths. The Spirit enlightens us and enables us; no human leader can do that."224
7:12 Here is a reaffirmation of the answer to Paul's question in verse 7. Far from being sinful the Law is holy. It comes from a holy God and searches out sin. It is righteous because it lays just requirements on people and because it forbids and condemns sin. It is good because its purpose is to produce blessing and life (v. 10).
