How lovely God is Pt 19: The Law is not sinful

Romans 7:7-12                      7What shall we say, then?  Is the law sinful?  Certainly not!  Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.  For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  8But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting.  For apart from the law, sin was dead.  9Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.  10I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.  11For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.  12So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

Romans 10:4                          4Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Context

Before we begin the discission of the Romans 7 verses, we have to take a minute to talk about the Romans 10 verse.  In the Greek the verse contains the word telos which has two meanings.  One is end as in finish and the other is goal as in striving for.  The NIV uses culmination which is a good translation of the original intent.  Unfortunately, an early translator used the end meaning and that error has crept into many translations.  This has led to a belief that the Law has no relevant application for believers after the Cross, thinking Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice has replaced the Law.  This thinking might be heretical since Jesus Himself has said,

17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.  (Matthew 5:17-18)

The Law is not sinful

For many Christians, “law” feels like the opposite of grace, and Romans 7 is often read as proof that the Law itself is the problem.  Yet Paul argues the opposite.  The Law, he says, is good; the real culprit is sin.  Romans 7:7–12 sits at the heart of Paul’s larger argument about justification, sanctification, and life in the Spirit.  Having declared that believers are no longer “under the law” in the sense of covenantal condemnation (Rom 6:14), Paul now clarifies what that does not mean.  Freedom from the Law does not imply that the Law is evil or defective.  Instead, Paul uses his own experience—and the universal human story—to show how sin exploits the good Law for destructive ends.

The Law is not the enemy.  In fact, throughout Romans Paul consistently speaks of the Law with respect.  Earlier he insists, “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith?  Not at all!  Rather, we uphold the law” (Rom 3:31).  The Law reflects God’s character and will; it cannot be sinful because God is not sinful.

The Law comes from a holy God, but it encounters unholy people.  Jesus makes a similar point when He insists that evil actions proceed from the human heart, not from God’s commands (Mark 7:20–23).  By denying that the Law is sinful, Paul guards against two common errors: legalism, which treats the Law as a means of salvation, and antinomianism, which treats the Law as inherently bad.  The gospel rejects both.  The Law is good—but it was never meant to save.

The Law teaches what sin is

Adam’s sin in the Garden was not a surprise to God;  He knows everything before it happens, so God already had a plan in place to deal with that sin.  Part of that plan was the Law of Moses whose purpose was to teach what sin was and that human strength was completely ineffective to overcome it.  The Law functions as a teacher, naming sin and making it recognizable.

Paul illustrates this with the commandment, “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17).  Coveting is an inward desire, not merely an outward act.  Without the Law, such desires often feel invisible or morally neutral.  The commandment names them as sin.  As Paul puts it elsewhere, “through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Rom 3:20).

This teaching function is echoed in Galatians, where Paul describes the Law as a guardian or tutor leading us to Christ (Gal 3:24).  The Law does not heal the disease, but it diagnoses it accurately.  It exposes not only what we do wrong but what we want wrong.  Importantly, Paul does not say the Law creates sin.  Sin already exists.  The Law simply turns on the light.  In this sense, the Law is an act of grace.  A God who never named sin would leave humanity trapped in self‑deception.  Instead, God speaks clearly, revealing both His will and our failure to meet it.

Knowing what sin is, causes me to seek it out

Now Paul makes a startling claim: “But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting” (Rom 7:8a).  This is not the Law’s intention, but it is sin’s strategy.  Sin is personified here as an active, intelligent force.  It “seizes opportunity” using the good commandment as a base of operations.  The prohibition awakens rebellion.  Once the boundary is drawn, the sinful heart wants to cross it; when we read ‘don’t do this or that’ our rebellious nature prompts to do exactly that.  This dynamic is visible from the very beginning of Scripture.  God’s command in Eden was simple and good (Gen 2:16–17).  Yet sin twisted the command into an object of suspicion and desire (Gen 3:1–6).  Paul sees the same pattern at work in his own experience and in every human heart.

The problem, then, is not knowledge but corruption.  Apart from the Law, Paul says, sin is “dead” in the sense that it lies dormant and unchallenged (Rom 7:8b).  Once the commandment comes, sin springs to life—not because the Law is bad, but because the heart is bent.  James echoes this insight when he writes that desire gives birth to sin once it is conceived (James 1:14–15).

14but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

The Law exposes desire; sin weaponizes that exposure.  This explains why moral instruction alone cannot produce righteousness.  Rules can restrain behavior temporarily, but they cannot transform the heart.

So the Law is holy; sin is evil

The Law is holy because it comes from God.  It is righteous because it expresses what is right.  It is good because its purpose is life.  Earlier Paul explains that the commandment was “intended to bring life” (Rom 7:10), even though sin turned it into an instrument of death.  This final distinction is crucial. If the Law is holy, then sin must bear full responsibility for death.  Paul refuses to let sin hide behind the Law.  Sin deceives, kills, and condemns (Rom 7:11).  The Law exposes; sin destroys.

For the believer, this distinction prepares the way for Romans 8.  The problem the Law reveals is solved not by abolishing the Law, but by God sending His Son and His Spirit (Rom 8:3–4).  What the Law could not do—because of human weakness—God has done in Christ.

Thus Romans 7:7–12 teaches humility and hope.  Humility, because the Law shows us the depth of our sin.  Hope, because the Law’s goodness points us beyond itself to the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

What about me?

When Paul insists that “the Law is not sinful,” he rescues both the Law and the gospel from distortion.  The Law is not our savior, but neither is it our enemy.  It is a holy gift that reveals sin, exposes the heart, and drives us toward Christ.  Romans 7:7–12 reminds us that the real battle is not between law and grace, but between sin and God.  The Law stands firmly on God’s side.  And once sin is unmasked for what it truly is, the believer is ready to hear the good news: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1).

The Law is not salvific in itself; only Jesus can lead you to eternal life.  But once saved, the Law does provide guidelines toward holiness and righteousness.  It does tell you not to sin.  It doesn’t condemn, but it does guide.

Believer, you are not alone; God is with you in every moment.  But you are at risk if you are not established in a community of believers and if you do not have an accountability parter.  If you are struggling with a habitual sin, Jesus is the road to overcoming it.  The Law is good because it leads you to salvation through Jesus.  Jesus is always the answer.