Romans chapter 7 verses 7 through 14. The law made us aware of sin, verse 7. What shall we say then? Is the law sin God forbid? For if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin, for I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, " You shall not covet. " Up to this point, Paul seems to have been making accusations against the law. For example, he has said, " The law works wrath. " He has also said, " By the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified in His sight.
" Likewise, he has said, " The law entered Midway that transgression might abound. " So it might have appeared to some of Paul's readers that he was attacking the law. Accordingly, Paul now makes it clear that he is not criticizing the law itself. For that reason to the question, " Is the law sin? " He answers with a resounding God forbid. Paul then goes on to say, " If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. " Tertullian comments, " See how the apostle shudders at all accusations against the law.
" He says, " I would have no knowledge of sin except through the law. " See what high praise of the law we receive from realizing this fact. For by the law, the latent presence of sin comes to light. Paul says that it was not the law that led him astray, but sin taking occasion by the commandment. Theodoret adds, " Paul says that the law is not the teacher of sin. God forbid, not only that, but on the contrary, it is the condemner of sin.
" He writes, " Except for the law, I would not have known sin, for I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, " You shall not covet. " The words I would not have known do not indicate total ignorance. Rather, Paul means that the law provided him with a knowledge that was more complete than the knowledge that comes merely from nature. In other words, the law enabled Paul to recognize covetousness as a sin, which he would not have otherwise realized.
Ambrosiaster explains that Paul is speaking in this passage as a representative of humanity. He uses the illustration of covetousness because few people realized it was sin until the law came and taught, " You shall not covet. " Ambrosiaster writes, " It seemed to be an innocent matter to desire something belonging to a neighbor. But the law revealed this to be sin. " Romans chapter 7:8, " But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, worked in me all manner of desire. For without the law, sin was dead.
Jesus had said, " If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. " By coming to earth and teaching us the way of truth, Jesus certainly did not cause anyone to sin. However, by giving us His teachings, Jesus created a choice for us. We can either obey His teachings and follow Him, or we can reject His teachings. If we reject His teachings, we will be guilty of sin, as Jesus said. Yet if Christ had never come, we would have no possibility of being saved.
Building on this principle, Paul explains that the law worked in a similar fashion. The law did not cause anyone to sin. Instead, the law enabled the Israelites to draw closer to God. Yet the law also made the Israelites liable for sins, about which they would have otherwise never known. Chrysostom comments, Paul is saying that after the coming of the law, sin became stronger and more passionate. But again, this is no accusation against the law, but against the obstinacy of the people.
For without the law, sin was dead. That is, sin was not as discernible. For even those who lived before the law generally knew they were guilty of sin. Yet they came to a more exact knowledge of sin after the law was given. And for this reason, they were liable to a greater extent. But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, worked in me all manner of desire. Chrysostom explains this statement by pointing to the example of Adam and Eve.
If God had never given them the commandment not to eat of the tree, there would have been no sin. Since there were plenty of other trees from which to eat, they perhaps would have never eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, even by accident. However, when God forbade them to eat from the tree, it suddenly gave them a choice. The commandment helped to create a desire in them to do just the opposite. However, this was not the fault of the commandment. The fault lay entirely with Adam and Eve.
Yet the commandment created the opportunity or occasion for Adam and Eve to sin. Chrysostom gives a second illustration of this same principle: Jesus is entrusting Judas with the money bag. To be given this trust was a privilege. Yet it also created the desire in Judas to steal from the bag. Being entrusted with the money was not the cause of Judas ' stealing. Yet it did provide the opportunity to steal. Nevertheless, the fault lay entirely with Judas.
Chrysostom concludes, " If it were any reproach on the law that sin takes occasion by it, this would be just as true of the New Covenant. " In fact, the New Covenant, containing the gospel teachings of Jesus, sets a higher standard of personal holiness than did the law, Romans chapter 7: 9. " For once I was alive without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. For once I was alive without the law. " When was Paul ever alive without the law?
After all, he describes himself to the Philippians as circumcised on the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. So Paul had been under the law ever since his infancy. For that reason, Origen understands Paul to be speaking here about the age of accountability when Paul became responsible for obeying the law. Origen writes, " Clearly all people, including Paul, have lived without this law of accountability, that is, during the period of their childhood.
" But when the commandment came, sin revived. Basil explains that the commandment came when Paul reached the age of accountability and was able to discern between following God and following sin. Basil writes, " As long as each of us is a child, pursuing the pleasure of the moment, he has no care for the future. " However, when he has become a man after his judgment is perfected, he seems, as it were, to see his life divided for him between virtue and evil.
Like all fallen humans, as a juvenile, Paul followed sin to some degree. As a result, sin, which had been lying dormant, came into force at the age of accountability, and Paul died spiritually. What I have just explained was the general understanding of this cryptic passage. However, Chrysostom understands Paul's words in this verse differently. He says, " Paul is speaking here as a representative of humanity, " and that he is referring to the period before the law was given.
Chrysostom comments, " This is actually a commendation of the law. For before the law they had been sinning without perceiving it. But when the law came, if they gained nothing else from it, they were at least distinctly made aware that they had been sinning all along. And this is no small point with regard to getting free from wickedness. Now, if they did not get free from wickedness, that was not the fault of the law. For the law aimed its commandments with this purpose in sight.
Instead, the fault lies wholly with their perverse spirit. Romans chapter 7:10, " And the commandment that was intended for life, I found to be unto death. " This is the same thing Paul said earlier, but in different words. By " commandment, " he means the Mosaic Law. Theodoret explains, " Paul says that the commandment was meant as the minister of life. " However, when we turn aside to evil, the law leads to death. Accordingly, he very properly says, " I found to be unto death.
" Paul thereby shows that the intention of the law was very different from the result brought about by sin. Romans chapter 7:11. " For sin, taking opportunity by the commandment deceived me and slew me by it. " Ambrosiaster writes, " In this verse, we understand sin to mean the devil, who is the author of sin. " He found an opportunity through the law as to how he might satiate his cruelty through the death of mankind. Thus, when at his instigation, mankind continually committed transgressions.
To God's displeasure, mankind incurred the punishment of the law, since the law was a warning for sinners. As a result, mankind was condemned by the very law which had been given to benefit it. Verse 12, " Accordingly, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, just and good. " " So was that which is good made death to me? " God forbid, but sin that it might appear as sin was working death in me by that which is good, so that by the commandment, sin might become exceeding sinful.
Using repetition for emphasis, Paul again makes it exceedingly clear that the law itself was beneficial. It made sin apparent to mankind. Clement of Alexandria writes, " Therefore, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. " Accordingly, we are dead to the law, that is to sin, of which the law makes us aware. The law points out sin. It does not give rise to it. By telling us what we ought to do, and forbidding what we ought not to do, the law reveals the sin that lies underneath.
Theodoret adds, " The Holy Apostle calls the commandment " holy, just, and good. Holy, for it teaches us what we ought to do. Just, for it rightly pronounces judgment on transgressors. Good, for it appoints life to those who observe it. Of course, even though the law had a good purpose, it was unable to prevent sin. Likewise, it could not bring lasting forgiveness for sin. So in the end, God used the law to make sin appear as sin. It made people aware that they needed something more. They needed a Redeemer.
That by the commandment, sin might become exceeding sinful. Chrysostom explains, in other words, the commandment revealed just how evil sin is, and what a ruinous thing it is. In saying this, Paul also shows the preeminence of grace above the law. However, although its preeminence is above the law, grace is not in conflict with the law. We should not focus on the fact that those who received the law ended up becoming worse because of it.
Rather, we should consider the other fact that the law had no intention to make wickedness worse. Instead, the law genuinely aimed at reducing the wickedness that already existed. But the law had no strength. Nevertheless, we should still give it praise for its intention. But we should adore even more highly the power of Christ, for Christ abolished and cut away evil. In fact, He plucked evil up by its very roots. Theodoret comments further.
For although natural law points to the existence of sin, the law more clearly manifested sin's excessive wickedness. The expression that it might become is incomplete, for the word " apparent " is understood. In other words, through the commandment, it became apparent that sin is exceedingly sinful. That is, it is evil. Romans chapter 7:14, " For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
" This is a transitional verse by which Paul moves from his discussion of the law to a summation of the state of fallen humanity outside of Christ. In particular, he will be describing the state of those trying to find salvation and victory over sin by means of the Mosaic Law. The first part of the verse, we know that the law is spiritual, belongs to the previous section about the law.
The second half of the verse, " But I am carnal, sold under sin, belongs to the section about fallen humanity and the impotence of the law. For we know that the law is spiritual. " At its simplest level, this statement means that the Holy Spirit inspired the law, and it contains righteous teachings and prophetic revelations.
As Paul later wrote, " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. " When Paul wrote those words, he was primarily talking about the law and the prophets, the Old Testament. Clement of Alexandria comments, " The law is spiritual and leads to joy. For that which has arisen through the Holy Spirit is naturally spiritual.
" And he is truly a legislator who not only announces what is good and noble, but understands it. For the Word is the power and the wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 1:24. At the same time, as we discussed earlier, the statement, " The Law is Spiritual " also signifies that many things written in the Law were meant to eventually be taken figuratively, not literally. Tertullian writes, " In affirming the law to be spiritual, Paul thereby implies that it is prophetic and figurative.
" From this very statement, I am bound to conclude that the law predicted Christ. Yet this was done figuratively so that all the Jews would not recognize Christ. In a discussion about the meats forbidden under the law, Novatian writes, " The law is spiritual. Those who deny it to be spiritual assuredly blaspheme God. " But if they avoid blasphemy and confess the law to be spiritual, let them read it spiritually.
Those who attach earthly and human teachings to sacred and spiritual words are guilty of a serious error. When God created the earth, He pronounced all things to be good, so no animals are unclean of themselves. Nevertheless, the dietary laws are just one example of the law being spiritual. Paul gives us another example in his letter to the Corinthians. It is written in the law of Moses, " You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.
" Is it for the oxen that God cares, or does He say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope. So here Paul gives a spiritual interpretation to the commandment about muzzling an ox. Yet neither Paul nor the early Christians were claiming that the Israelites of old were not meant to literally follow such regulations of the law.
But now most of those regulations have only a spiritual or figurative application. Origen writes, " Certainly the Mosaic worship and the prophetic writings provide an introduction to Christianity. " Therefore, Christians do not view the things written in the law with disrespect. On the contrary, they bestow upon them greater honor. For Christians explain the depths of the wisdom and the mysterious purposes contained in these writings. But the Jews do not fully comprehend these things.
Even the Lord Jesus Himself said to those who would not believe in Him, " If you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of me. " John 5:46 and 47. But I am carnal sold under sin. We will discuss this statement in the section below.