“Is the Law sin?” (2) (Romans 7:7-13)

“Is the Law sin?” (2)

 

 

 

 

[Romans 7:7-13]

 

 

Last Wednesday during our Wednesday service, we meditated on Romans 7:7-9 under the title "Is the Law sin? (1)"  Today, under the same theme "Is the Law sin?" (2), we intend to meditate on Romans 7:10-13.

 

Romans 7:10 says: "The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me."  Here, "the commandment that promised life" refers to God's commandments that lead to life.  This is echoed in Leviticus 18:5: "Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them.  I am the Lord."  Also, Deuteronomy 5:16 states: "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you."  These Scriptures affirm that by obeying God's commandments (the Law), one enjoys life.  The meaning of Romans 7:10, "The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me," implies that "sin" exploited it in this way (v. 11).

 

Romans 7:11 says: "For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me."  The reason why the commandment that was supposed to bring life instead brought death is that Satan, who asserts and controls sin, deceived us through the commandment, using it as an opportunity to deceive and ultimately destroy us.  A prime example of this is found in Genesis chapters 2-3. God's command was, "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die" (Gen. 2:17).  However, Satan, described as "the most cunning of all the wild animals" (3:1), used the serpent to deceive Eve, Adam's wife (vv. 1-5).  As a result, Eve ate the fruit and also gave some to her husband Adam, who also ate it (v. 6), leading them to experience death (Rom. 5:12a, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin...").  In the end, Adam and Eve fell victim to what Romans 7:11 describes—sin seizing an opportunity through the commandment to deceive and destroy them.

 

Romans 7:12 says: "So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good."  Even though sin deceived and killed through the commandment (v. 11), can we then say that the commandment or the Law is synonymous with sin?  Absolutely not (v. 7).  On the contrary, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good (v. 12).  Referring to the commandment of God mentioned in Genesis 2:17 ("For when you eat from it you will certainly die"), we can never claim that God's commandment is sin (v. 7).  Instead, God's commandment is holy, righteous, and good (v. 12).  The commandments of our holy, righteous, and good God can only be holy, righteous, and good!

 

Romans 7:13 says: "Did that which is good, then, become death to me?  By no means!  Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful."  This passage can also be rendered as: "So then, did the good thing bring about my death?  Absolutely not!  On the contrary, sin, in order to show its true nature as sin, exploited what is good, causing my death through that which is good, revealing how utterly sinful sin is through the commandment."  Here, "that which is good" or "the good thing" refers to "the commandment" or "the Law."  The good commandment or the Law did not cause death for Adam and Eve or for us (v. 13, see also v. 10).  "In fact, it was sin that used what is good (the good commandment or the Law) as a means to bring about death for Adam and Eve [who disobeyed God's command not to eat from the tree that gives knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17), leading them to spiritual death] and for us, causing us to reach death [(Eph. 2:1) 'You were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins']."  Therefore, in Romans 7:13, it is translated as "In fact, it was sin that caused my death."  "So then, sin used the commandment to expose its true nature as sin and through the commandment, to show how utterly sinful sin is" (v. 13).  Ultimately, Adam and Eve's disobedience to the good, holy, and righteous commandment of God revealed sin as sin, and the sin they committed through their disobedience (violation) of God's commandment showed "how utterly sinful sin is."  Also, what was intended as "the commandment that brings life" for Adam and Eve became "instead, something that brings death" (v. 10).  This was the price of sin they paid for disobeying God's commandment (see also 6:23).

 

Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree that gives knowledge of good and evil because they did not fully understand or grasp God's command.  They disobeyed God's command by eating the fruit, misled by the wicked temptations of Satan, despite not fully believing or being convinced of God's warning that they would surely die if they ate the fruit.  This disobedience led them to commit a sinful act.  In the parable of the weeds among the wheat in Matthew 13, while "everyone was sleeping" (v. 25), the enemy, the devil (vv. 25, 39), sowed weeds among the wheat.  This wicked enemy even tempted Jesus Christ, the Son of God, countless times (Mt. 4:1-11).  In particular, the evil devil tempted Jesus repeatedly to disobey God the Father's will (commandments) by avoiding sacrificial death on the cross.  Therefore, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering away from me.  Yet I want your will to be done, not mine" (Mt. 26:39).  At that time, Jesus instructed his disciples to "pray that you will not fall into temptation" (Lk. 22:40) and to "pray that you will not give in to temptation" (v. 46), but they fell asleep due to sorrow (Lk. 22:45).

 

Because God the Father heard this plea, ultimately the second (last) Adam, Jesus Christ, "obeyed [God the Father] even to the point of death on a cross" (Phil. 2:8) [even though the first Adam disobeyed God].  In order to oppose the wicked Satan, we must be alert and of sober mind (1 Peter 5:8) and be fully armed with the armor of God (Eph. 6:11).  We are to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v. 17), just as Jesus used God's word to combat and overcome the temptations of the devil (Mt. 4:1-11).  Therefore, we should also confront the devil with God's word and submit to God (Jam. 4:7).