Romans 7:7-9

Romans 7:7-9

7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;

Transcript

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Hello, this is Dr. Bill Branks, author of Love the Word. Our text for today is Romans 7 verses 7 to 9. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be. On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the law, for I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, You shall not covet. But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind, for apart from the law, sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died. When we moved into our home two and a half years ago, we of course got new neighbors. The people from whom we purchased the home didn't waste any time, after we bought it, to warn us about the guy next to us. They painted him as a miserly old grump who was a hoarder and had a junkyard, not a backyard. The day we moved in, our neighbors to the other side were kind about him, but didn't deny he was difficult to get along with. Since it was December and he was elderly and wheelchair bound, we did not see our terrible new neighbor, Robert, until spring. My wife and I decided to do our best to befriend him and get off on the right foot. Three months after moving in, I was still arranging things in the garage on a chilly March morning. As I was opening one of the last few boxes, I heard something behind me. Robert, in his extremely quiet motorized wheelchair, had come right up my long driveway and stopped about two feet behind me. I was quite startled. He laughed and introduced himself. He was funny, informative, polite, and did not stay long. My wife and I had multiple conversations with him, and they have all been pleasant. We've always checked in on him and offered our assistance. One day after he got home from knee surgery, I went over to check on him. When I knocked, he said loudly to come in. I stuck my head in the door and asked if he was okay and needed anything. No, I'm okay. He answered. A couple of weeks later, he was sitting outside, and I went over to talk. He said, Bill, you checking on me is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long, long time. Robert has proven to be a good neighbor. Yes, his backyard could use a good cleanup, and he does have years worth of rusting equipment here and there, but I've been in his house. He is no hoarder and keeps it as tidy as he can given his disability. Poor Robert had been categorized by people who never took the time to know him. God's law gets a bad rap as well. It can be portrayed as a harsh taskmaster, unforgiving, rigid, with no grace or patience. The law gives life to sin. This may seem bad, but without the law, we would be ignorant of sin and what constitutes it. The law shines a light on a bottomless pit of sin, hidden in the dark. It illuminates the way as a warning for us. Paul writes, I would not have come to know sin except through the law and gives an example of covetousness. Sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. The knowledge of the commandment awakened in him the desire to covet. As youth, we all have experienced the temptation to do something as soon as we know it is off limits. Paul continues, but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died. The power of the law awakens sin in us and leads us to spiritual death. The law leads to awareness of sin and awakening of sin, and without Christ, we are crushed by its requirements. God's standard of holiness is our starting point. It separates us from the sin we must avoid, but can't unless we know what it is and where it is. The law also shows us the impossibility of keeping it and the severe punishment for breaking it. The laws are not guidelines or suggestions. It is God's will and it must be followed. The law is pure and holy as the God it represents. The law is good. It is the instrument of our awareness and salvation. Years ago, I heard an evangelist say this about leading someone to Christ. They have to know they are lost before they can be saved. All true believers, at some point, became aware of their hopeless sinfulness. They recognized that to meet God's standard of righteousness, we needed an intercessor. We need the Son to keep the law for us and pay the penalty for our failure to do it ourselves. Here's the bottom line. You and I are bigger sinners than we want to admit. It took the commandments of God to show you how utterly impossible it would be for you to earn your righteousness. Now that Christ has done the hard part, you must heed Paul's warning that awareness of sin may draw you into it rather than repel you from it. To your sinful nature, sin is inviting, opportunistic, comforting, and veiled as a friend. Never allow sin to take an opportunity with you.