Romans 7:12-7:14 - Sin Doesn't Make Law Sinful

Calvin (9/17/01)

7:12: All that is commanded by the Law is holy, worthy of highest reverence. Just and good, it cannot do wrong, nor can it cause harm. It cannot be considered responsible for our misery. Footnote: It should be noticed that the description of the Law in this verse describes something that is the polar opposite of sin. Where sin is depraved, the Law is holy. Where sin deceives, the Law is just. Where sin leads to misery, the Law is good.
7:13: How can it be that this most wonderful gift of God should turn out to cause in us nothing but death? Paul understands this thought must arise, and gives answer to it. The Law is not the cause. The cause must be sought in our own sins. That the Law turns out to work our destruction is not due to the character of the Law. It is our own corrupt nature, which stubbornly refuses obedience to that Law. It was necessary for the full atrocity of sin to be shown, and this could not be done except the Law came to reveal that fullness. The greatest extreme of sin is shown in that it would corrupt that which was given for life, and make of it a tool to cause our death.
7:14: The spiritual and the natural are as opposite as light and dark, and this is why man, who is natural, has such a reaction to the Law, which is wholly spiritual. There is more to the spiritual nature of the Law than its claim upon our hearts and affections, although this claim is also true. Footnote: As Paul is showing the opposing natures of the sinful flesh, and the holy, just, and good Law in this passage, it is clear that this issue of the heart is in view. (Gal 5:19 - The acts of the flesh are obvious: such as immorality, impurity, and sensuality. Gal 5:22-23 - The fruit of the Spirit, in stark contrast, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Jn 3:6 - That born of flesh is flesh, and that born of the Spirit is spirit.) There is a further contrast in this matter of flesh vs. spirit. The flesh represents all that man comes into life with, all he carries from the womb, which never knows anything but the earthly. The spirit represents the regenerate life of man, renewed by God after His own image by the gift of the Spirit. The Law requires a perfect righteousness, lacking in nothing. But I, being a fleshly and carnal man, am incapable of doing ought but opposing it. The viewpoint that comes of Origen - that the law is called spiritual because it should not be understood literally, has so little to do with the context of the verse that it ought not even be considered. "We are so entirely controlled by the power of sin that the whole mind, the whole heart, and all our actions are under its influence." We have been enslaved to sin for so long that it has become a voluntary and habitual obedience to us.

Matthew Henry (9/11/01)

7:12: Law reflects the lawgiver. Since God is good and holy and just, the Law that He gave must also be good and holy and just, and so it is.
7:13: The Law reveals sin for what it truly is. No sin can remain hidden before the spiritually revealed Law. We never know the true extent of our sinfulness until we are brought to compare it to the rule of Law. There is nothing that is so good [other than God] that our sinful nature will not pervert it, and make of it something vile. In making of the good Law something so corrupt in its effect, sin has shown its most sinful colors. The Law was not sin. The corruption of Law that sinful nature wrought was.
7:14: The Law is not spiritual solely because it makes of us a spiritual people, but also because its effects reach to the very soul and spirit of a man. (Heb 4:12 - His Word is alive and active. In its impact, it is as a sharpened sword, dividing soul and spirit, and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.) It forbids not only the act, but the thought that would lead to the act. It requires not the mere form of worship, but the worship of the heart in spirit and truth. It is spiritual, given by a God who is Spirit to man whose principal, or best part is his spirit. By its spiritual nature, that Law is shown to be superior to every other. For other laws may seek to restrict the imaginations, but cannot see rebellion unless it erupt in outward action. God's Law, being spiritual, and being enforced by God who sees the heart, is able to see the rebellion in its infancy. (Jer 4:14 - Wash your heart of its evil, Jerusalem, so that you can be saved. Don't allow your wicked thoughts to remain a moment longer.)

Adam Clarke (9/17/01)

7:12: In spite of all that had been said of the Law's insufficiency, Paul is quick to point out that there is nothing which is wrong or imperfect in that Law. The Law is that which regulates our outward conduct. The commandment is that which regulates the heart. Both are most excellent and pure. It is that very purity which, in the end, condemns the transgressor to death, for its very perfection disallows its tolerance of any imperfection.
7:13: If the Law is good, how then has it caused our death? It hasn't. That was caused by our sin, which saw the penalty that must come of breaking with perfection, and yet pushed us to make the break. Thus, the Law displays the full and deadly evil that sin is. As much as the Law is the rule of righteous life, it is also intended as the means by which sin may be shown in its true colors. Were it not for the Law, applied by the Spirit, we would not see the full import of our sinfulness, not see the need for Christ. It continues to serve these purposes today. Where the Law is not preached alongside the Gospel, true repentance will not take place. The sinner must know the full alarm of the curse he is under before he can fully appreciate the hope of salvation offered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
7:14: The Law is not simply a collection of rituals and ceremonies. Nor is it solely a matter of moral rules. It is a 'spiritual system, [reaching] to the most hidden purposes, thoughts…and desires of the heart and soul.' Where the Law brought only the knowledge of our disease, the Gospel brings the cure. If Paul truly referred to himself in these verses, he would fail of demonstrating the Gospel as sufficient. It must be understood that Paul is either referring to his own unregenerate state prior to the Gospel, or to the state of the Jew that has not yet received Christ. (Ac 9:17 - Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me that you may both see again, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.) What follows is the contrast, then, between the unregenerate sinner, and the reborn follower of Christ, between the wholly carnal, and the wholly spiritual. To be in the flesh is to be unregenerate, the soul having no say in the lusts of the man. Reason does not rule passion, and all the works of such a one are aimed at fulfilling those lusts. (Ro 13:14 - Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make to provisions for the lusts of your flesh. Ro 8:5 - Those still in the flesh have their minds occupied by fleshly pursuits, but those who are in the Spirit pursue the things of the Spirit.) Where the unregenerate is at war with God, the spiritual man lives in friendship with God in Christ, the Spirit indwelling him, and maintaining dominion over his flesh. Scripture shows these two natures to be in opposition. As much as many have tried to view these verses as describing Paul even in his regenerate state, the use of the term 'carnal,' which is ever used to describe the unregenerate, ought to make clear that this is not the case. That he remains 'sold under sin' in this description ought also to tell us that he cannot be speaking of his present condition. (1Ki 21:20 - Elijah informed Ahab that he had found Ahab because, "you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.") Not only the flesh, but the soul also had been put in service of sin, powerless to release itself from that slavery until a Redeemer should come. Sold and accepting that sale, we became legal property of the purchaser. This idea of being sold into slavery to sin is commonly spoken of the unregenerate, but is nowhere declared of the redeemed. Christ's act of freeing us indeed freed us, and sin's dominion has been broken, such that we no longer offer ourselves for its service. It is not the manner of that slavery that Paul describes here, but only the fact of it; its full dominion until the redemption price was paid. This understanding, that Paul is not describing his present condition, is necessary to understanding the remainder of the chapter.

Barnes' Notes (9/18/01)

7:12: Even though the Law cannot purify the heart of man, yet it remains good. This is the answer to Ro 7:7 - Is the Law sin? No. It is holy, righteous, and good. Being thus, it cannot be sin, for its character is diametrically opposed to sin. The Law and the commandment are synonymous. No distinction of meaning need be made between the two phrases. It is pure. Its claims and the penalties it imposes are just, and evenhanded. It is good in itself, and in that which it would tend to produce. It is not responsible for the guilt of those who refuse to obey it. (Ps 19:7-11 - The Law is perfect, restoring the soul. It is sure and trustworthy, able to give wisdom to the most simple. It is right, and gives cause for rejoicing to our heart. It is pure, and enlightens us. Fear of the LORD is clean and everlasting. His judgments are true and righteous, more to be sought after than all gold and riches, and sweeter to the soul than honey to the tongue. They serve to warn His servants, and those who keep them gain great reward.)
7:13: A new objection is raised to the idea that the Law, being good, and righteous, and holy, could be turned to evil purpose. How could that which tends to life cause death? Paul answers that the Law did not cause death, but rather, sin caused death. The fault is in ourselves. (Ro 7:8 - Sin took advantage of the Law to produce sinful desires in me, being as it had no real life in me before the Law. Ro 7:10 - The commandment that was intended for life, resulted in death for me.) The Law, when applied to our conscience, reveals our true desperation and depravity. Without it, we simply don't know our own hearts. By its twisting of the Law, sin is shown to its utmost possible extent. (1Co 12:31 - Seek after the greater gifts, and I will show you the most excellent possible way. 2Co 1:8 - We would have you aware of the fact that while we were in Asia, we were burdened to the utmost degree, beyond our power to endure, to the point that we thought life itself must flee. 2Co 4:7 - The treasure that God has entrusted to these earthly vessels, has been so given, that we will know the power of God, which is of utmost possible greatness, is indeed from Him and not from ourselves. 2Co 12:7 - Because the revelations He had made to me were of the utmost possible greatness, He gave to me a thorn, a tormenter, to keep me from puffing up with pride. Gal 1:13 - You know my past, that while following Judaism, I would persecute God's church to my utmost ability, trying to destroy it.) With the light of the Law, sin could no longer be some dormant principle within us, but was moved to 'enormous excess,' as it developed to its fullest possible extent. The revealing of sin for its true nature is desirable and good. Yet, in this revealing, the Law is not suitable to the purpose of sanctification. Man must come to know his true nature, and step out of self-deception. It serves God's purpose that the secret ways of the heart should develop in full, so as to show all His creations in their true colors, as it were. It is only in recognition of his true estate that the sinner will find cause to seek remedy. It takes the alarm of knowing the whole of our crimes, the whole of our inability to change, for us to become desperate enough to seek the Salvation that is offered us in Christ Jesus.
7:14: There is great debate as to whether this, and the remainder of the chapter are intended to describe the condition of man before or after conversion. This commentary adopts the view that it is after conversion. Firstly, this is the most natural understanding of the text, the concept that will come most clearly from the words. Secondly, Paul has already settled the issue of the Law's insufficiency for the sinner apart from Christ. If that were still the point of this section, the section would be superfluous. If, however, he addresses the post-conversion experience of the believer, then he furthers the proof that the Law is insufficient unto sanctification under all conditions of life. Then there is the factor that some of the comments made cannot be understood of the unrepentant sinner (Ro 7:15 - I am not doing what I would like to do, but I do the things I hate. Ro 7:23 - There is a different law, the law of sin, at work in my body, and embattling the law that rules my mind.) There are parallels for this internal conflict in the Christian life that may be found in the Gospel. The change of tense also argues for a change of perspective from the past, unconverted life to the present, converted life. Finally, while it is an inconclusive argument in itself, the expression Paul gives to this internal conflict accords with the experience of every believer who has been honest with himself. That the Law is spiritual does not indicate that it is intended to regulate only our spirit. Paul is simply continuing the answer of the previous verse. The Law is not the cause of sin. It is spiritual, it is pure, whereas sin is fleshly, carnal. (Ro 8:5-6 - Fleshly people concentrate on fleshly things. Spiritual people focus on spiritual things. The former mindset leads to death, but that latter to life and peace. Gal 5:16-23 - Walk in accord with the Spirit, and you won't do as your flesh desires, for its desires are opposed to the Spirit, as the Spirit's desires are opposed to the flesh. Led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. The deeds of the flesh are obvious, and those that do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. The fruit of the Spirit ought to be just as obvious, and no law will oppose such fruit.) I am of flesh. It remains an issue for us even after conversion. Corrupt passions remain, and tempt the renewed man. Long habit has given these passions a resilience so that they continue to influence us. The distress, I would note, is something new. That Paul describes himself as sold under sin is no argument against this referring to the renewed man. It is not that he has willingly chosen to serve sin, but that his state is like to that of the slave, the captive of war, forced to obey an enemy against his own inclinations and will. It is this forced obedience that causes us to grieve over our failures.

Wycliffe (9/18/01)

7:12: No comments.
7:13: Man, being sinful, does not believe sin to be what it truly is. It requires the Law to reveal that true nature of sin to him.
7:14: It is a given for both author and reader that the Law is caused and filled by the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of God. The only condemnation Paul brings near to the Law is a charge of legalism, the idea that we can keep the Law, and the in doing so is our salvation, the idea that we can oblige God to save us by our actions. Paul knew what it was to be under sin's dominion. The struggle it placed him in was not a matter of 'a few isolated conflicts but a continual warfare.'

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (9/19/01)

7:12: Both the whole of the Law and that particular commandment which Paul has been discussing are holy, just, and good.
7:13: We cannot lay the blame for our death upon the Law. It is good, and cannot bear evil fruit. By the Law, sin is seen in its true colors, its full deformity. That it would use the good Law to provoke such evil results displays the degree to which its corruption extends. Here, we have been given the final understanding that Paul reached in all his contemplations regarding his conditions before Christ met him on the road. It is the fruit of much thought regarding how far from justification he had remained while faithfully following all the dictates of the Law according to the Pharisees. (Ac 9:9 - For three days he was blinded, during which time he took neither food nor drink.) The sin in us was too powerful for the Law to control, so it cannot be the source of our regeneration. That must be lain solely at the foot of God's grace given to us. This verse ends the section in which Paul speaks in the past tense, of the experiences of his life as Saul of Tarsus. The remainder of the chapter speaks of his present experience, the life of Paul, the condition of the believer.
7:14: The thoughtful and honest reader cannot deny that the Law is spiritual. Careful thought must reach this conclusion. Just as the transformed man is filled by the Holy Spirit, so the Law, given by Him who is Spirit, cannot but be of a spiritual nature and intent. I being a carnal and fleshly man, cannot render the spiritual obedience demanded by a spiritual law. I cannot yield, even though I would. It cannot be the regenerated man who is sold out to sin, and the discussion has already moved on from the unregenerate man, so neither can he be the one we are told is so sold. It must be the principle of sin itself which is being spoken of here, which is more plainly seen elsewhere. (Ro 7:18 - Nothing good dwells in my flesh, for I do will and desire to do good, yet the doing of that good is beyond me.)

New Thoughts (9/19/01-9/24/01)

The Law reflects the Lawgiver, and He is holy. He is Spirit. The Law reflects His holiness by its demand for perfect obedience. It describes the righteousness which God is, and so, defines the proper course of our lives. It reflects the fact that He is Spirit, by addressing such issues as can only be of our spirit, by requiring not only an obedience in action, but an obedience in thought. God in His infinite wisdom knows that what enters our thoughts will sooner or later show up on our actions, so He strikes at the source with His commandments. One need look no further than our own prayer life to see the need. We are commanded not to have any idols, and we believe ourselves to be covered on that one. We live in a modern age, and don't have such superstitious distractions to divert us from the true worship. But how often do we offer prayer in a fashion that simply won't fit with God's rule? How often do we seek Him out and ask Him to accede to our will, rather than submitting ourselves to His? Can it be that in this we have set up our own agendas as idols? Can it be that we, like Israel before us, value our rites and ceremonies, our church buildings, and our outreach ministries, more than the God we claim they serve? Is it more important to us that the worship music bless us, than that it bless God? No idols. No other gods. This is the demand of the Law. None. No matter how well disguised, no matter how we might have dressed them up in the clothes of proper service, our acts remain a worshipping of idols if they do not accord with the Word of God.

What of the taking of oaths? Oh, we've learned well enough to avoid making oaths we cannot keep. We will do most anything to avoid making a promise, for fear we might not be up to the keeping of it. But we are called to a higher standard. We are called to be a people whose very word suffices. There should be no need for an oath-taking, because our reputation should be such that people simply know that they can trust us. Our love for others ought to be such that we require no further proof from them, except that they've said so. Even if no other can expect such treatment from us, God certainly ought to be able to. Surely, He should be able to take us at our word to Him? Do we think we've avoided obligation to our Lord by scrupulously avoiding the legal terms? Calvin reminded us that "we cannot call God to be the witness of our words without asking Him to be the avenger of our perjury if we deceive." But let me take this to the next step. Whenever we speak, God is the witness of our words, whether we ask Him or not. As such, I think we can understand that we, by our actions, if not by our words, call upon Him to be the witness of our truth, or the avenger of our perjury. We are a covenant people. By our very acceptance of Christ's work on our behalf, we have accepted the terms of God's covenant with us, and that covenant remains "Be ye holy, for I am holy." He hasn't changed. He can no more accept sin in His presence now than before. Thanks be to God, that He has provided, in the work of Christ Jesus, by the gracious gift of faith, the means by which our efforts, ever flawed and imperfect, can be made holy and acceptable before Him. Thanks be to God, that He has provided, in the ministry of the Holy Spirit to our hearts and minds, the means by which our prayers, however flawed and lopsided they may be, can be washed clean, corrected, and presented to our Mediator, to be placed before the Lord Most High!

Father! How I have forgotten! How I have trampled upon this covenant You have made with me. I have made the same mistake as the Pharisees before me, Lord, thinking to avoid the issue of this Law by avoiding the taking of oaths. But, the oath was taken long before I understood, and I have not by any stretch lived up to the terms of that agreement. Oh, I've placed my faith in Jesus, and I still do, for I know more and more each day that nothing in this man is going to make me acceptable to You. Father, forgive me. I have failed to consider the fullness of Your Law for me. I have failed to remember that You are ever before me, Your eyes ever upon me. God! I know I must go into the workplace again today. Holy Spirit, I know that without Your presence beside me, within me, I will surely slip again today, and sully Your witness by my foolishness. Oh, how I wish it weren't so, but in honesty, I know this is how it is. Will You come to my aid, sweet Lord? Will You wash me yet again, of the grime of this life? Will You bring me to that place where I am indeed formed according to Your image, in full accord with Your eternal purposes?

Father, I thank You, also, for the reminder that all those who died in the recent attacks upon this nation, if they had called upon Your dear Son, are indeed not suffering some punishment for failure of Your kindness, but have gone on to greater blessings. You have made this life sweet, my Lord. You have given us much to rejoice in, as we sojourn here. How easy it is to forget what lies ahead, to become overly attached to, and concerned for this world. How easy it would be to forget it entirely, and become focused only on what is to come. I praise You, though, that You call for a better balance. You call us to neither ignore this life, nor the eternity to come. For, if we were focused solely upon this life, we would forfeit that eternity You have provided for us. And, were we to focus solely upon that eternity, how many would we condemn to an eternity of torment by our failure to tell them of You? How many, in that crashing of towers, were condemned to an eternity apart from You because we, Your church, have not taken our job seriously? How many will die thinking that their fate has been sealed, because we have neglected to tell them the wonderful news of Your gospel? How many, because we have not helped them to comprehend the true extent of Your law, have thought themselves good enough not to be in need of that gospel?

Have mercy on us, oh Lord, for our failures. Help us, oh God, to realize that we are Your arms of mercy in this lost world. Help us, oh God, to set aside our fears, to boldly proclaim Your truth to this lost world, to declare the day of salvation to those who will hear You speak. Help me to look with mercy upon both family and stranger. Lord, too often have I been merciless in the face of the failures of others, merciless perhaps because of my own failures. And yet, I call upon You for mercy. Lord, I call upon You now for mercy, but for a mercy that would overflow from me, would be there to address the failures of those I meet with daily. Father, You know that there are those I have been praying for, especially in the workplace. You have shown me, oh God, that even the most unlovely are no different than I. Yet You saved me. Will You please save them as well? Will You use me as need be to bring that salvation? Will You give me the wisdom to know what words to speak, that will cause them to understand Your presence, Your offer? Will You please help me, oh God, not to fall back from the tasks You set before me? Thank You.

God has offered hope to a dying world, but they cannot hear it. So, He has sent us, His Church, to proclaim that hope to the hopeless. It's a hungry time out there, just now. The nation, as a whole, is hungry for a word of hope, news of God. Too long, we have allowed the god of science and technology to rob this nation of the hope upon which it was founded. We began this journey as one nation, under God. For too long, we have sat on the sidelines as thieves came in and tried to take this one nation out from under God, as pretenders to authority tried to place their authority above the LORD's authority. But, God will not be mocked. Rebellion comes at a price, and sadly, that price has received partial payment. We are called to proclaim hope. We are called to the task of announcing once more to this world that there is a God, and that He is holy, He is omnipotent, He is in control. He has not been taken unawares, nor does He rejoice in the devastation that has been visited upon us. We are called to proclaim hope, but that hope cannot be received unless conviction comes first. The man who thinks himself swimming strong will not grasp for the life preserver, even though you throw it right at his hands.

We have been slack, not only in failing to proclaim the Gospel, but in failing to proclaim the Law by which man understands his need. It is largely to be laid at our own feet that repentance has not come, for we have declared no real cause for repentance. A good man will not repent. A man who has been left to believe his own self-righteousness will not repent. True repentance will not come unless and until it is made clear that there is a final and unchanging measure of morality, that the current feelings of the public do not define what's right, God does. Until and unless we can bring them to understand that all their goodness, like ours, is no more than filthy rags when held up to the Light of God, there will be no desire in them for change. Only a condemned man will seek pardon. Only the man who knows no other hope remains will plead for clemency in the face of a death sentence. This is our true estate. We were en route to the executioner, being led down the hallway to the chair. We knew we were guilty. We knew that no excuse could be made for our actions, yet we cried out to our Judge for mercy. And, miracle of all miracles, another was seen to take our place before that executioner! Like "The Tale of Two Cities," another had stepped in to take our punishment. However, unlike that story, we deserved that punishment, and we knew it. Without the Law, without the Holy Spirit making that Law to be fully understood, we would never have known where we were headed. We cannot see our own hearts until the Law gives us light by which to see. Thanks be to God that He has not left us to our delusions, but has cast them away, so that we might see and turn from our wicked ways!