Sunday: Sin and the Law
Read Romans 7:7-12. What is Paul saying here about the relationship between sin and law? Why would he even ask such a question as, Is the law sin? (NKJV).
Paul so closely relates the law and sin that he asks the rhetorical question, Is the law sin?
The answer, of course, is that it’s not; on the contrary, at the end of the section he says, Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good
(NKJV). The therefore
shows the conclusion of his argument: that, far from being sin, the law is indeed holy and good.
Image © Justinen Creative from GoodSalt.com
What Paul says here is analogous to the relationship between criminal law and crime. Something is criminal only if a law depicts it as such. You might go to jail in one country for doing something that in another country is legal. The reason: one country has a law forbidding that action, the other doesn’t. It is the same action but with two different consequences. What makes the difference- The law.
A crucial point to remember, too, is that just because something is a law doesn’t make it good. In early America, a law required people to return escaped slaves to their masters. It was the law; yet, it was hardly a just one. In the case of God’s law, however, we know that it reflects His loving character. Thus Paul’s words that the law is holy and good; what else could it be, considering who created it?
What significance is there in the commandment that Paul uses in Romans 7:7 to prove his point about the law? Why does he use that one instead of another, such as Thou shalt not steal?
Perhaps Paul uses that specific commandment instead of some of the others because it’s not so obvious that it’s wrong. Many people, in and of themselves, might not believe that coveting is wrong. Murder, stealing, yes; one generally doesn’t even need the Ten Commandments to know that. But coveting? So, it is a perfect example to make his point that it’s the law that shows us what sin is. Otherwise, he might not have known that coveting was wrong.
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I totally agree to the fact that, we Christians, do not know that we are sinning unless we are told...and Paul here is portraying how the Law is point the very sin that we commit without considering as a big deal. for example; looking at covetousness is our internal ego, or our self desire of wanting to have something in order to satisfy our physical need in some cases, unlike the other types of sin, such as kill, steal these are obvious that are sin...Thus, Paul is making sure that we are aware of such sin that we may encounter in life. Its not an excusse for not knowing this sort of sin...
Sometimes ethical problems/ethical actions confused me, it is sin or not. There might not be any clear written law but word of mouth about do or don't. Then one might ask himself, should I do, or should I accept, or should I take something that is not mine but is being thrown away? For e.g. if I am suppose to have 15 mins break every 8 hrs of work, I worked 5 days per week. I did not take it for days because I was too busy. Then one day I have the time, should I add up all the 15 mins and take that time in hours (esp if I am the supervisor and no one knows), or should I let it go? There are so many ethical questions facing Christians every day, it is the Holy Spirit who will tell us what to do and what not to do because what might be wrong for one person might not be wrong for another.
Hi Marva, thanks for your contemporary application!!!
Coveting is done in the mind and no-one can see it till you say it out,but usual the sin leads to the other. You covet and also steal in your heart as the opportunity didnot avail itself, you also hate the one you are to love because of his possessions that you are putting any eye on.
With the Ten Commandments we as Christians have to look at the first four are for God the rest for man. What Paul is saying is that it is a sin in a spiritual sense by even thinking of something or someone we cannot have, even though we don't think it is wrong. So we must examine ourselves daily. And continue to live the life as our Heavenly Father did.
totally agree with the comments above , we live in societies where the law of God need to guide us otherwise we risk making the abnormal normal because its acceptable by the society , that doesn't mean its right with God.
Greetings every one. When we look at the whole picture, we can see how much God is love, and how much he (God) loves us. Before he left the earth, he made sure that rules and laws was left for us to live by, the commandemants is simply laced out, and as we read and search through them, from way back in Moses days we see how man try and interpret them to fill their needs, take for instance, though shall not steal, and man still God of his tiths and offerings, some bluntly refuses to pay any, they say that their money, and they work hard for it. Yes they did, but who give us the strength, and will to go out earn it, so for that kind of love, we should be greatful to give back a portion of that love to our Father who love us so much, that he still keeps in job, food in our cupboards,a roof over our heads, strength to keep us going ,all that is part of our daily bread that he prepares for us daily, and even though some May not have all of that, we still give a little, if even it's it's a thank you offering, and if we don't have that either, we get on our knees, and praise him, and give him thanks for what we are about to receive, and for being in the valley with us, and when he takes out, we thank him again for putting us to stand upright, and showing us how to continue in this beautiful life that he gave us. That's why the commandemants is a guide, a direction to our life. Although some May see it as rules or hindrance, but if we really look at it, and read through it properly we would see it as a saving grace. Amen.God did not give us directions for us to try and change them to suite our needs, that's why our needs and lives are soo confused, all we have to do is take a good look at our lives and see the direction in which it's going, and ask ourselves, if we don't need the direction of our Saivour Jesus Christ, He gave us a mirror bigger than life itself let's use it and stop playing mirror , mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all. Humbly as Christians, as we live in the world, let us not live of the world, and try to save souls and hearts over for Jesus, O! How he would love that even more of his children . Let's live to please him and not ourselves. Self is our greatest sin. But remember on our own we are hopeless, we have to be on our knees for every thing, asking God to show us how, to give us strength, and for his Holy Spirit to constantly guide us. Amen. I don't mind waiting. Do you.?
I think today's lesson has a lot of useful points in them, especially with not knowing whether you sin or not except for the law to reveal it. I love how Paul uses play on words in order to explain the concept even better.
"In early America, a law required people to return escaped slaves to their masters. It was the law; yet, it was hardly a just one."
So did the Roman law in the time of Paul and he encouraged Onesimus to
return to his owner Philemon. What's the difference?
Ray, you raise a question that I think would be hard for a significant number of people in the world to deal with. The ancient world accepted slavery as a part of society and even today if a country is conquered by another the conqueror becomes the lord and master over the country that was conquered.
The problem with slavery is that it is based on selfishness. It is an institution that controls people for the sole benefit of the controller and because of it freedom is trashed. In some cases human beings have been very cruelly reduced to animals which to me is disgusting and a slap in God’s face who made man in His own image.
Things like that exist yet to Christ it was more important that a person had a right relationship to God than to worry about what one’s personal condition is in life. I am thinking here of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-25). The parable teaches that what we sow in this life determines what we get in the next life and eternity is a whole lot longer than 70 some odd years which go by very quickly. It seems to me that for that reason Jesus and the disciples have very little to say about slavery except that to Paul he was the slave of Christ (Rom 1:1). Other disciples also considered themselves the same way (Jam 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1; Jude 1:1) To Christ it was, “not My will, but Yours, be done” (Lk 22:42 NKJV).
Therefore, the concept of slavery shouldn’t be foreign to the Christian, “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many'” (Mat 20:25-28 NKJV).
The book of Philemon is not a book about slavery, but a book about mending Christian relationships. It was a practical application of what it meant to "live in Christ" in the social context of the day.
Ray, I think Paul deserves much credit. Paul could not change the social system but he used his influence to advocate for social justice. Notice he encouraged Philemon to accept Onesimus as a BROTHER . Therefore, we can infer that Onesimus was emancipated upon his return to his master. Praise God!! The lesson for me is not to close my eyes to injustice when I can use my influence, intellect, skills and other resources to promote justice for my unfortunate brothers and sisters.
So Ray, was it a just law because the Roman's also had such a law? I think you misunderstand what the author was trying to say.
The author says that "just because something is a law doesn't make it good." In some countries if you steal, your hand is mutilated, a second offense will cause you to lose the other hand. This is not a just law!! (We can differentiate just or unjust laws ). Paul declared that God's law is just and holy.