February 24 Click on verses for Full Scripture	previous - - - - - - - - - - next
Today's Pathway: Romans 7:7-8 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Today's passage of Scripture is very interesting, but also somewhat difficult to follow. In it Paul once again discusses the law, but emphasizes its impact on the unsaved man. He begins by asking if the law itself was sinful. Obviously, this can not be the case, for in verse 12 he states that the law is holy. So, man's issue with the law is not the fault of the law, but rather the problem of the human heart. There are several things that Paul points out in these verses concerning what the law does. First, the law shows what a man is doing that is wrong. Paul says in verse 7 that he would not have known sin but for the law. It is true that he had the law written in his heart, but the law "written and engraven in stones" (II Cor. 3;7) clearly told him that his behavior was sinful. Second, the law revealed his internal, lustful desires. Many people seem to only worry about the sins that they commit physically. They don't want people to see them or hear them do something wrong. Yet Paul says that the law showed him that his thought life was evil as well. No one knows if another man is covetous or not, because that is a sentiment that is not necessarily visible to the human eye. May I add here that God's Word deals with many sinful behaviors that may not be visible to those around us. Lust, bitterness, wrath, worry, hatred, and similar thoughts are every bit as sinful as actions taken by our hands, feet, and tongue, and the law shows us that.

Third, in verse 8, Paul tells us that the law actually elicits sin. Remember, the problem is NOT with the law. The problem is that men, once they are told that they can't do something, because of their innate depravity and wickedness, desire to do it. Verse 8 states,

"But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence."

"Something in human nature wants to rebel whenever a law is given. I was standing in Lincoln Park in Chicago, looking at the newly painted benches; and I noticed a sign on each bench: 'Do Not Touch.' As I watched, I saw numbers of people deliberately reach out and touch the wet paint! Why? Because the sign told them not to! Instruct a child not to go near the water, and that is the very thing he will do! Why? 'Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be' (Rom. 8:7)."