In this lesson we look at
In these verses and their context, we look at Paul's view of the manner in which sin is increased, invigorated, and intensified through law.
Of course we must preface this study by saying that the law is not the cause of sin, nor is it responsible for it.
Paul asks, "Is the law sin?" and he answers his own question, "No, never!"
Paul asserts, "The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good"
To illustrate, consider how shopkeepers, trying to sell their wares, display them so that they can be picked up and looked at.
Unfortunately thieves take advantage of this opportunity to steal.
The shopkeepers do not cause this crime. The responsibility for the crime rests with the thieves, not with the traders.
In the same way, law does not cause sin. The responsibility for sin rests with the lawbreaker, not with the
This is the second of two lessons that examine the relationship between sin and divine law.
Paul says, "The law entered that sin might increase"
We remember that the serpent used God's commandment about not eating the fruit of a certain tree, to get Adam and Eve to sin. If God had not made an exception about trees for food, and said of one tree, "You shall not eat", then it would not have been a sin to eat of that tree
Later, the Law of Moses caused a heavy burden of sin to be imputed that otherwise might not have been, and turned many things into sin that otherwise would not have been transgressions. Paul replies to this by saying, "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more"
This does not mean that God invented silly arbitrary laws just so there would be more sins to forgive. "The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good"
What would we rather God do? Leave sin to lie hidden under its own darkness, or expose sin to the light of his law and deal with it by his grace?
So part of God's plan to deal with sin involved the bringing in of law. God did this knowing that law would give sin an opportunity to increase. However God's aim was not to increase sin, although that would be an effect at first, but ultimately to bring about the forgiveness of sins. God's kind intention was to increase grace and to gain
Paul says, "Apart from the law sin is dead... Sin takes opportunity through the commandment... When the commandment came sin came alive and I died"
If God made no laws, and condemned nothing, sin would be moribund. So why does God not abolish all law and thus kill sin? It does not take much thought to realize that this is not an option.
Would you like to live in a world where you could be raped and robbed and God imputed no sin to the rapist and robber? Would you like to be in a society where everyone told you lies but God imputed no sin to your deceivers?
Our government could reduce the crime rate by abolishing criminal law, because if there were no law then there would be no conviction of criminals. However, we would hardly vote for a government that reduced the crime rate in that manner, and we would hardly respect a God who dealt with
Sometimes when we take treatment to cure an illness, the treatment seems worse than the disease, and our health gets worse before it gets better. Sometimes the disease flares up as a result of the treatment and only after that can we see the treatment succeed. In a similar manner, God's way of dealing with sin made the problem seem worse for a time, however God had to let sin come to life in order to
Paul says, "Through the commandment sin became exceedingly sinful"
Not only does law increase and invigorate sin, but it also intensifies it. Something sinful becomes
The light of God's law shows up sin for what it is. A room dimly lit may seem attractive, but when brightly lit all the dirt, cobwebs, cracks, peeling paint, inharmonius colours, and so forth, show up and the room no longer is
Would you rather God left you in the dark letting you think you were living properly when in fact you were not pleasing to him? Or would you rather that God got you out of your comfort zone, and clarified everything to make you intensely aware of your need of his loving grace?
It can be a very unpleasant experience to be made aware of how greatly you have offended God, and how far off the mark your life had got. However, it is a necessary experience, because it shows you your need of Christ and leads you through God's law, and through faith in Christ, to seek forgiveness. This allows grace to reign not in your ignorance, but rather "that grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"
The very things that seem to be disadvantages of law, namely that through law sin is imputed, increased, invigorated, and intensified
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