The purpose of God's Law

It’s important to use the right tool for the job.

That’s even more important when we’re talking about the tool of God’s Law.

Human tendency is to misuse it.

What is the Law for?

<Romans 7:7-12>

This passage helps us understand the purpose of God’s Law and its relation to our sin.

Sin is a heart problem that’s exposed by the Law but cannot be fixed by the Law.

A. Question: Is the Law sin? (7a)

1. In v.5, Paul wrote that before salvation, “sinful passions” were “aroused by the Law.”

· Unbelievers have a powerful desire to sin; that desire is only made more intense by God's command not to do the sin that they want to do.

· That's a little difficult to come to terms with; therefore, the question that naturally comes is, “Is the law sin?” NO!

B. Correction: The Law defines sin. (7)

1. God teaches us what sin is through the Bible.

Psalm 19:7–8 NASB95

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

God gives us His commands in Scripture and breaking those commands is sin.

1 John 3:4 NASB95

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

So, the Law teaches us what sin is, however:

2. Although Paul knew what the law said, it had never transferred to his heart. (7c)

a) Paul's choice of coveting as an example explains his point beautifully.

i. Coveting is strongly condemned in Scripture.

Exodus 20:17 NASB95

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Coveting is a powerful desire for something that doesn't belong to you, and at its heart is a hatred for someone else.

ii. Because no one sees you coveting, it's easy to dismiss it and believe that it’s no big deal.

Romans 13:9 NASB95

For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

That’s a powerful indictment because, if not coveting is loving your neighbor, what are you doing when you covet?

Also, notice the co-defendants that are on that list in Romans 13.

That really puts coveting in a very different light, doesn’t it?

POINT: This is the point that Paul is making in v.7; the Law defines sin.

3. The Law, cannot stop us from sinning.

a) Someone simply saying, “Don’t do that,” doesn’t make you not want to do it.

ex. If you see a “Wet Paint” sign, what do you want to do?

If you see a “No fishing” sign, does that make you not want to fish there?

b) While the Law defines sin; understanding that something you desire is sin only intensifies the desire.

Paul continues to develop the example.

C. Explanation: Paul explains how the Law increased his desire to sin. (8-11)

(8) But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment,(The opportunity comes because your sin nature causes you to want things more when God says, NO!) therefore that intense desire to sin produced in me coveting of every kind

1. Forbidden fruit is desired most. (8)

The fact that God forbids coveting made the thrill of coveting even more exciting.

a) We inherited this demand for what we don’t have from Adam.

Genesis 2:16–17 NASB95

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Genesis 3:6 NASB95

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

God’s commands intensify our desire, because we don’t want anyone, including God, telling us what to do.

When we’re told we can’t do something, a fire is ignited within us, which is why Paul says:

(8c) apart from the Law sin is dead.

This isn’t to say that sin doesn’t exist, but rather there’s no war waged inside you when the Law hasn’t pricked your conscience.

2. The Law showed Paul who he really was. (9-11)

a) Prior to Paul’s salvation, he knew the Law.

(9a) I was once alive apart from the Law

Paul believed he was ok with God before his heart was convicted by sin.

Philippians 3:5–6 NASB95

circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

He knew what the Law taught, however, he saw it only as a set of rules to follow to make yourself right with God.

b) When the Holy Spirit convicted Paul’s heart about the Law he realized how God considered him.

(9b) but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died

Paul’s heart was convicted by the truth of the Law.

The result: (10) and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;

i. He believed the Law brought “life.”

This is likely a reference to:

Leviticus 18:5 NASB95

‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.

Although the requirement was to perfectly keep the Law, the religious leaders believed keeping the Law to the degree they thought necessary was enough.

ii. When Paul’s heart was convicted by the Law about his sin, he could see how far short he fell.

Isaiah had an encounter like this when He came into the presence of the holy God.

Isaiah 6:5 NASB95

Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

The Law exposed Paul for who he really was in God’s eyes and he could understand for the first time his hopeless condition.

c) Paul’s sinful heart deceived him into believing he was ok with God. (11)

This belief kept him blind to reality.

i. This trap of believing you’re ok with God independent of the Word of God is an easy trap to fall into.

We naturally what it to be true so we’re easily persuaded.

D. Declaration: God’s Law is perfectly designed to accomplish its purpose. (12)

Paul reaffirms his statement he made in v.7.

Of course the Law isn’t sin.

a) The Law describes God and His commands.

God, as our Creator and Sustainer has a right to Lordship.

b) The Law’s purpose is to convict the heart and prove your need for a Savior.

Fallen humans can never do what God requires.

Sin is a heart problem that’s exposed by the Law, but cannot be fixed by the Law.

Application: We know God through His Word.

Unbeliever: If you haven’t received God’s gift of forgiveness through repentance and believing Jesus, the Bible says you are still in your sin.

God is going to judge you by His standards, are you ready to face Him?

2. Christian: God’s Law teaches us what sin is.

Obj. Understand the purpose of God's Law and its role in sanctification.

The Law cannot save or sanctify you, but it does teach you what sin and God’s standard of holiness is.

Repent when you sin.

Following Christ means obeying Jesus.

John 14:23–24 NASB95

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

Will you follow Jesus according to His Word this week?