What does it mean when we were “alive apart from the law”?
8But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
Romans 7:8-9 (NIV)
In Romans 7:9, Paul says there was a time when he was “alive apart from the law.” This seems puzzling at first. As a devout Jew, Paul would have always known and tried to obey God’s law. So what does he mean?
When Paul says he was “apart from the law,” he likely means he had never truly grasped the full depth and demands of God’s law. He saw many rules to follow but missed the heart of what God requires – supreme love for Him and love for others. In that sense, Paul was “apart” from the real thrust of the law.
And when he says he was “alive,” Paul is probably referring to how he viewed himself spiritually at that time. He felt he was right with God, pleasing to Him. This self-perception of being “alive” stemmed from his ignorance of the law’s true demands.
But then something changed. Paul says, “When the commandment came, I died.” At some point, he was confronted with the reality that he wasn’t pleasing God at all. He realized he was actually condemned, spiritually dead. The law’s requirements finally hit home, bringing deep conviction of sin.
This doesn’t mean Paul had never recognized his sin before. Rather, he now saw that he was a complete moral failure, utterly unable to keep God’s law. He had been a proud Pharisee, confident in his spiritual standing – until the law opened his eyes to see he was lost and couldn’t save himself. To “die” meant to recognize his desperate, hopeless condition before God.
Interestingly, Paul points to the commandment against coveting as what “killed” him (Romans 7:8). Why? Well, the Pharisees defined sin only in terms of outward actions. You could feel guiltless as long as you avoided actually doing evil deeds. Most of the Ten Commandments could be read this way too.
But “You shall not covet” is all about inward attitudes and desires. Coveting is a discontent, idolatrous longing for more than God has given – whether that’s beauty, wealth, approval, or anything else. It’s not wrong to want good things, but to be bitter when you don’t get them reveals a covetous heart.
Paul had never seen sin this way, as fundamentally a matter of coveting against God. He thought of it only as breaking external rules. So when he truly understood this final commandment, it was a shock. He saw that God’s good law “actually brought death” (Romans 7:10). Why? Because his sinful nature, provoked by the commandment, “deceived” him, stirring up “every kind of covetous desire” within (Romans 7:8, Romans 7:11). The law itself wasn’t the problem (Romans 7:12). The problem was Paul’s own sinful heart. No matter how good he looked outwardly, inwardly he was a hopeless sinner in desperate need of grace.
Have you ever gone through a time when you felt spiritually “alive” or self-satisfied, only to later be confronted with the depth of your sin? How did this experience impact your faith?
[This material for Romans 7:7-25 was drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You“]
I would say that I have had several experiences over the course of my life as a believer where I felt spiritually “alive” or self-satisfied, only to be later confronted with the depth of my sin. And, I am quite certain now that I will have more. Shortly after I became a believer, deep in my addiction, a series of events took place which led to my being able to stop drinking and using. At the time, I felt as if I had been delivered from my addiction- that I had been “cured.” For the next two years, I abstained from any drugs and alcohol, and became very involved in church, even began attending the School of Ministry at Calvary Chapel. Life seemed pretty good- everything seemed to work out well, and I began to have a sense of self-righteousness, in the sense that my outward behavior had drastically changed. However, another series of events led to being back out on the streets, and, eventually, I relapsed. I was confused. I felt as if I had “tried the way of faith and found it wanting,” like the Big Book says. In time, God led me to seek help once again, and, through this, led me into the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is there, along with coming to a clearer understanding of the gospel, that I began to realize that my sin ran much deeper than the things I did or didn’t do. It was the condition of my heart. This became very clear to me as I took step four. Since then, there are several examples of moments like this, though I have remained clean and sober, where God has shaken my self-righteous attitude and revealed the true condition of my heart. Though at first these experiences may seem to shake my faith, they always ultimately lead to a richer and deeper faith in Him than ever before. So, today, though these can be confusing and painful experiences, I have learned to appreciate God’s working in me through them to draw me ever closer to Him🙂
This exact thing happened to me when I was very new in the faith. I started reading a lot but I didn’t really know what I was reading. However, I always thought of myself as smart and of course I always know everything! I started reading apologetic books training myself to be able to defend the gospel. I wanted to find opportunity to speak up in defend of the faith. I watched videos of debates about Christianity. I thought I knew so much but one time someone innocently asked me to explain the gospel and the thing is that the person knew more than I did about the faith than I did. I couldn’t really explain this most fundamental concept of our faith and I felt so much shame when I realized that I didn’t even understand the most basic tenant of what I proclaimed to believe! My initial response was to be angry with myself and to doubt my own faith and to pull away from the Lord. But over time, I got over it and now I learn to be much more humble and to recognize my own failing and pride. Each time I let pride take control, God has reminded me and I am thankful that God continue to work to tame my ego. Now my faith is stronger than before and my pride is much less and I am better for it.