{"id":225490,"date":"2024-06-16T09:15:42","date_gmt":"2024-06-16T16:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/?p=225490"},"modified":"2024-06-16T09:15:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-16T16:15:45","slug":"ra12b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/ra12b","title":{"rendered":"RA12b"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does it mean when we were “alive apart from the law”?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

8<\/sup>But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9<\/sup>Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.<\/p>\nRomans 7:8-9 (NIV)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[This material for Romans 7:7-25 was drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You<\/a>“]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. 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