Rom 7:8 Dormant: Alive but Dead
Salvation has been provided; the world’s chief need now is a sense of sin. Food is not wanting, but hunger. There is healing balm; where are the broken hearts? Christ’s work is complete; we need that of the Spirit.
The Progression of the Text
Unexposed Nuisance v. 8 For apart from the law, sin lies dead Without the law one is alive, but sin is dead (Lyth). One without the law was unacquainted with its high, spiritual demands, and was peaceful and self-satisfied. They lived an earthly life, trusting to their own righteousness. (Thomas). To those that are dead, while they think themselves alive, how necessary a self-examination is! The apostle, having been convinced of his past mistake, earnestly recommends this (2 Cor 13:5) (Stafford).
Unveiled Nature v. 9 sin came alive and I died With the Law one is dead but sin lives (Lyth). One under the law has an understanding of the purity and integrity law revealed to them. They discover their sinfulness, and fell down as one slain (Thomas). Those that feel themselves dead, need to bless God for the discovery. He will lead the heart to Him who is able to subdue sin (Stafford).
Ultimate Need 6:14 we are not under the law but under grace.
Those under grace have found that there is no life in the law and find the need to turn to the gospel. They understand that the purpose of the law is that of schoolmaster to point them to Christ. In Christ they found life. They will undergo a change not of moral condition but of moral consciousness which was effected by the revelation of the law (Thomas). Let all who have received life from Christ seek daily supplies from Him. Guard against all sin as contrary to that new life you have in and from Christ (Col 3:1). (J. Stafford.)
The Principles in the Text
Condition of the Unregenerate For apart from the law, sin lies dead
Before the law was given; or where it was not applied to the mind. Sin was dead. It was inoperative, inactive, unexcited. Men's passions would exist; but without law they would not be known to be evil, and they would not be excited into wild and tumultuous raging. (Barnes). "Without the law" could be understood as denoting "without a proper knowledge of the law." And in this sense would apply to mankind universally, and might be paraphrased: Formerly, when I was without a proper knowledge of the divine law, I was alive—I thought myself entitled to life and all its blessings, not being aware of the sins which disqualified me for the favor of Heaven (Preacher’s homiletical) “For without the law sin is dead” dead in respect of all power to condemn, and in respect of its inability to stir up the alarms of condemnation: and as to its power of seducing or enslaving you by means of a remorse or terror. It is because the sinner is thus without the law that he sees not the danger of his condition. And thus it is that it is so highly important when the Spirit lends His efficacy to the Divine law--when he thereby arouses the careless sinner out of his lethargies, and persuades him to flee for refuge to the hope set before him. Sin lies concealed in man, however fair and refined he may appear to the world. The law brings to light sin, and is not its parent nor in any sense responsible for its existence. The function of the law is to reveal and expose sin, as the office of the sun is to bring to light the dust and dirt which existed, but escaped notice before its rays entered the apartment. (C. Neil, M. A.) It is easy to have the law and yet to be without it, which is the case of most. An unawakened man has the law in his hand; he reads it: an awakened man has it in his conscience; he feels it: a regenerate man has it in his heart; he loves it.
Sin dead, and put to death, two different things; it is dead in the unawakened, but put to death in the believer. Sin never has more power over a man than when dead in him, is never less dead than when it appears or is felt to be so. It has to be aroused into life before it is actually put to death. Dead in the soul, it shows that the soul is dead in sin. Sin was alive in the Publican, but dead in the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14). It must be roused to life and slain here, or live forever hereafter (Robinson). . How many people can lie in the way of slander, in the way of suspicion, and still sleep at night as if they were as innocent as babes. Such people are dead in trespasses and sins. You run a pin into your body and you scream, because it is a live body. And so, while conscience is alive, the thrust of a wicked thought through it causes exquisite torture. But when one can lie, and steal, and be drunken--when these barbed iniquities can be driven day by day into the very center of a man’s life, and conscience receives the stab without a spasm--then is it dead.(Murry). Apart from the Law, sin is dead. It lies dormant until its exposed to the Law. If you have no rules and you have no laws, you have no way to define sin (Mc Arthur)
Catalyst that Uncovered Sin sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment Gk sin is the corrupt passions, inclinations, and desires of the mind itself, Gk aphorme seizing an opportunity, taking occasion - a place from which a movement or attack is made, a base of operations -metaph. that by which endeavor is excited and from which it goes forth -that which gives occasion and supplies matter for an undertaking, the incentive -. The word properly denotes any material, or preparation, for accomplishing anything; then any opportunity, occasion, etc. of doing it. Here it means that the law was the exciting cause of sin; or was that which called the sinful principle of the heart into exercise. The fruit presented to Eve was the exciting cause of sin; the wedge of gold to Achan excited his covetousness. Had not these objects been presented, the evil principles of the heart might have slumbered, and never have been called forth. And hence no men understand the full force of their native propensities until some object is presented that calls them forth into decided action. The occasion which called these forth in the mind of Paul was the law crossing his path, and irritating and exciting the native strong inclinations of the mind. (Barnes). So law enlightens conscience, casts its glare into the innermost recesses of the whited sepulcher, and discovers a dead soul. (Illustrator). Evil often sleeps in the soul, until the holy command of God is discovered, and then the enmity of the carnal mind rouses itself to oppose in every way the will of God. “Without the law,” says Paul, “sin was dead.” How vain to hope for salvation from the law, when through the perversity of sin it provokes our evil hearts to rebellion, and works in us neither repentance nor love. (Spurgeon.) Just as a mirror is not an enemy to the ugly man, because it shows him his very self in all his ugliness, and just as a medical man is not an enemy to the sick man, because he shows him his sickness, for the medical man is not the cause of the sickness nor is the mirror the cause of the ugliness, so God is not the cause of the sickness of our sin or its ugliness, because He shows it to us in the mirror of His Word and by the Physician Christ, who came to show us our sins and to heal them for us. (T. H. Leary, D. C. L.)
The law shows sin in its true character. Sin is in its nature opposition to God and His law. The presence of the law, therefore, is the occasion for sin to act. Corruption arouses itself to resist the law which opposes it. (Robinson). Many a precious soul splits upon the rock of salvation; and the same word which to some is an occasion of life unto life is to others an occasion of death unto death. The same sun that makes the garden of flowers more fragrant makes the dunghill more noisome; the same heat that softens wax hardens (henry). Sin uses the law as a fulcrum to move our resistance and produce the result that it was anxious to produce (Jones)
Consequence upon the Sinner produced in me all kinds of covetousness
Wrought in me. Produced or worked in me. The word used here means often to operate in a powerful and efficacious manner. (Doddridge.) Sin is so strong that it can even use God’s own Holy Law to its own end. Even God’s law could not resist it. (Jones) All manner of. Greek, "All desire." Every species of unlawful desire. It was not confined to one single desire, but extended to everything which the law declared to be wrong. All kinds both as to kind and degree. The heart is like a neglected garden full of all sorts of weeds. Lust may shrink into a dwarf or swell into a giant. Covetousness and lust are hydras, monsters with many heads. Gk epithumia covetousness -Unlawful or irregular desire. Inclination for unlawful enjoyments (Rom 7:7). This came about through opposition by law to the desires and passions of the unregenerate which tends to inflame and exasperate them. This is the case with regard to sin in every form. An attempt to restrain it by force; to denounce it by laws and penalties; to cross the path of wickedness; only tends to irritate, and to excite into living energy, that which otherwise would be dormant in the bosom. This it does, because it crosses the path of the sinner, and opposes his intention, and the current of his feelings and his life (Barnes). Restraint by law rouses the mad passions; urges to greater deeds of depravity; makes the sinner stubborn, obstinate, and more desperate. The very attempt to set up authority over him throws him into a posture of resistance. This is particularly true in regard to a sinner. He is calm often, and apparently tranquil; but let the law of God be brought home to his conscience, and he becomes maddened and enraged. He spurns its authority, yet his conscience tells him it is right; he attempts to throw it off, yet trembles at its power; and, to show his independence, or his purpose to sin, he plunges into iniquity, and becomes a more dreadful and obstinate sinner. It becomes a struggle for victory, and in the controversy with God he resolves not to be overcome. This behavior is often a very certain indication that a man is under conviction for sin when he becomes particularly violent, and abusive, and outrageous in his opposition to God (Barnes). When anything is forbidden by God's law, there is a natural tendency in the heart of fallen man to desire all the more strongly to do it. By a mysterious perversity of the human heart an object forbidden engages his more lively attention; it becomes in his sight more attractive; he is deceived by its seeming desirableness; he resents the restraint imposed upon his desires; his sinfulness assumes a rebellious form. This attractiveness of forbidden objects creates the desire to do what is forbidden because it is forbidden (Preacher’s Homiletical) Or, “covetousness.” The very fact that God said to us, “Do it not,” wrought upon our nature so that we wanted to do it, and that which God commanded, which was a matter of indifference to us while we were in ignorance of his will, became, by reason of the depravity of our hearts, a thing to be resisted just because he had enjoined it upon us. Ah, me! What wicked hearts are ours that fetch evil even out of good! (Spurgeon).
Already in the heart evil desire is excited by the law which forbids it. Weeds seeming dead in winter shoot up in the warmth of spring
It isn't the Law that produces the coveting. It is sin that does it. Sin is the culprit, not the Law. The Law does a good thing. It reveals sin. That drives us to salvation and sanctification. The Law does another good thing, it aggravates sin that is it makes us aware, more aware of our sin. The villain here is not the Law, the villain is sin, that is indwelling sin in our flesh If you don't have any Law, then you're not alive to sin. Sin is not alive, that is it's not a reality in your life. It's only when the Law comes that you know clearly what sin is. And then when the Law does come, sin is multiplied. Once you understand that coveting is a sin, once you understand that God forbids us to covet, then you begin to look at that Law in the light of your own life, you begin to see coveting here and coveting there, and then and now and all over the place. The Law reveals the extent of your coveting, the extent of your sinfulness and even goes so far as to incite or aggravate the sin. But, you see, this is a good thing because this begins to expose us to the disastrous condition that we are in.
(Mc Arthur).
The law awakens our conscience to sin, and so prepares the way for the introduction of the gospel
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