Romans 7:7 - Is the Law sin?

7:7

We now come to the part where Paul talks about how this works out in our experience. There are arguments about whether Paul was talking about his pre-Christian or post-Conversion experience, or even whether he is talking about himself at all. I think these sorts of questions are looking for a much more clear-cut answer than is justified. Those who argue for it being pre-Christian refer to places where Paul has said we are free from sin etc. However, this puts an interpretation on such verses which is not valid. Paul does not teach sinless perfectionism. No Christian I know, and definitely not myself, is completely free from sin. Moreover, the Bible teaches that we will continue to sin. For instance, in the Lord’s prayer Jesus teaches us to pray “forgives us our sins ...” At the same time if there is no change in our lives, then one must doubt the reality of our conversion. There is the old “now but not yet” conundrum. We experience something of the reality of the gospel now, something of eternal life now, but there is far more to come. So drawing sharp distinctions is not that helpful. Moreover, Paul’s purpose is not to give a personal testimony as such, but to enable his readers to understand the nature of the battle we face, how sin works, and how to overcome through the Spirit.

So Paul has been saying that the Law cannot set us free, rather the Law aroused sin. So is the Law sin? Is the Law a bad thing? Paul’s answer is an emphatic “By no means!” Instead the Law told us what sin is, what is sinful. Paul then uses the particular example of coveting. When we are told we cannot have something or cannot do something, then a natural reaction is to want it all the more, or to want to do the forbidden thing.