Is God's Law Sin? (Part 2)

There are many professing Christians who would consider God's law as sin!  The apostle Paul in Romans 7:7 asked the question, "That the law is sin?" And also his response to his own question, "By no means! The purpose of the God's law was to reveal sin that it might become exceedingly sinful. The law does not saved, but, it reveals to many of us whenever we look into the mirror of God's law. There are people in the world today that despite of what they see in the mirror concerning themselves is that they will repaint the picture so as to distort of the mirror for who they really are. They will also they did not know that what they did was wrong, but, in reality when they saw the stop sign they completely ignore the stop sign by which they did not stop at the stop sign. So the policeman stop the person who ran the stop sign and asked the person the question, "Mam do you know the reason why I stop you?" And the woman replied, "Well perhaps maybe I did not stop at the stop sign." The officer reply, "Mam you ran pass the stop sign without making a complete stop. So, now I am giving you a ticket by violating the law. As a result of you violating the law by running past the stop sign I am going to give you a traffic ticket and you will have to appear in court. By the way your ticket is $500. If you do not appear in court on the date that you are to appear the judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest." There are laws that governs our society by which it will let people know that if and when you violate traffic laws then there will be a citation. Laws does not legislate morality, but, it serves as a purpose by letting people know that whenever you are in violation of the law there are penalty for such negligence.

   The apostle Paul begins by expressing the purpose of the law by saying, "Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin." (v. 7)  Also the apostle Paul say, "...since through the law comes the knowledge of sin." Sin is a transgression or a overstepping of God's divine law. In so many words when God's Word prohibit things that we should not do, but, yet goes against what God's law says is that we have sinned against the very God of creation. 

  Even the apostle Paul further goes on to say, "For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." What does it mean for a person to covet? According to Romans 13:9 where it says, "For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not covet," For a man or a woman to covet someone else husband or wife is to prohibited by God's law as well as coveting your neighbor's house, or anything that personally belongs to your neighbor (Jer. 5:8; Matt. 5:28; [Lk. 12:15; Eph. 5:3, 5; Heb. 13:5]).  By coveting some one's husband or wife as well as your neighbor's possession is a violation of God's law.  Every man or woman should have there own wife and husband. Whenever there is a violation of the marriage bond between a man and a woman is to envision God's judgment. What God has put together let no man put asunder. 

  There are those who are do not understand God's divine law as if (1) believer's are obligated to live by the covenant that God made with Israel. That of civic and ceremonial laws by which there has to be proper application as to which laws that Christians are required to live by. Even though we as believers are no longer under the law, but, under grace is that we are required to live by God's commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matt. 19:18; [Ex. 20:13-17; Deut. 5:17-21]) Love should be the overarching theme of living by God's commandment.  We do not live by God's commandments out of fear, but sheer reverence of God's Word.  Legalism, moral plank, and sanctimoniousness is not living by God's moral law, but, is that of man's own self-righteousness (Rom. 10:1-4).  In order to have God's righteousness is through trusting Jesus Christ only for our salvation (Rom. 10:9-10). Those of us who have believe in Christ have that of the righteousness of God by which positionally we are sanctified in Christ by which we are also justified by faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:22-24).  Even though we are positionally sanctified in Christ, but, practically we are sinful. (Rom. 7:14-25)  Sanctification is the work of the Spirit working in our lives as believers to live holy lives. It is not within our own strength nor self-efforts, but, relying upon Christ to live out the life of Christ within us. (Gal. 2:20)

  Also, there are those who also boast about living perfectly by God's law, but, they find out that the very law that they so live by deceived them and through it killed them. (Rom. 7:11)  Once again the purpose of the law is to reveal sin that it might become exceedingly sinful, but, to say that God's law utterly vile and evil is unimaginable. The apostle Paul speaks of the law as good (Rom. 7:16).  The law does not saved nor does it produce such holiness and righteousness. It is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that produces such righteousness and holiness.  We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by which believers are completely justified or that of justification (Rom. 3:22-24).  We are not saved by the works of the law but by trusting in Christ's own righteousness which is through faith in Jesus Christ.

  In closing that God's law is not sin, but, that the purpose of the law is to reveal sin that it might become exceedingly sinful. (Rom. 7:7; [Rom. 3:20])  It is through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Without the law there is no knowledge of sin, but, when the law revived then we died in sin. The truly saved who are made alive by the Spirit by which we were dead in our trespasses and sin are new creatures in Christ; the old pass; the new comes (2 Cor. 5:17).  Even though we are positionally sanctified in Christ; practically we are sinful (Rom. 7:14-25).  It is through the outworking of the Spirit by which we can live a life for Christ (Gal. 2:20).  Legalism, moral plank, and sanctimoniousness does not produces holiness and righteousness, but, man's own self-righteousness (Rom. 10:1-3, 4).  

  Sin is a transgression of God's moral law (Rom. 3:23).  Whenever there is a overstepping of the boundaries of God's law is to sin against what God's Word says.  Had it not been for the law we would not have known what it is to covet (i.e. covet some one's wife, property, and possession) if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." (Rom. 13:9; Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21)  The greatest of commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matt. 19:18; [Ex. 20:13-17; Deut. 5:17-21]) To love some one's neighbor is to respect one's own neighbor by not coveting their spouse, property, and possessions. It is solely what belongs to some one's neighbor; not to covet what they have. To violate by violating what is someone else wife, property, and possessions is to violate God's law by which to envision God's judgment. By respecting your neighbors is to love your neighbor as yourself.

Rev. Darryl L. Miller, is Lead pastor of Contending for the Faith Reformed Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the president  and Chairman of "Darryl Miller International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia and travels extensively throughout the United States and continents. As a apologist, conference speaker, and lecturer he is in great demand both in the United States and around the world. Darryl lives with his wife Vivian outside of Atlanta, Georgia with their puppy "Little Baby."