Romans 7: 8-11 - But sin, seizing the
opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous
desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from
law;
but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was
intended to bring life actually brought death.
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived
me, and through the commandment put me to death.
Paul uses a
number of phrases in this section that, on the surface, seem to indicate that
Paul was spiritually alive and without sin before the coming of the Law:
Romans 7: 8 - For apart from law, sin
is dead.
Romans 7: 9a - Once I was alive apart
from law
Romans 7: 9b - When the commandment
came, sin sprang to life and I died
Yet we know that
this is not the case! Paul has already made it clear that the Gentiles, who did
not have the Law, are still guilty of sin (Romans
So what does Paul
mean when he uses these kinds of phrases?
Romans 7: 8 - For apart from law, sin
is dead.
Romans 7: 9a - Once I was alive apart
from law
Romans 7: 9b - When the commandment
came, sin sprang to life and I died
Paul was alive
apart from the Law in the sense that that was how he viewed himself before the
Law exposed his guilt and made him realize that he was spiritually dead.