Peter gives us a warning about the writings of Paul.....and for a very good reason. Paul's writings are HARD to understand.
Let's look at Romans Chapter 7:
Rom.7
[7] What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Right from the start what does Paul ask us to consider? Are the laws of God bad? And what does he tell us? NO!!! He then goes on to say....if it were not for the laws of God he would not have known that it was wrong to covet.
Now readers....do you believe Paul stopped reading at this one law of do not covet? Of course not! Paul was a student of God's word. He knew ALL of God's laws. So NO....he did not stop at "Do not covet.". Let's continue with chap. 7;
[8] But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
Above Paul tells us that because of the knowledge of God's laws, this knowledge made him aware of all manner of lustful desires. For before Paul knew God's laws....sin was dead to him. He didn't know that what he was doing was wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Let's continue.....
[9] For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Above Paul tells us that we was alive without God's laws. Now what do you think he meant? He meant the same thing and felt the same way we all did before knowing that certain actions were wrong in the eyes of God. We thought we were alive and living it up. Doing what we wanted, when we wanted and not having to give account to anyone.
But what happened when Paul became aware of God's laws? What happened when the "...commandment came..."? Sin was made know to him. When he read that it was wrong to covet....that old Paul...the one that was living it up had to die. The LAW did NOT die. The old man....the man that was living it up had to die. Paul did NOT die to the law. God's laws made Paul aware that what he was doing was wrong and that old Paul is the one that died. Let's read more....
[10] And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
Readers....please take note to what Paul says above. Let's read it closely again;
"And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death."
Paul tells us that God's laws were ordained to LIFE. Now what life could Paul be speaking of? He was already alive! The life that the laws would give, if kept, was ETERNAL LIFE! That is what God's laws give to those that keep them. We have proof of this throughout the entire bible. Keeping God's laws could give not only eternal life....but doing as God commands could also give physical life. Consider the days of Noah. Consider the punishment of Sodom. Consider the nation of Israel.
And of course we know what Jesus tells us gives life eternal; Keeping God's commandments. Let's prove this with scripture;
Rev.22
[14] Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Keeping the laws and commandments of God allows entrance into His kingdom. Now let's continue to what else happened to Paul when God's commandments were made known to him;
"...I found to be unto death."
And what was it that died? Again.....Paul already told us. It was that old Paul that died. Once Paul became aware of God's laws and the knowledge of sin...that old Paul...the one, just like us, that was living it up had to die. Paul could not go on serving 2 masters. Either he had to serve God or serve sin. Paul chose to serve God and obey His laws. Let's continue....
[12] Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
Again Paul tells us that God's laws are HOLY, JUST and GOOD! How could it be that such laws were nailed to Christ's cross? How could these laws that Paul says, were ordained to give life, no longer be needed or kept?
[13] Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
Paul presents us with another question. He asks... Could that which was good, speaking of God's laws, cause him to die? Could keeping God's laws cause Paul to die? Again he tells us NO! But what was it that caused death in Paul? Knowing what sin was and that he could not continue therein caused him to die. Not only that...but now having the knowledge of God's laws made sin appear even MORE sinful.
Readers.....Paul did NOT die to the law. We are NOT dead to God's laws. The knowledge of God's laws brings about death to the old Paul....to the old US.
God's laws are ordained to life....life ETERNAL!
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I guess the first question to consider is which law Paul is saying we die to as Christians. It is helpful to read the three verses prior to 7-13 that you have quoted of Rom ch7:
So my brothers, you also died to the law so that you might live for another, to him who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God.
For when we were controlled by our sinful nature, the sinfull passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies so that we bore fruit for death
But now, by dying to what once bound us we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
It is intersting to note in the above that a person must die to a righteousness of law in order to bear fruit for God. The question then is, which law does a person die to.?
In the next five verses Paul gives a personal example from his own life as to why he had to die to the law:
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Nay, I had not known sin but by the law: for I had not known lust except the law had said,
Thou shalt not covet.
But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
For I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came(one of the Ten Commandments) sin revived and I died.
And the commanndment which was ordained to life I found to be unto death
For sin, taking occasion by the commandmnet decieved me, and by in slew me.
Sol Paul is saying a person dies to the whole law.
Paul says that he had not know sin but by the law, but when the commandment came, sin took occasion by it to produce all kinds of concupiscence in Paul. Because of this, Paul felt condemned.
How could sin use the law to make Paul feel condemned?
We all have a basic sinful nature. Once we know according to the good and Holy laws of God what God requires, then, our natural sinful nature is stirred into life to rebel and disobey the good and Holy laws of God, as a child will find excitement in breaking the good rules a loving parent gives them, it is basic human nature to do so, to express itself in opposition to what is good.
But, if the rules/laws have no power over a person(they cannot condemn them), this cannot then happen, sins power is weakened in a believers life, for the power of sin is the law 1Cor15:56
Thus as Paul stated
For sin shall not be your master, for you are not under law but under grace
Rom6:14
