Romans 7:13, commentary and pictures

What is good was not made death to the sinner, but sin takes what is good, the commandment, as its occasion to deceive the carnal mind and work death in it. By working death through what is good, sin is exposed for what it is, and by the commandment is shown to be hateful and extreme in evil, exceeding sinful. The law itself remains holy, just, good and spiritual, ordained to life to those who obey it, while man in himself is carnal and sold under sin. The law gives knowledge of sin and condemns the transgressor, but it has no saving power in itself to remove guilt or pardon, so as a schoolmaster it reveals the sinner's need and leads the repentant sinner to Christ for complete pardon and for moral power to keep it and live. As sinners draw nearer to Christ and fix their eyes on His perfect purity, sin becomes exceeding sinful to them, bringing thorough humiliation, confession, dying to self, and repentance unto transformation of character.

What the Verse Says

What is good was not made death to the sinner, for the good and holy commandment does not cause death but sin uses what is good as its occasion to deceive and to work death in the carnal mind. Sin is the transgression of the law, and it produces death by using the good law in order to bring death upon the transgressor. By working death through what is good, sin is exposed for what it is as sin, and by the commandment it is shown to be hateful and grievous and extreme in evil and exceeding sinful. The commandment makes the exceeding sinfulness plain and makes its evil appear extreme by means of the commandment while itself remaining holy and just and good.

The question is asked for human benefit to expose the true sinfulness of sin. Paul himself saw sin as exceeding sinful, as God sees it, and recognized sin in its true character as exceedingly sinful. God's Spirit impresses the heart so that a person can recognize sin as Paul did and see need of mercy. Those guilty of grave sins often do not yet see their sins as God sees them, but God bears with them and His Spirit will yet impress their hearts so that sin appears to them as it appeared to Paul.

The commandment does not make a person sinful, does not cause sin or moral failure or bring pardon, and does not make sin good. The good law does not cause death but reveals how sinful sin is, exposing sin for what it is and making its extreme sinfulness plain while remaining holy and just and good. Its exposure of sin is not a reason to reject it or abolish it, to disregard it as null, or to treat belief in Christ as making it unnecessary. If sin is made to appear less than exceedingly sinful, people are deceived into disregarding the law and treating it as null, as though belief in Christ made the law unnecessary.

Holiness and Reach of Law

The commandment remains holy and just and good and spiritual, while man in himself is carnal, sold under sin, and therefore it deserves honor and obedience and lays men under obligation to God. What is good was not made death, but sin working death by what is good uses the commandment as its occasion, so that sin might appear as sin and by the commandment might become exceeding sinful, exposing its hateful and grievous and extreme evil. The question is asked for human benefit to expose the true sinfulness of sin, and its exposure of sin is no reason to reject or abolish or disregard it. The law is ordained to life and is a law of life and not of death to those who obey its precepts, so no one who believes in Jesus Christ is under bondage to it. It condemns the transgressor unless that person repents and returns to loyalty to God, and its spiritual reach exposes sin in thoughts and words and desires, leading a person to recognize guilt and the need for the sinful life to die.

The law is broad in its requirements, prohibiting every evil thing and demanding perfect obedience. It reaches beyond outward conduct to thoughts and feelings and words and desires and designs of the soul, requiring the soul itself to be pure and the mind holy and all thoughts and feelings to be in accordance with love and righteousness. By its light men see themselves guilty before God, and it produces conviction of sin in everyone sensible of having transgressed it, making men feel guilty over wrong thoughts and desires and designs. Even the least departure from truth and justice transgresses God's law, whose principles cannot change without changing God's nature. Repeated indulgence in small sins makes wrongdoing seem ordinary and sin seem less serious, but every transgression is recorded and can bring exclusion from God's kingdom, regardless of whether the person who commits it is wealthy or poor.

As a divine mirror and standard and detector of sin, the law gives knowledge of sin and makes its true evil plain. It does not cause sin or bring pardon, but reveals how sinful sin is and exposes sin and leads the sinner to repentance and faith in Christ for complete pardon. The death penalty upholds the law as holy and just and good, makes sin appear exceedingly sinful, and maintains the honor and authority of God. Christ bore sin's guilt and its just penalty, thereby upholding and honoring the law while securing eternal life for humanity.

Conviction Leading to Christ

The good law does not cause death, for sin uses what is good to work death and thereby exposes its own hateful and grievous character as exceedingly sinful. The law is holy, just, and good, ordained to life for those who obey, yet it condemns sin in the flesh and brings conviction to everyone sensible of having transgressed it. Its spiritual reach lays bare sin in thoughts, words, and desires, leading the guilty to recognize the need for the sinful life to die. There is no saving power in the law itself, and it cannot remove guilt or pardon the transgressor, so condemnation remains unless the sinner repents, returns to loyalty to God, and is saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

As a divine mirror and standard the law gives knowledge of sin and makes its true evil plain, but it does not bring pardon. As a schoolmaster it reveals the sinner's need of Christ, the remedy for sin, and leads the repentant sinner to acknowledge that need. Repentance alone is not enough, for the convicted one must look beyond repentance to Christ for complete pardon.

All who grasp the spirituality of the law and its power as a detector of sin are in as helpless a condition as Satan himself unless they accept the atonement provided in the remedial sacrifice of Jesus Christ for at-one-ment with God. The law is a law of life, not of death, to those who obey its precepts, and no one who believes in Jesus Christ is under bondage to it. Through faith in Christ and His imputed righteousness, obedience to every principle of the law is made possible, giving moral power to keep the commandments and live.

The truth reveals sin's enormity to the heart and leads to thorough, sincere repentance. The word of truth by divine grace makes sin appear in its true sinfulness and enormity, and when the truth takes possession of the will it makes an impression on the heart that brings thorough and sincere repentance and transformation of character.

This convicting and converting power is greatest where the truth has never been proclaimed and hearts have not before seen the enormity of sin. It has little power on those who are familiar with the truth yet walk contrary to it for advantage and give no evidence of being sanctified by it.

Seeing Sin as Exceeding Sinful

Those who are truly sanctified recognize sin in its true character as exceeding sinful, and those who resist daily temptation, battle sinful tendencies, and seek holiness of heart and life see it that way, rather than treating happy feelings or strong emotion as evidence of sanctification. True sanctification is not strong emotion, instantaneous sanctification, or a boastful claim of living without sin, but a daily work continuing as long as life lasts, and those in that work make no boastful claims of holiness but hunger and thirst for righteousness. As God's people draw nearer to Christ and fix their eyes on His perfect purity, they see sin more clearly, and as the convicted sinner looks at sin in the light of Christ as sympathetic, compassionate Redeemer, sin becomes to him exceeding sinful, with new virtues revealed in character as men and women become strong in sustaining power to resist evil, deny self, lift the cross following where Christ leads, and wonder that they did not come to Christ before.

That clearer sight brings being thoroughly humbled under a sense of guilt, sorrow over wrongdoing, humility before God, confession, dying to self, and having self crucified, and it is evidence of recovering character lost through sin, while meekness and lowliness are conditions of victory and a crown of glory awaits those who bow at the foot of the cross. The law must be written in mind and heart and brought home to the conscience so that sin is seen in its exceeding sinfulness, and when the test comes and a man refuses to obey and refuses to deny self and take up the cross, it proves his heart is unregenerate whatever his outward conduct or profession of truth may be, so that until self is crucified he cannot know what spiritual holiness is or be prepared for the coming of the Lord. A heart that has not been humbled under a sense of guilt remains ruled by selfishness, so its good desires and religious profession are only superficial. God's Spirit impresses the heart so a person can recognize sin in its true character as Paul did, helping people see their own need of mercy and respond with compassion toward others who have sinned.

Sin is exceedingly sinful and must never be esteemed a light thing, but familiarity with sin and evil, indulgence of appetite, repeated wrongdoing, following impulses of a corrupt heart, abuse of conscience, and corrupt habits can dull the senses and the conscience until sin no longer appears so sinful, wicked, or evil. The good law does not make death, but sin uses what is good to produce death and thereby is exposed as sin, and sin becomes exceeding sinful when its true character is seen, yet to minds made familiar with crime and vice through repeated exposure it no longer appears so. To look at sin from the worldling's standpoint and take counsel of inclination and conclude that one is about right after all is a wrong view that works great mischief, causing mistaking of true character and relation to God, encouraging false hopes, and paralyzing exertion and effort in the right direction through the deceitfulness of sin.

John guarded his conscience and moral discernment from corrupting influences, avoiding constant contact with sin, corrupting conversation, and surroundings that would dull his sense of how sinful sin is and of God, lest through familiarity evil no longer appear as wicked as it is. When people are not taught that yielding to evil traits is sinful, those traits may not appear to them as deeply sinful as they are, and those bound in Satan's bewitching snares do not see sin in its true sinfulness but, even when testimony after testimony is borne to them and acknowledged, have no strength to break the spell and flatter themselves that their course is not so wrong after all. One man, Brother Dennis, had never yet seen how sinful sin is, and those guilty of grave sins often do not yet see their sins as God sees them, but God bears with them and His Spirit will yet impress their hearts so sin appears to them as it appeared to Paul, exceedingly sinful, and therefore erring sinners should be fellowshipped, pitied, and borne with rather than having confidence destroyed in them or being judged and condemned.

Duty to Reprove and Repent

Sin must be made to appear exceeding sinful and disgusting by clearly reproving wrong, while the sinner is treated with patience, love, pity, and tenderness, since tolerating wrongdoing can lead the wrongdoer to dismiss needed reproof and obscure the seriousness of sin. When wrong is seen but not reproved, when sympathy is given to the wrongdoer and suspicion is held toward right dealing, and when a low standard makes the wrong seem small and zeal for God's cause is lacking, sin does not appear exceeding sinful, and those who in this way stand aloof and refuse to rebuke wrong become partakers in the sin. Presenting lessons on prevailing vices and purity of character from a pure, sanctified heart in an elevating manner makes sin appear exceeding sinful and disgusting, while speaking of the same subjects in the wrong way creates lustful thoughts in listeners which lead to lustful practices.

The holiness of God's Word, commandments, injunctions, and requirements exposes sin as exceeding sinful, and to present sin in a light where it is not so regarded denies that holiness, prefers wider scope for selfish indulgence, and trains souls in ungodliness. Those who claim to be Bible Christians, shepherds who must watch for souls as they that must give an account, and other men in responsible positions of trust are guilty when by free, loose conduct and unsanctified will they make self supreme, find God's requirements irksome, and give a misleading example that leads others astray from the right path instead of watching the Pattern, imitating the holy example of Jesus, and repressing unholy practices and plans. Sin does not become less offensive because of the position of the person committing it, and when ministers sin their office makes it more exceedingly sinful, because by sinning they become ministers of sin and agents through whom Satan can perpetuate it.

When a person is sanctified through believing the truth, sin appears exceeding sinful in the sinfulness of past life, bringing thorough humiliation, confession of wrongs to the one wronged, even a former wife, and thorough work in undoing past wrongs, while without this a person excuses himself, passes over sins of magnitude as small items not worth noticing, and deceives others into thinking he is worthy and has been abused. The law must be written in mind and heart and brought home to the conscience so that sin is seen in its exceeding sinfulness, and when the test comes and a man refuses to obey and refuses to deny self and take up the cross, it proves his heart is unregenerate whatever his outward conduct or profession of truth may be, and until self is crucified he cannot know what spiritual holiness is or be prepared for the coming of the Lord. A heart that has not been humbled under a sense of guilt at seeing sin's true sinfulness remains ruled by selfishness, so its good desires and religious profession are only superficial.

When convicted, a sinner sees the need to overcome faults and bring appetites and passions under God's will, and through repentance and Christ's sustaining grace and sustaining power strives against sin, becomes strong to resist evil, denies self and lifts the cross following where Christ leads, wonders that he did not come to Christ before, grows in character, and has new virtues revealed. Familiarity with sin and indulgence of appetite dull the senses so many fail to recognize its true nature, and those who do not walk in the light fail to see the sinfulness of their own natures, so walking in the light and obeying God's commandments requires continued progress. Those guilty of grave sins often do not yet see their sins as God sees them, but God bears with them and His Spirit will yet impress their hearts so sin appears to them exceeding sinful as it appeared to Paul, and therefore brethren should fellowship, pity, and forbear with erring sinners rather than destroy confidence in them or judge and condemn them.