Romans 7:7: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
Scholars suggest that Paul’s personal experience of this may have taken place at about the time of his Bar Mitzvah when he became, as the term translates, “a son of the Law.” Whether before or after that time, he began to seriously reflect on the Ten Commandments, and he found that he did pretty well until he came to the Tenth which says, “You shall not covet …” As his sharp young mind grappled with the concept, he began to see that his inner life was filled with coveting. Moreover, he saw that the rest of the Ten Commandments are broken through sins which originate in coveting. 1
Paul becomes very personal in the remainder of this chapter. Notice that he uses the first person pronouns: I, me and myself; they are used forty–seven times in this section. The experience is the struggle Paul had within himself. 2
Application
- When you covet, you are actually seeking someone or something that God has not provided for you. Godliness with contentment should be what we desire.
- Why have you become dissatisfied with all that God has already given you?
Prayer
Lord, please forgive me for the sin of covetousness. I see it in me. Remove it, please!
1. Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
2. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Romans 1-8) (electronic ed., Vol. 42). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
