91: The Law Is Holy, Just, and Good

I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. (Romans 7:9-13)¹

The power of sin is deceitful and uses the law to try to kill us. How does it “kill” us? Guilt, shame, burn-out, depression, sickness, and death! Yes, the commandment is holy, but it cannot make us holy. It is just, but it cannot justify us. The commandment is good, but it cannot make us good. Only Jesus can make us holy and justify us and give us goodness. The law can only condemn and curse us and give us heavy burdens.

The law itself isn’t sinful. Law-haters, known as antinomians, have been misinterpreting the Scriptures since the days of the early church by saying that the law is evil and people can just go about living any way they want. Paul corrects this heresy by declaring the law to be holy, righteous, and good. The law in its intended severity shows how terrible sin is. So there’s nothing wrong with the law by itself, but when combined with human effort, the results are always failure.

(from pages 153-154 of Unveiling Jesus)

Want more from Tricia Gunn? Check out excerpts from the Unveiling Jesus 20-part series!

Unveiling Jesus, by Tricia Gunn, is a verse by verse study of the pure gospel of grace. It’s an amazing journey of love, identity, and freedom in Christ.

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¹Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.  Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.  Used by permission.