Romans
7:13 (HCSB) Therefore, did what is good
cause my death? Absolutely not! On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized
as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the
commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.
Do you see
why verse 13 is considered to be a transition between the two major parts of
this passage? Verses 7-12 had a main focus on the goodness of usefulness of the
Mosaic Law, ending with a strong defense of its holiness and righteousness all
the while acknowledging that sin was strengthened by that law. Many Bibles have
a subject heading for verses 13-25 something like The Problem with Sin in Us,
which is what the Holman uses. The question in verse 13 answers the question of
verse 7 but this verse also ties strongly to the discussion about sin in the
following verses. It acts like a bridge tying these two paragraphs together.
Christians
are in the New Covenant, not the Old and are such by the judicial declaration
of Creator God – imputed righteousness that results in “good works;” yet still
and always, to one degree or another, entangled by sin. But we are free in
Christ from the slave master of sin and we are identified with Him, not with
our flesh or the sin that once ruled us with an iron fist. Let me challenge us
to think of this passage as describing Paul and his kinsmen of the flesh as he
and some of them struggled with yoke that was too heavy for any man to bear (in
Acts 15 this phrase refers to the Judaizers’ demand that Christians be
circumcised and keep the Law of Moses); knowing that our own experience
reflects some of this same struggle against the powers of darkness.
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