79) The law is Holy and good but cannot save

Romans 7:12-13 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. (13) Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

The law is holy and righteous and good. The law did not bring death to those under the Mosaic covenant. It was the sinful nature, producing sin through what is good, that was the killer. The law showed sin to be sin and, through the sin of coveting, revealed the sins of the heart to be sinful beyond measure. External law keeping through the power of the fallen sinful human will cannot subdue the sins of the human heart. Jesus said a bad tree couldn’t bear good fruit. The heart is the problem and the law is not the solution for the fallen sinful nature of man. That is why Paul stated in verse 6 that believers are released from the law that held them captive so they can serve in the new way of the Spirit.

Focus on Christ #79