Skip to main content

Romans 7:8: But Sin, Seizing An Opportunity Through The Commandment, Produced In Me All Kinds Of Covetousness


Romans 7:8
[8] But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. (ESV)

I love bonfires. There is nothing like a cool crisp fall day in New England with a bonfire roaring outside at night. Truth be told I should probably not be allowed anywhere near flames. I am accident prone and I do not always follow proper fire safety guidelines. I want the fire to be big and I want it to be big right now.

What do you do when you want a fire to get larger? Some foolish people like myself apply gasoline to a fire. Consider a smoldering pile of coals when wood soaked in gasoline is applied. Not only are you going to have a large fire, you are going to have it immediately. I do not recommend that anyone try my methods.

Paul is telling us that sin is kind of like my picture of smoldering coals. Sin lies dormant, until the Law is applied. The Law is like gasoline. It fuels the fire of our rebellious heart. We may have had a sinful nature. We may have been okay with covetousness. But now that the Law condemns it our desire to covet is inflamed and we go full throttle to pursue our sinful desire.

So what is the solution? To curb the desire to sin should we add more of the Law? That is what many people do. Does it work? No! It produces more sin. We need someone to come along and extinguish the flame of our sinful nature. That person is Jesus Christ. He is able to give us a new nature that is endued with his perfect righteousness.

Do you want to walk in righteousness? Pursue Christ, not the Law. His precious Holy Spirit will be your help in the midst of temptation.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co