“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 7:13
Paul asks a piercing question in Romans 7:13: “Has then what is good become death to me?” He’s speaking of the law—God’s holy standard. Is the law the reason we’re condemned? Absolutely not. The law isn’t the culprit; sin is. The law is like a forensic light in a crime scene—it doesn’t create the mess, it reveals it. “By the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). It exposes what’s already there, hidden in the corners of our hearts. And that exposure is a gift. It’s the first step toward healing. Paul says, “Sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good.” The law shows us our need for a Savior by revealing the sin we cannot escape on our own.
But here’s the deeper truth: the law doesn’t just expose sin—it awakens it. Tell a child not to touch the cookie jar, and suddenly that jar becomes irresistible. That’s the nature of sin. When God’s law forbids something, our flesh wants it more. The law stirs up dormant desires, not because it’s evil, but because we are. And the more we try to resist in our own strength, the more we fail. That failure brings us to despair—not to destroy us, but to strip us of self-reliance. Galatians 3:24 says, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” The law leads us to the end of ourselves so we can reach for the One who can save us.
This struggle Paul describes isn’t the cry of a lost man—it’s the groan of a believer awakened to the battle within. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25). If you feel the weight of sin, take heart—it means you’re alive in Christ. The Spirit has awakened you. You grieve when you sin, you long to grow, you desire to please God. That sensitivity is proof of life. Believers don’t run from the struggle—we run through it to Jesus. Let the law do its work. Let it drive you to grace. Let it strip away self-righteousness and stir up holy dependence. The law produces death in us—not to destroy us, but to lead us to life in Him.
“A young man mockingly said to a preacher, “You say that unsaved people carry a weight of sin. But preacher, I feel nothing. How heavy is sin if I cannot feel the weight of it?” The preacher thought about it and then replied, “If you laid 100lb weight on a corpse, would it feel anything?” The young man replied, “of course not, it’s dead.” The preacher replied, “the person who does not know Christ is equally dead. And although the weight of sin and hell is great, that person feels nothing.” – Echoes of Grace: 1979
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