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NASB | Romans 7:13 ¶ Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 7:13 ¶ Did that which is good [the Law], then become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, in order that it might be revealed as sin, was producing death in me by [using] this good thing [as a weapon], so that through the commandment sin would become exceedingly sinful. |
Bible Question:
I thought of asking, “What is so bad about sin?” but I felt that some would not understand. They might think that the intent here was to trivialize sin, when the intent is quite the opposite. Nor does it bring out the full meaning, to say that sin is a bad thing. Paul says (Romans 7:13) that sin can be exceedingly sinful. That wording seems to be effective. Ray Comfort emphasizes the fact that people will not understand what it means to be saved until they understand what sin is. And in some sense it is sin that we are saved from. “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Act 10:43). The fact of sin should be emphasized, and Comfort often uses the Ten Commandments to prove the point. People come to accept the fact that they have sinned. All have sinned. Yet that very fact will lead some to say they are only normal, or human. But sin is a very bad thing, and Paul says the Law brings out the fact. But what makes sin such a bad thing? It is my hope that we discuss that here and expose the malignity and wickedness of sin. Perhaps it will help a unsaved to better understand his need of salvation. Perhaps it will help a believer to stay farther away from sin. |
Bible Answer: Sin is a dangerous thing because it is deceptive. It is a terrible thing, because it aims to destroy us and our fellow man. It is a horrible thing, because it crosses God. We should shrink back in horror that we are capable of these things. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matthew 15:19). It causes one to wonder whether that can be possibly true of one who professes to be a follower of Christ. After all, he does promise that he will take away our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17). For that reason many believers cannot abide the thought that they are still sinners. But vicious wickedness within the church forces one to ether revise his views about the sinful nature or to reduce the number of those that one looks on as saved people. In spite of our behaviors, the ones that we are proud of and the ones that we excuse, we know that neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9,10). And such were some of us: but we are washed, but we are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (11). We are now dead to these things (Galatians 2:20). How can we who are dead to sin continue therein? (Romans 6). Many Christians consider themselves to be righteous and better than others (Luke 18) but we do not remember that even our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64). We may forget that the righteousness that counts is not our own, but that which we have in Christ (Romans 4). We look down on the Pharisees, but do not realize that we are them. And no wonder, because we are blind. We see motes in the eyes of others but cannot see the beam in our own. We do not even consider that it is a sin to judge our brothers. But sin is exceedingly sinful, it is too horrible for words, because it grieves the heart of a loving God. And all sin is really against God (Psalm 51:4). We do hurt each other (Galatians 5:15) and we need forgiveness from each other (Luke 17:1-4). But we should know that when we persecute a brother, we are persecuting Christ (Acts 9:1-4). |