Why does Paul describe the law as good yet leading to death in Romans 7:13? Romans 7:13 – The Text in View “Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.” Immediate Context (Romans 7:7-25) Paul has just declared, “The law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good” (v. 12). He then speaks autobiographically, describing how the same law that reveals God’s will simultaneously reveals the depth of human corruption. Romans 8 will resolve the tension in Christ; Romans 7 explains the tension in Adam. Terminology: “Good,” “Death,” and “Sin” • Good (καλός) – intrinsically excellent, beneficial, reflecting God’s moral character. • Death (θάνατος) – not annihilation but separation: spiritually from God now (Ephesians 2:1), physically in time (Genesis 3:19), eternally if unredeemed (Revelation 20:14). • Sin (ἁμαρτία) – not merely acts but a power that indwells fallen humanity (Romans 7:17). The Divine Origin and Moral Excellence of the Law Because God is good (Psalm 119:68), whatever issues from Him is good. The Torah was “written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18) and “perfect, reviving the soul” (Psalm 19:7). Discovery of the Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls (7th century BC) preserving the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) demonstrates textual stability stretching back to the First Temple era, underscoring that Paul’s positive appraisal of the law rests on historically stable documents. The Law as Diagnostic Mirror “Through the law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:20). Just as an MRI accurately reveals a tumor it cannot remove, the law accurately reveals sin it cannot pardon. Behavioral studies repeatedly verify that bringing a previously unknown standard to an individual’s awareness increases the perception of personal failure—an empirical echo of Paul’s doctrine. Sin’s Hijacking of the Law “Sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire” (Romans 7:8). The problem is not the scalpel but the infection that weaponizes it. Genesis 3 offers the prototype: a single prohibition occasions the serpent’s assault, and death invades an otherwise “very good” (Genesis 1:31) creation. Holy Instrument, Deadly Outcome—A Theological Paradox 1. The law is holy. 2. The sinner is unholy. 3. Contact between holiness and unholiness brings judgment (e.g., Leviticus 10:1-2; 2 Samuel 6:6-7). Thus, what is good to the holy becomes deadly to the unholy, not because the good is toxic but because the unholy cannot survive holiness unmediated. Redemptive-Historical Purpose: Driving the Sinner to Christ “The law was our guardian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). The law leads to death to strip the sinner of self-reliance, preparing him to grasp the life offered in the resurrected Christ (Romans 8:1-4). Historically, first-century resurrection claims are supported by multiple independent sources (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 2-3), early creedal material dated within months of the event, and attested by manuscripts such as P46 (AD 175-225). Old Testament Precedent: Life and Death Set Before Israel Deuteronomy 30:15-20 shows the motif: “I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.” The intrinsic goodness of the law and the potential for death exist side by side; covenant blessings or curses flow from the human response, not from any defect in the law. Second-Temple Jewish Awareness Intertestamental literature (e.g., 4 Ezra 7) laments that the law, though perfect, results in condemnation because of human inability. Paul’s analysis is therefore thoroughly Jewish, not a later Christian innovation. Christ’s Resurrection—The Answer to Death Produced by the Law The “minimal facts” approach confirms: 1. Jesus died by crucifixion. 2. His disciples genuinely believed He rose. 3. Paul the persecutor converted after claimed appearance. 4. James the skeptic converted. 5. The tomb was empty. Only the bodily resurrection accounts for all data. Thus the death the law exposes is swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Practical Implications 1. For the unbeliever: the moral law you know by nature (Romans 2:14-15) is sufficient to convict but powerless to save. Flee to Christ who fulfilled the law and conquered death. 2. For the believer: delight in the law as God’s character while trusting the Spirit for the power the flesh lacks (Romans 8:4). Summary Paul calls the law “good” because it perfectly expresses God’s will; he says it “produces death” because sinful humanity cannot meet its demands. The fault lies not in the law but in us. By exposing sin, the law drives us to the crucified and risen Christ, who alone provides life. |
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