06/24/2026
Romans 7:1-25
A pastor in Iowa once told me this story. A town decided to put up a speed camera on the highway through town because people were going too fast. There was a two-month grace period where speeds were recorded but fines were not issued. The speeding violations were published in the local paper. During that two-month period, kids in town started a competition to see who could get the top recorded speed in the paper. And suddenly, they had a much bigger problem on their hands than before!
To be a sinner is to live in rebellion against God’s authority, which means that the Law of God serves to awaken sin in us, just like that speed camera awakened some unwanted behavior in those kids. Paul reflects on this in Romans 7. He sees that the Law has the opposite effect that God desires. God gives the Law to teach us righteousness, and yet, it serves to awaken sin. As Paul writes, “I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.” The Law exposed Paul’s sinful nature, because as soon as the commandment was given, Paul rebelled against it.
All of us live with that struggle. We know that the Law of God is good. We even know that it is simple enough that we should be able to keep it. But our sinful nature is exposed because even though we agree that the Law is good and that we should keep it, we rebel against it. So we all have reason to agonize with Paul and practice daily repentance. But sin is put off in death. As Paul says in another place, “Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Amen.
