The Commandment and Sin

“But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.” Romans 7:8.

Everything has to do with God’s laws and commandments. This verse describes how evil desires are born. The difference between conscious and unconscious sin is clearly brought out. Religious peo­ple are in utter confusion concerning this point of sin and feeling guilty, also when it comes to interpreting Romans 7:14-25.

Romans 7:8 shows us that sin needs to have an opportunity through “a commandment” before we can be tempted to sin. If there is no commandment, there is no conscious sin, or evil desire, or feel­ing of guilt, either. For the law brings about wrath, but “where there is no law, there is no transgression.” Romans 4:15.

Our goal is to be as pure as Christ is pure. 1 John 3:3. This per­tains to both conscious and unconscious sin. Sin takes advantage of the commandment so that it becomes exceedingly sinful “through the commandment.” Romans 7:13. Nevertheless, you are pure if you consider yourself dead to sin but alive to God. Romans 6:11. Paul served in the newness of the Spirit (Romans 7:6) when he wrote about sin that has to be overcome and the laws that have to be followed in order to advance on the inner ways in Christ. 1 Corinthians 4:17.

Unconscious sin is revealed to us by the Spirit through the fear of God. If we, while serving God, hate and put to death what the Spirit reveals to us of “our self,” we will live. Romans 8:13.

Eve could be tempted when she was in the garden of Eden, be­cause she was given a commandment to obey. Genesis 3:2-3. The an­gel of the church in Laodicea was not aware of a single command­ment that pertained to his bad state. Revelation 3:15. He was dead to the commandment; he was not tempted, and therefore he could not see his sin. It is possible to have put on the new man according to the knowledge of God (Ephesians 4:24) without having put on the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge. Ephesians 3:19. The love to which Jesus exhorts us is that we love one another “as I have loved you.” John 13:34. In spite of this, good brothers can argue about opinions and seek their own. Philippians 2:20-21.

Even after we have received much of the knowledge of God, a considerable amount of human nature can still manifest itself. 1 Corinthians 3:4. According to the time, one should have become a teacher (Hebrews 5:12) and have grown up to mature manhood. Ephesians 4:13. Nevertheless, this is not always the case, because of a lack of de­votion to “the commandment” and to the love of Christ.

The knowledge of the law gives us light over sin. If you meditate on the law of the Lord both day and night (Psalm 1:2), you will come to see more of the sin “in yourself.” “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Romans 7:7. In this zeal for the house of the Lord, Jesus cleansed the “vessel” on the in­side. Covetousness was condemned and everything was clean. John 2:17. This creates the right condition for growth and progress in one’s life. Before we served sin, but now we serve according to the revela­tions of the Spirit—according to the commandments.

It is impossible to partake of a progressive salvation without be­ing tempted—and overcoming—in new areas. I can only be con­formed to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29) according to my faithful­ness to new commandments that are being revealed to me. John 16:12-14. We shall count it all joy when we fall into temptations (James 1:2), but the root of the temptations—the members which are on the earth—must be put to death. Colossians 3:5.

We are renewed and made alive in the spirit of our mind through faithfulness and a love for the revelations of the Spirit of Jesus. Ephesians 4:23. Jesus’ commandments and laws take up more and more room in our hearts, and the area that is without law diminishes with time.

He writes His laws on the fleshly tablets of the heart, and we partake of the growth of the body up to the Head, which is the ulti­mate goal of all those who love His commandments.