Romans 7:8 “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. Paul uses the personal pronoun “I” throughout the rest of the chapter, using his own experience as an example of what is true of unredeemed mankind and true of Christians. The law reveals the divine standard, and as believers compare themselves against that standard, they can accurately identify sin, which is the failure to meet the standard. We would not have even known we needed a Savior had there been no law.
Galatians 3:24 “Therefore the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Paul did not want his readers to conclude that the law itself was evil. When we know right from wrong and do wrong anyway, then we have sinned. It just makes us aware of right from wrong. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Romans 7:7, “What shall we say then? the law sin? God forbid.
