But For The Law

DEVOTION
ROMANS
BUT FOR THE LAW
Rom 7:7-12
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. NIV

Well, it makes perfect sense to me, or does it? If only there had never been a law in the first place I would not be aware that anything I do or have the desire to do would be an offense to the Holy God who established that law. If only he would have left me alone to enjoy the pleasures of living anyway I wanted to without any reason to think it was not a good way. But that is not the case; God did establish the law and this law served the purpose of making me aware of the horrendous style of my life. Maybe God thought that if he gave me these laws, I would see the goodness of them and abide within their framework, but no, they just pointed out how bad I really was and that instead of looking forward to life, I could only see death because of not being able to accomplish all of his law. So do I agree with the Word? Of course I must, because the law does show me I am a terrible unrighteous, unholy, unjust person, and it is, in fact, holy and righteous and good. So do I apply that same principle to all the rules and regulations of the denominational writings? They are righteous and good because they point out how bad I am? Do I fool myself into thinking they are there so I can abide within their framework, in addition to the framework of the law God established? I can do neither, but they both accomplished the same result, showing me I need Jesus and praise God for that!