When I read the Bible, I marvel at the words the apostle used. In these verses he did not use the word sin; rather, he used the word transgression three times. Sin is always within man, but until it is carried out, sin does not become transgression. There must be something to transgress before there can be the possibility of transgression. Let me illustrate. Suppose there is a little child who always gets his clothes dirty. He always uses his sleeves to wipe his nose, and his clothes get dirty quickly. In his temperament, habit, thought, and conscience, he never considers that to dirty his clothes is a sin. His father does not consider it a sin either. The fact of sin is there even though there is no disobedience. The child's clothes are very dirty, but he does not mind it at all. His conscience feels fine, because his father has never said that this is wrong. He can be unconcerned about it. Even when his clothes are very dirty, he can still eat with his father, sit with his father, and walk with his father. Everything is fine as far as he is concerned. In other words, he has not transgressed. But one day his father tells him that he cannot get his clothes dirty anymore, and that if he does it again, he will spank him. If the child has been doing this habitually, his father's speaking will manifest his sins. Originally there was sin only, no disobedience. But once the child disobeys, there is transgression. In the same way, only when there is the law will there be the transgression. When the law tells you to do this or that, transgression will be manifested. Originally this child could come before his father uprightly and without fear. But now if he behaves according to his habit and does this again, he will have no peace within and his conscience will speak.

All the Bible readers and all those who understand God's will know that God did not give us the law with the intention that we keep it. The law was not meant for us to keep, but for us to break. God gave us the law so that we would transgress against it. This may be the first time for many of you to hear such a word, and you may feel that it is strange. God has known all along that you have sin. God knows this; but you yourself do not know this. Therefore God has given you the law to transgress so that you will know about yourself. God knows that you are no good, but you think that you are fine. Therefore, God has given the law. After you transgress against it once, twice, and a number of times, you will say that you have sin. Salvation will not come to you until then. Only when you admit that you do not have a way, that it is impossible for you to go on conducting yourself in such a way, will you be willing to receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Only then will you be willing to receive God's grace.

We have already seen that in order to receive grace one needs to humble himself. We are sinners, and we have committed sins. What causes us to humble ourselves? It is the law. Human beings are proud. All human beings think that they are strong and consider themselves to be good. But God gave us the law, and once we look at the law, we have to humble ourselves and confess that we are really not good at all. This is what Paul was talking about when he said that before he had read from the law that we should not covet, he did not know what it was to covet. However, once he saw the law, he realized that there was coveting within him (Rom. 7:7-8). This does not mean that before Paul saw the law there was no coveting in him. There was coveting within him long before. He had always coveted, but he did not realize that it was coveting. It was not until the law told him so that he realized it. Therefore, the law does not cause us to do anything that we have not done before; the law merely exposes what is in us already. That is why I say that God gave man the law not to keep it, but to break it. Nor does the law afford man an opportunity to transgress; rather, the law shows man that he will transgress. The law allows man to see what God has already seen.