Romans 7 explains this matter very clearly. Let us look at this chapter, beginning with verses 7 and 8, "What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But I did not know sin except through the law; for neither did I know coveting, except the law had said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, worked out in me coveting of every kind; for without the law sin is dead." Without the law, I do not feel that coveting is sin, even though there is coveting within me. Hence, coveting within me is dead; that is, I am not conscious of it. However, after the law comes, I resolve not to covet anymore. But I still covet, and the sin is made alive. Verse 9 says, "And I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died."

Friends, remember that God gave you the law for one reason only: to show you that you have always been full of sin. Because you did not see your own sin, you acted proudly. The law came to try you out. You may say that you do not covet. However if you just try not to covet, what will be the eventual result? The more you try, the weaker you become and the more covetous you will be. You purpose not to covet, but the moment you purpose this way, you find yourself coveting everything. You covet today, and you will covet tomorrow; you covet everywhere you turn. Now sin is alive, the law is alive, and you are dead. Originally sin was dead and you were fine, but now that the law has come you cannot avoid coveting. The more you try not to covet, the more covetous you become. The problem is that man's being is fleshly, and because man is fleshly, his will is weak, his conduct is rebellious, and his desires are filthy.

Verse 10 says, "And the commandment, which was unto life, this very commandment was found to me to be unto death." If man can truly keep the law, he will live. But I cannot keep it; hence, I die.

Verse 11 says, "For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me." If the law had not told me that I should not do this or that, sin would go easy on me and would not be that active in me. But ever since the law came and told me that I should not covet, sin through the commandment has tempted me and put this matter of coveting in my mind. The law tells me that I should not covet, and I purpose not to covet; but instead of not coveting, I covet even more.

For a period of time I felt that I had been lying. I did not lie deliberately, but I would sometimes unintentionally say too much about something or too little about something else. When I realized this, I resolved that from then on with me yes would be yes and no would be no. Regardless of whom I spoke to, I resolved to speak accurately. Before I resolved this, I really did not lie that much, but after I made the decision, it became so easy for me to lie. I was actually getting worse. The following Sunday I sent a note saying that I would not give a message that day. When I was asked for a reason, I said, "I have found out that my speaking is full of lies. This is quite serious. I am afraid that even my message will be all lies." When I did not pay attention to lying, lying seemed dead. Of course, that does not mean that I did not lie. However, it was not until I started paying attention to lying, not until I was enlightened by the law to deal with my lies, that I felt that all my words were lies. It seems that lies were standing right next to me. Therefore, I have found that originally the lies were dead, but now the lies have been made alive. Everywhere I turn, the lies are there. Sin has killed me through the law and I become helpless.