“9 Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again 10 and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.”
Paul has used verses 7-13 to tell a story of his personal struggle against temptation and sin. Paul says, before conviction from the law came he was free to do as he pleased, but now that he knows the law, and is condemned by the law, sin, through the law, killed him. Despite this, in verse 10, Paul says that the, “commandment that was meant for life resulted in death…” (v.10b). What does this mean?
First, the law of God is good. It is not bad because it brings condemnation upon us, we are bad because we transgress the law! The law of God intends for us to obey it, and for those who do, God promises life.
“Keep my statutes and ordinances; a person will live if he does them. I am the Lord.” — Leviticus 18:5
“He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ‘You’ve answered correctly,’ he told him. ‘Do this and you will live.’” — Luke 10:27-28
Second, God promises an extensive list of blessings for those who obey His law.
“‘If you follow my statutes and faithfully observe my commands, I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have plenty of food to eat and live securely in your land. I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to frighten you. I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword. Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand; your enemies will fall before you by the sword. I will turn to you, make you fruitful and multiply you, and confirm my covenant with you. You will eat the old grain of the previous year and will clear out the old to make room for the new. I will place my residence among you, and I will not reject you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.’” — Leviticus 26:3-13 (See also Deuteronomy 28:1-13)
The bad news, which we already know, is that no one can keep God’s law perfectly.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;” – Romans 3:23
Any transgression against the law of God brings the whole condemnation of the law.
“For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.” — James 2:10
And just as the Old Testament is filled with blessings for those who are obedient, it also pronounces curses for those who break the law.
“‘But if you do not obey me and observe all these commands — if you reject my statutes and despise my ordinances, and do not observe all my commands — and break my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring terror on you — wasting disease and fever that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it. I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even though no one is pursuing you. But if after these things you will not obey me, I will proceed to discipline you seven times for your sins. I will break down your strong pride. I will make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, and your strength will be used up for nothing. Your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit.’” — Leviticus 26:14-20 (For the entirety of God’s warning, see also Leviticus 26:21-39, & Deuteronomy 26:15-68)
This is what Paul means when he claims to have been deceived by the law. The law promises good, but it’s a deception in so much as it is unattainable for the sinner. Paul, when a Pharisee, thought he was keeping the law and would therefore be blessed, but rather, he was under the curse of the law for the sin he had committed in his life. Here’s another principle from Paul: The more Paul became aware of the law and its commands, the more that sin in Paul’s life became apparent, and the temptation to sin was stirred up in his heart. Not just that, the more that Paul became aware of his transgression of God’s law, the more guilt and wrath he incurred under the condemnation of the law. It is in these ways that Paul can say that he was both “deceived” and “killed” by the law. This is something that those who feel the weight of their condemnation for sin can identify with. Praise be to God that He has provided the way of salvation through Jesus Christ our Savior.