The Law Shows Us What Sin Is

⁷ What should we say, then? Is the Law sinful? Of course not! In fact, I wouldn’t have become aware of sin if it had not been for the Law. I wouldn’t have known what it means to covet if the Law had not said, “You must not covet.”^{[a] 8} But sin seized the opportunity provided by this commandment and produced in me all kinds of sinful desires, since apart from the Law, sin is dead. ⁹ At one time I was alive without any connection to^[b] the Law.^[c] But when the rule was revealed, sin sprang to life, ¹⁰ and I died. I found that the very rule that was intended to bring life actually brought death. ¹¹ For sin, seizing the opportunity provided by the rule, deceived me and used it to kill me. ¹² So then, the Law^[d] itself is holy, and the rule is holy, just, and good.