Rom. 7:13-14 - Law Does not cause Death

13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

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- - - The Law is Spiritual - - -

V. 13 - “did that which is good become a cause of death” - The Law does not keep us from sinning. The warning is not the cause of spiritual death. You are the cause of your own spiritual death.

“through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful” - The Law shows us the price (cost) of sin is death. This is a good thing. Why? Knowing the facts can bring into focus what is important.
Sin causes death. We are fully warned that our death is caused by our sin. Whether we know sin is the cause of our death or not matters little - the result is the same. Without the Law, our only excuse (which is an extremely lame excuse) is that we were not paying attention. We ignored God’s glory. The commandment becomes like a slap up along the side of our head.

So what was always sin is now utterly sin because Now You Know. There is no ‘maybe’ or ‘might be’ or ‘could be’ - there is now no excuse. When you play golf and hit your ball into a penalty area, the rule says that if any part of the ball touches the penalty area line it is considered to be in the penalty area. There is no room for argument whether the ball is half-in, or partially-in. If it touches the line, it is the same as being totally over the line. That is what God is saying here. There is no ‘almost a sin’ or ‘just a little sin’, it is wholly and utterly sin.

V. 14 - “the Law is spiritual” - Secular government laws are written by men for men (for the ‘politically correct ‘- for people by people). The Law was given to us by a Holy and Righteous God. “God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (See: John 4:23-24).

“I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin” - What a contrast! The Law is spiritual. I am not. Sometimes Christians tend to ‘discount’ the Law, since we know salvation is not by works but by faith. By extension, works and the Law are not spiritual. This line of reasoning shows our misunderstanding. 

The problem is not the Law. The problem is we inherited sin nature from Adam’s sin - his rejection of God’s command. We are forever under that sin because we cannot offer the perfect sacrifice. The cost to redeem us is beyond, far beyond, our ability to pay. Until that price is paid, we are enslaved to sin, to the penalty, to death. (See: Rom. 6:16, 17, 20; Jam. 1:12-15)

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