"For I would not have known covetousness unless the Law had said, “You shall not covet” (Rom. 7:7).
Sin is any nonconformity to or transgression of the Law of God. Sin is defined in the context of the law, and when there is no law, there is no sin. If the priority of the Christian is to seek the kingdom and Christ’s righteousness then it is imperative that we know the Law. How can we be righteous unless we understand what righteousness is and what it requires? Likewise, we cannot understand sin unless we see it in the light of God’s Law. Without the Law we cannot discern the difference between right and wrong. We can have a great zeal for righteousness but unless we know what this requires, we will never make any progress.
This process is often more difficult than we realize. John Murray wrote, “The difference between right and wrong is very rarely an unbridgeable chasm. More often than not the difference between right and wrong is the razor’s edge.” We need to recognize the complexities of the standards set down in Scripture. On the other hand, we don’t want to assume that everything is in a “gray” area. Our behavior is either right or wrong, but to discern what is right and wrong is not always easy. We all know people who have fallen into a simplistic “black and white” moral mentality. Things are ultimately black and white, but our ability to discern the difference often needs the application of many principles. This results in a constant struggle to understand and apply God’s Word.
Too often that which is evil appears good, and that which is good appears evil. This confusion arises from our own sinful condition. To overcome this, we need to be diligent in studying God’s Word, to develop our ability to discern the difference between what is sinful and what is righteous, and to apply His standard. We need to see things from God’s perspective not from our own, and we can only do this by looking to the light of His Word and relying on the power of His Spirit. Like Paul said, he didn’t know it was a sin to covet until the Law informed him that it was sinful. You will probably be surprised as you study the Scriptures that there is a lot you didn’t know was lawful or unlawful simply because you didn’t know the Word of God.
When you are struggling to know whether something is right or wrong, where do you turn? To friends? Self-help books? Turn to the Word—search the Scriptures. Pick an area that you might have questions about such as the Sabbath or discipline of children and look it up in a concordance, studying all the relevant passages.
