Romans 7:11-12 (NLT)

“Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.”

The law is not our problem; sin is. The law cannot control sin. In fact, the law has no power over sin. The deception and wickedness of sin is that it can use what is supposed to be good, to produce evil. Sin would seemingly lie dormant on an issue until a law was produced concerning that issue, and then sin would arise to make us break the commands of the new law thereby making it evident that we are sinners. I know that I was a sinner before the command was made but sin hid itself away until it had opportunity to make itself known through my failure to comply with the commandment. Sin is simply uncontrollable.

Here is a beautiful summary: “Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.” – verse 13. Sin is so wicked and deceitful that it uses even what is good to create death. That’s why we cannot manage the old life of sin. The unregenerate life cannot be conformed to God’s holy nature. It will use what was meant for good to yet condemn us. Setting laws and boundaries are useless in managing the flesh. Only by burying it with Christ can we enter liberty from its power.

“Lord, I’ve learnt the hard way that I cannot control or manage the old nature. I have since given up and put all my trust in You who have slain sin and buried it powers in the grave of Christ.”