I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
Romans 7:7
In all the generations that came from Adam, not one person has been born who was truly upright, until God became man in Jesus Christ. The upright one did not arise from the human race. He came to the human race. The Holy Son of God was born of a virgin.
In all human history, Jesus is the only one who was born upright and remained upright. He lived the perfect life, and then He laid it down as a sacrifice for the sins of others. “Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, [and] righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
Righteousness is not in us. It comes to us. It belongs to Christ and it is yours when you are His. We must not get the idea that we have lived a largely upright life, and that we only need the righteousness of Jesus to “top off” what’s missing.
God used the tenth commandment to convince Paul of one sin in his life: “If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Rom. 7:7).
It wasn’t long before Paul saw a whole confederacy of sins in his life, and he came to the conclusion that even his religion was shot through with sin. That’s why he said, “[I want to be found in Christ] not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ” (Phil. 3:9).
Is this righteousness yours today? Jesus offers Himself to you today. He invites you, by faith, to draw near to the Father, standing in the righteousness of Christ’s upright life, a justified sinner, with a humble, grateful heart.
