Audio commentary on this verse

Note 5 at Rom. 7:11: The ministry of the law actually gave sin (the sin nature-see note 9 at Rom. 5:21, p. 775) an occasion against us. The corrupt rebellious nature of man will always lust for what it cannot have. Forbid a man to do something that he was only mildly interested in before and he will develop an uncontrollable lust for that very thing.

This is how the law worked. Sin was already at work in man, but when the law came condemning their actions, sin came alive (v. 9) in comparison to what it was before. The reason God did this is because mankind had been blinded to what sin was and its consequences. Sin had already beaten and enslaved us and we didn't realize it. We thought we were good enough until the law came. Once we were forbidden to do and think certain ways, sin began to abound (Rom. 5:20) and we became aware that we were by nature children of the devil (Eph. 2:3) and needed a Savior. That was the purpose and ministry of the Old Testament law (see note 4 at Rom. 3:19, p. 757).

Failure to understand this truth has led many well meaning religious people to try and get others to stop sinning through the proclamation of God's laws against and punishments for sin. The law wasn't for that purpose. According to these verses, sin actually revives and gains an occasion against us when the law is used. The right use of the law is to give a knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:19) and convince us that we are doomed without a Savior. The law is powerless to overcome sin. Only the grace of God can cause us to overcome sin (Rom. 6:14).