God’s Law is holy, yet helpless. It cannot justify (3:20) or sanctify (6:15). Indeed, the Law appears to affect quite the opposite: it awakens sin (7:9) and arouses sinful passions (7:5). The result is an awakening of death—recognition of the wretched condition of human depravity. A reasonable question follows: “Did that which is good, then, bring death to me?” (7:13). Paul has argued that God’s Law is holy, righteous, good, and now adds, spiritual (7:14). The problem is not with the Law. The culprit to the Law’s impotence is fallen, sinful flesh. In vivid illustration, Paul exonerates God’s Law and advances his argument by depicting the inability of sinful man to obey God’s Law in his own strength. It is a dramatic scene and the title of the play features a clever play on words. For those setting their mind on God’s Law, another law is acted out: The Law of Sin and Death.
