Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

The law has two primary purposes. First, it names our sins. Paul uses the example of coveting. You might not even know what coveting means, but as soon as you discover it's wanting something that belongs to another person, you realize that you have coveted. And you’re guilty. Is the commandment that forbids coveting bad? No, you are bad. In our day, we decriminalize and defund. Since people are breaking the laws we made, we decided to get rid of them and defund those charged with enforcing them. But that doesn’t fix the problem because nothing changes unless you’re filled with the Spirit. We all know that there’s a law when it’s been violated to our demise. Either the law changes, or we change, which is called repentance. God says the law doesn’t change. The law exists to tell us that we need to change. If we expect the law to change, we’re pulling hell up, but if we change, we’re inviting heaven down.

The second purpose of the law is to aggravate our rebellious, sinful nature. Once again, let’s use the language of coveting. Our whole economy in the United States is built on coveting through advertising, marketing, and social media. It’s all jealousy. Thus, the longer you’re on social media, the more miserable you will be. When you compare your life to other people’s, you start coveting their lives, which is the death of contentment.

The more law we get, the more rebellion we have. As soon as we make laws, we elicit and incite rebellion. And lawbreakers think, Well, the problem is the law. No, the law is good—we are bad. The law diagnoses our problem, but it doesn’t create our solution.

As a little boy, I grew up next to an airport. The planes would land and take off right over our house. Now, I loved playing baseball. My dad put up a batting cage in the backyard. There were posts in the ground, a net, a pitching machine, bats, helmet, and balls. My brother and I could have batting practice anytime we wanted. My dad made one law about the pitching machine: “This is not a weapon.” I hadn’t actually thought of that until that moment. He continued: “You can only use the machine for batting. Don’t take it out of the cage and aim it at anyone or anything.” After that, it was all I could think about!

What did I do when my dad went to work? I thought I have to get that machine out of the cage so I can start shooting things! Just then, an airplane flew right over me. I thought I’m going to shoot a plane! So, I popped the wheels on the pitching machine and cranked the knobs to 100 miles an hour. When the next plane came, I started loading the pitching machine with all our baseballs and shooting them at the plane. I never thought, What if I succeed and hit the plane? Or, What happens to all these baseballs going 100 miles an hour toward people’s homes and cars?

My rebellious problem was shooting at airplanes. What is your rebellious problem? Paul talks about the Ten Commandments. As you read through this list from Exodus 20:2–17, ask yourself, What am I rebelling against?

1. You shall have no other gods before me.

2. You shall not make idols.

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or anything that is his.

The first nine commandments are primarily external—they are committed on the outside. If I watch you closely enough, I can determine when you have broken one. The tenth commandment, however, is the internal sin we always commit. We see houses and cars that are bigger and nicer than ours, and we covet them. We compare our spouses to other people’s spouses. We compare our children to other people’s children. Whatever someone else has, we can find a way to covet it. Coveting is the demonic counterfeit of contentment. You see what God gave you, and you want something different. Only you and God know when you’re coveting.

Today’s Reflection

What have you been coveting lately?