Romans 7:9

when the commandment

The passage (Romans 7:7) is autobiographical. Paul's religious experience was in three strongly marked phases:

(1) He was a godly Jew under the law. That the passage does not refer to that period is clear from his own explicit statements elsewhere. At that time he held himself to be "blameless" as concerned the law (Philippians 3:6). He had "lived in all good conscience" (Acts 23:1).

(2) With his conversion came new light upon the law itself. He now perceived it to be "spiritual" (Romans 7:14). He now saw that, so far from having kept it, he was condemned by it. He had supposed himself to be "alive," but now the commandment really "came" (Romans 7:9) and he "died." Just when the apostle passed through the experience of (Romans 7:7) we are not told. Perhaps during the days of physical blindness at Damascus (Acts 9:9); perhaps in Arabia (Galatians 1:17).

It is the experience of a renewed man, under the law, and still ignorant of the delivering power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:2).

(3) With the great revelations afterward embodied in Galatians and Romans, the apostle's experience entered it third phase. He now knew himself to be "dead to the law by the body of Christ," and, in the power of the indwelling Spirit, "free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2) while "the righteousness of the law" was wrought in him (not by him) while he walked after the Spirit (Romans 8:4); Romans 7 is the record of past conflicts and defeats experience as a renewed man under law.

sin

Sin

( See Scofield) - (Romans 5:21).