# How Does the Law of Sin Work to Deceive and Defeat Us?
The struggle between the Law of God and the law of sin is not a minor theological point—it is the very battleground of Christian assurance, sonship, and inheritance. Paul does not present this as a side issue, but as the central drama of the believer’s experience. If we misunderstand how the law of sin operates, we will inevitably undermine the foundation of justification by faith and forfeit the enjoyment of Christ as our righteousness.
## The Law’s True Function: Exposing, Not Empowering
The Law of God is holy, righteous, and good. Yet its purpose is not to empower us for righteousness, but to expose the sin that dwells in our flesh. Paul is explicit: “By the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). The Law is not a ladder for the righteous to climb, but a mirror that reveals the utter inability of the flesh. It was given, Paul says, as a ministry of condemnation and death (2 Corinthians 3:7-9), a schoolmaster to drive us to Christ by exposing our need (Galatians 3:24).
This is not a flaw in the Law, but its divine intention. The Law demands righteousness, but in doing so, it brings to light the law of sin in our members, which takes us captive (Romans 7:23). The Law’s demands do not produce life in us; instead, they reveal that we are powerless to meet them. This exposure is a positive outcome, because it strips away every pretense of self-sufficiency and points us to Christ.
## The Deceitfulness of Sin: Turning the Law Into a Tool for Self-Righteousness
Sin is not content to merely tempt us with obvious transgressions. Its most insidious work is to exploit the Law itself. Paul testifies that “sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of covetousness” (Romans 7:8). The commandment, “do not covet,” becomes the very occasion for covetousness to abound. Sin hides in our flesh, deceiving us not only into lust, but—far more dangerously—into pride, self-delusion, and the refusal to submit to God’s judgment.
This is the root of self-righteousness: we are tricked into believing that the Law is a guide for us to achieve righteousness, rather than a tool to expose our need. The result is confidence in the flesh, self-justification, and a hardening of heart. We convince ourselves that we are improving, or that we might improve, and so we pursue law-righteousness in our own strength. This is not spiritual progress; it is delusion.
While we operate in this mode, we are carnally minded (Romans 8:6), reading the Bible as the “letter that kills” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Our hearts are veiled, we do not behold the glory of Christ, and we cannot yield to Him. The outcome is always the same: either self-righteousness and pride, or inward condemnation and despair. In both cases, we keep God at arm’s length, never truly reconciled to Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
## The Inevitable Defeat of the Flesh—And Its Divine Purpose
The struggle within us is not simply the flesh’s desire to sin, but its stubborn insistence on justifying itself. The flesh covets a righteousness of its own and refuses to submit to God’s verdict: “There is none righteous, no not one.” This is not a neutral struggle; it is a war for ascendancy, and the flesh will not yield until it is utterly defeated.
But here is the wisdom of God: He does not leave us in this struggle without purpose. Through the Spirit and the intercession of Christ our High Priest, God arranges our defeats. He allows the futility of the flesh to be exposed, wearing down the natural man until we are forced to acknowledge our need for a new way of living. These defeats are not failures in God’s plan—they are His means of bringing us to the end of ourselves. This is a positive outcome, for it prepares us to receive Christ as our righteousness.
## What Is Lost If We Accept the Error?
If we accept the lie that the Law is a means to righteousness, we lose everything. We forfeit justification by faith, because we are no longer trusting Christ but ourselves. We lose the enjoyment of sonship and the boldness of inheritance, because our conscience remains defiled by continual failure. The Gospel itself is emptied of power, replaced by a system of self-improvement that can only produce pride or despair. This is not a secondary issue—it is salvific. To compromise here is to abandon the very foundation of the Christian life.
## The Only Solution: Christ as Our Righteousness
The answer is not to try harder, nor to lower the Law’s demands, but to see that Christ has fulfilled the Law and borne its penalty on our behalf. We are called to renounce self-effort, to judge the flesh as God has judged it—utterly unprofitable—and to live by faith in Christ alone. He is our righteousness, sanctification, redemption, and life (1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 3:1-4).
To live by the Spirit is to stop seeking justification from the Law and to rest in the finished work of Christ. As we behold Him, the veil is lifted, and we are transformed—not by our striving, but by His life in us. This is the only way to freedom, assurance, and true reconciliation with God.
> “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22)
Let no one deceive you: to return to the Law as a means of righteousness is to fall from grace. The Law of sin will always exploit such an error, leading only to defeat. But God, in His mercy, uses even our failures to drive us to Christ, that we might finally rest in Him who is our righteousness and our life.
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**Keywords:** law, sin, defeat, justification, righteousness, Pauline, inheritance, sonship
**Verses referenced:** Romans 3:20, Romans 7:8, Romans 7:23-24, 2 Corinthians 3:6-9, Galatians 3:24, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
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How does the law of sin work to deceive and defeat us?
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