7. What should we say then? That the law is sin? Not at all! I wouldn't have known what sin was unless the law had told me. The law said, "Do not want what belongs to other people." (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) If the law hadn't said that, I would not have known what it was like to want what belonged to others.
8. But the commandment gave sin an opportunity. Sin caused me to want all kinds of things that belonged to others. No one can break a law that doesn't exist.
9. Before I knew about the law, I was alive. But then the commandment came. Sin came to life, and I died.
10. I found that the commandment that was supposed to bring life actually brought death.