So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul emphasizes that the law isn't just "good," but holy, just, and good, highlighting its divine origin and perfect nature. This isn't just a restatement of its value, but a crucial distinction: the law's inherent perfection makes sin's corruption—and the death it brings—even more starkly apparent.
So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is responding to the implied question of whether the Law itself is sinful, having just shown how sin uses God's commands to stir up sinful desires and lead to death. He declares that the Law is not the problem; it's inherently good, holy, and righteous, serving as a perfect reflection of God's own nature and will. The true issue lies with sin, which exploits this good Law to expose its own exceeding sinfulness and deadly power.
Paul calls the law 'holy, and righteous, and good.' How can a law that seems to bring death and condemnation possess such perfect qualities?
Paul isn't surprised that the law itself is good; he declares it as a foundational truth, a conclusion drawn from everything he's discussed so far. He uses four powerful adjectives:
These qualities aren't just nice words; they point to the unchangeable nature of God Himself. The law is a mirror of His very being.
If the law is so good, why does it lead to condemnation and death? Paul clarifies who the true enemy is.
Paul anticipates a crucial objection: if the law is good, how can it be the source of death? He emphatically rejects the idea that the law itsestf is the cause of death. Instead, he points to sin as the culprit.
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The law doesn't create sin or death; it powerfully reveals sin and its deadly consequences, thereby acting as a catalyst for our realization of desperate need.
Understand the original words
nomos · Greek Noun
The revealed will of God, often referring to the Mosaic law or the moral requirements of God, which are perfect and reflect His nature.
hagios · Greek Adjective
Set apart as belonging to God; morally pure, distinct from common use, and possessing the intrinsic character of God.
dikaios · Greek Adjective
Conforming to God's standard of justice; acting in accordance with what is right before God and man.
This psalm beautifully extols the perfection of God's law, calling it 'perfect,' 'sure,' 'right,' and 'pure,' mirroring Paul's description of the commandment as holy, just, and good.
Leviticus 18:5This passage, which Paul alludes to elsewhere, states that obedience to the law leads to life, directly contrasting with the way sin uses the law to bring death, highlighting the law's intended goodness.
1 Timothy 1:8This verse affirms that the law is good when used rightly, supporting Paul's argument that the law itself is not the problem, but rather how sin exploits it.
Matthew 5:17Jesus declares that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, underscoring the enduring righteousness and goodness inherent in God's commands, just as Paul asserts here.
Romans 7:10This verse directly precedes Romans 7:12, showing how the commandment 'which was intended for life' was found by Paul to bring death, setting up the defense of the law's inherent holiness in verse 12.
bensonRomans 7:12: "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."
Romans 7:12-13 . Wherefore — Since then, by what has been said, it appears that the law is not the cause of sin or death, except indirectly and by accident, it must be acquitted from this charge, and acknowledged to be holy; and the commandment — The preceptive part of the moral law, and every particular precept of it; is holy, just, and good — It springs from and partakes of the holy nature of God; tends on…
pulpitRomans 7:12: "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."
Verses 12, 13. - So that the Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Has then that which is good become death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, through that which is good working death unto me; that sin might become exceeding sinful through the commandment. The question of ver. 7, "Is the Law sin?" has now been answered so far as this - that, far from being so, the co…
Paul emphasizes that the law isn't just "good," but holy, just, and good, highlighting its divine origin and perfect nature. This isn't just a restatement of its value, but a crucial distinction: the law's inherent perfection makes sin's corruption—and the death it brings—even more starkly apparent.
Paul is responding to the implied question of whether the Law itself is sinful, having just shown how sin uses God's commands to stir up sinful desires and lead to death. He declares that the Law is not the problem; it's inherently good, holy, and righteous, serving as a perfect reflection of God's own nature and will. The true issue lies with sin, which exploits this good Law to expose its own exceeding sinfulness and deadly power.
Paul is responding to the implied question of whether the Law itself is sinful, having just shown how sin uses God's commands to stir up sinful desires and lead to death. He declares that the Law is not the problem; it's inherently good, holy, and righteous, serving as a perfect reflection of God's own nature and will. The true issue lies with sin, which exploits this good Law to expose its own exceeding sinfulness and deadly power.
"So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." — Paul emphasizes that the law isn't just "good," but holy, just, and good, highlighting its divine origin and perfect nature. This isn't just a restatement of its value, but a crucial distinctio…
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Last reviewed October 2026