Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
It's very important for us to know that the law of ten commandments contains both literal and spiritual aspects, because a knowledge of this truth will cause us to see and evaluate ourselves in a completely different light, than if we harbored a mere literal interpretation alone. In the passage above the apostle states that he would not have known what the sin of lust is, except the law had said "Thou shalt not covet". But when understood correctly, we see that the sin of covetousness has both literal and spiritual components, for the sin is manifested in different ways, and in some instances there are no outward manifestations whatsoever.
For instance the letter of the law will keep us from literally going to places where male and female nudity is on display, and where the sin of lust is in the very atmosphere. But the spiritual aspect of the law will also keep us from harboring lustful thoughts when there are no women to be seen for miles around. Again, the letter of the law which says "Thou shalt not bear false witness" will keep us from literally speaking any falsehoods, but bearing false witness could occur in many different ways other than telling lies.
Lies can effectively be told by winking, by writing, by exaggeration, by partially withholding the truth, by stating the truth in such a way as to deceive, and also by remaining silent. All of these activities and the various strains of falsehoods that stem from them are recorded in the books of heaven as being lies. When Abraham feared for his life as he entered Egypt he said of Sarah that she was his sister, and even though this statement was partially true, yet it left out another more important and relevant fact, that she was also his wife. This premeditated and deliberate withholding of pertinent facts, is considered a total falsehood in God's sight, for it was clearly and specifically designed to give the wrong impression. Let's read:
Genesis 12:11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
It was to bring the spiritual side of the law into prominent view why Christ sought to show His hearers how God designates sin. For instance the law of God says "Thou shalt not kill", and many of the Hebrews in Christ's day felt pretty confident that they had never committed this sin, for they had never literally slain anyone as far as they could remember. But when the spiritual nature of the law is brought to bear on the same command, it is seen that many of the same hearers were guilty of murder, and thus their estimation of their own righteousness was riddled with serious flaws. Let's read:
1st John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
It is of critical importance then, that both our literal actions, and the thoughts which we dwell upon be in harmony with the letter and spirit of the law, for when this is accomplished by the grace and power of God, the mind that is in Christ will also be in us, and instead of harboring exalted opinions of ourselves, we will tend to walk humbly with God. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that encourages us to keep both the spirit and the letter of the law, for they are vitally important to our temporal and eternal well-being. Let's read:
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!