Wherefore, indeed, the law is holy and the commandment is holy and just and good (Romans 7:12).
Because of the response of our sin nature to the Law and its commandments, we recognize that the Law is set apart, and the commandment is holy, just, and beneficial. The Law reveals how utterly sinful our nature truly is.
Thus, through law, we will not—and indeed cannot—act in a righteous manner because of the sin nature that dwells in our flesh. Through deception, it takes that which is meant for life and brings about death—separating us from righteousness by deceiving us into seeking our own righteousness through good works.
Those who obey the Law may have an appearance of righteousness, but it is based on self-effort rather than faith. In Romans 1:17, Paul writes that “the just shall live by faith,” not by law, which does not require faith.
Therefore, knowing this, our focus must return to chapter six, where we learn that in Christ we have died to the sin nature and have been raised to walk in newness of life. The sin nature has been rendered ineffective when we govern our lives according to what God has declared to be true of us in Christ—taking Him at His word and yielding our members to righteousness. This is not a righteousness based on obedience to Law, but one that comes through faith: living out the life we now have in Christ, yielding to the desires from the Holy Spirit, and walking in accordance with His desirous will.