Romans 4:15 :

For the law works wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.

It’s impossible to fully appreciate how bad we are unless the good and bad are clearly stated. That is what God’s laws do. They draw a very clear line between what is good and what is bad so that it is obvious when that line is crossed.

It would be easy for us to think of ourselves as good people if the law didn’t exist. In fact, that appears to be one approach to sin and guilt. Remove the Bible and the Christians
and sin just disappears. Suddenly the jails are less crowded, and crime goes down on paper. That’s because we are able to re-draw the line around ourselves
so that we don’t appear to be sinful. That may work with us but it doesn’t work with the one who will ultimately judge us.

It seems like almost every year, a new generation believes that they are more advanced than the previous and have no need of the law of God anymore. No matter how modern we think we are, God’s rules are still the same and reveal that we are not getting better, but, in fact, are getting worse. Because of God’s law, the line hasn’t moved at all. This law makes disobedience visible where it may have not been obvious before. When that disobedience appears in us, it kindles God’s righteous anger against what we have done. The fact is
that we have always been sinners, and the law makes it very, very clear exactly how much we deserve punishment.