What happened to Paul when the commandment 'Thou shalt not covet' came?
Paul writes that when the commandment 'Thou shalt not covet' came, his old Adam woke up, he recognized himself as a coveter, and he died. That death was in the realm of the old Adam who was a Lawbreaker, which then leads to new life in salvation.
Les explains that before the Law, the old nature was dead and inoperative, but the Law exercised it. When the commandment 'Thou shalt not covet' came, old Adam woke up in Saul's make-up and said, 'Hey, that's me, I'm a coveter.' Then he died—that is, he had to die in the realm of that old Adam who was a Lawbreaker. Les teaches that with the death of old Adam comes new life, which is salvation: when our old Adam is put to death because he was a Lawbreaker, and we become a believer in the finished work of Christ, which is the Gospel, we are a new creation, alive, and have eternal life. Paul constantly refers to this, as Peter said in all his epistles.
For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
More Questions
Why did Paul pick 'Thou shalt not covet' as his example instead of 'Thou shalt not kill' or 'Thou shalt not steal'?
Paul chose the commandment 'Thou shalt not covet' as his example because coveting is the sin that must always come first—you cannot kill, steal, commit adultery, or gossip falsely unless you covet, so coveting is what triggers breaking the law.