Living in the world as Christians today, we are saved by the blood of Jesus. Most people know that. What becomes foggy is the old testament and the law and what that means to us today, if anything. This is a pretty heavy topic, but Romans chapter 7 lays out the explanation for us.
So what was the law for? Well, when Adam and Eve sinned, they passed on the nature to sin to the population of the world. They separated themselves from God by disobeying Him and giving into the temptation of Satan. When they did this, God had to find a way to clean up our act, so to speak. So God gave us the law. He wrote down regulations on what we can and cannot do and how to cover up our sins with sacrifices.
Without the law, mankind wouldn't have known right from wrong (verse 7). But with the law, they were convicted of their sins and shown the right way to live. Yet this brought death to them (verses 9-13). Why? The ways of the law were perfect-- mankind is not. When the law came, so did sinning against it. It is mind blowing when you realize that without a law to follow, sin did not exist. But as soon as the law was put into place, thus came sin who brought with him shame and discouragement. But we could not fulfill the law because no man was perfect.
That is why our Heavenly Father sent His son, Jesus, for us. Jesus came as the sacrifice for all. He fulfilled the law. He walked it out without sinning once because we couldn't. When we accept His gift of sacrifice, the Father sees us through His perfect son and has only love and favor for us. Because of Jesus we have grace and mercy when we mess up instead of guilt and shame. Because of Jesus we have access to His Holy Spirit to empower us over our flesh and keep us in perfect communion with God (verses 4-6).
All these things are available to us with Jesus, we need only to accept His amazingly unfair gift. Sadly, those who have not accepted Jesus will be judged under the law and not by grace. When we are not choosing Jesus' covenant, we are choosing the law! But we cannot do anything to keep from sinning without Jesus alive in us and without Him we are doomed to destruction (verses 18-24). I pray you all choose the life that flows from sustainment though Jesus and his loving, personal sacrifice for you.
So if we are now living in the New Covenant under Jesus' blood and sacrifice, what relevance does the law have for us? We know that it taught us good from evil. The law was perfect, but we were not. The law was good, but we are not. It revealed our imperfection and our need for more of God. Our need for Jesus. Now we don't have to concentrate on trying really hard to follow the rules and laws, but rather concentrate our energy on drawing closer to Jesus who lives in us and works all things through us by His power. Live in that today and be thankful for the law and what it taught us, but be even more thankful for Jesus (verse 25)!
Romans 7 (NLT)
So what was the law for? Well, when Adam and Eve sinned, they passed on the nature to sin to the population of the world. They separated themselves from God by disobeying Him and giving into the temptation of Satan. When they did this, God had to find a way to clean up our act, so to speak. So God gave us the law. He wrote down regulations on what we can and cannot do and how to cover up our sins with sacrifices.
Without the law, mankind wouldn't have known right from wrong (verse 7). But with the law, they were convicted of their sins and shown the right way to live. Yet this brought death to them (verses 9-13). Why? The ways of the law were perfect-- mankind is not. When the law came, so did sinning against it. It is mind blowing when you realize that without a law to follow, sin did not exist. But as soon as the law was put into place, thus came sin who brought with him shame and discouragement. But we could not fulfill the law because no man was perfect.
That is why our Heavenly Father sent His son, Jesus, for us. Jesus came as the sacrifice for all. He fulfilled the law. He walked it out without sinning once because we couldn't. When we accept His gift of sacrifice, the Father sees us through His perfect son and has only love and favor for us. Because of Jesus we have grace and mercy when we mess up instead of guilt and shame. Because of Jesus we have access to His Holy Spirit to empower us over our flesh and keep us in perfect communion with God (verses 4-6).
All these things are available to us with Jesus, we need only to accept His amazingly unfair gift. Sadly, those who have not accepted Jesus will be judged under the law and not by grace. When we are not choosing Jesus' covenant, we are choosing the law! But we cannot do anything to keep from sinning without Jesus alive in us and without Him we are doomed to destruction (verses 18-24). I pray you all choose the life that flows from sustainment though Jesus and his loving, personal sacrifice for you.
So if we are now living in the New Covenant under Jesus' blood and sacrifice, what relevance does the law have for us? We know that it taught us good from evil. The law was perfect, but we were not. The law was good, but we are not. It revealed our imperfection and our need for more of God. Our need for Jesus. Now we don't have to concentrate on trying really hard to follow the rules and laws, but rather concentrate our energy on drawing closer to Jesus who lives in us and works all things through us by His power. Live in that today and be thankful for the law and what it taught us, but be even more thankful for Jesus (verse 25)!
Romans 7 (NLT)
Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? 2 For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. 3 So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.
4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.
7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.
7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
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