Does the Law Still Matter?

Paul has had some pretty rough things to say about the law, hasn’t he? It seems like he has been “attacking” the law since chapter 2. Here are some of the things he has said:

Jewish reliance on the law is misplaced. Those who call themselves Jews and boast in the law, yet break it, dishonor God (Rom 2:17–29) (2:17–23). Circumcision benefits only those who observe the law; an uncircumcised person who keeps the law’s requirements will be counted as circumcised and will judge the lawbreaker (Rom 2:17–29) (2:25–27).

The law cannot justify someone. Works of the law do not justify anyone before God. (Rom 3:19–22) This principle appears repeatedly: a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law (Rom 3:27–28) (3:28), and the promise to Abraham that he would inherit the world came through faith, not through the law (Rom 4:13–16) (4:13). Merely hearing the law does not make one righteous; only those who do the law are justified (Rom 2:12–13) (2:13)—a standard no one can meet.

The law increases sin and produces wrath. The law came along to multiply the trespass (Rom 5:20–6:2) (5:20), and the law produces wrath, and where there is no law, there is no transgression (Rom 4:13–16) (4:15).

Believers are released from the law’s dominion.

Last week, Justin covered this verse:

Romans 7:4 NIV

⁴ So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

You and I were PUT TO DEATH in our relationship with the Law. We are dead to the law, we have a new relationship with Jesus.

If the Law of God cannot justify us, cannot save us, reveals our sin and brings God’s wrath upon us – is it helpful? If Jesus death and resurrection releases us from the dominion of the law, then is the Law needed any longer? Does the law, the Torah, the Old Testament even matter? Is it beneficial to the Christian or should we just forget about it an focus on the New Testament?

›     ask: What do you think? Can you explain why?

Let’s read this morning’s passage and I will be very happy to share with you the answer to that question:

Romans 7:7–13 CSB

⁷ What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet. ⁸ And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead. ⁹ Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again ¹⁰ and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me.  ¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. ¹² So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. ¹³ Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! But, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.

OK, I want to contextualize this passage so you can understand why Paul might make the arguments we just read.

Paul said we are DEAD to SIN

Romans 6:11 CSB

¹¹ So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So, I could get more specific with this, right?

›     ask: help me list the things we are dead to if we are dead to sin.

I am dead to greed. I am dead to hatred. I am dead to lust. I am dead to coveting. I am dead to lying. I am dead to selfishness.

Then Paul said we are DEAD to the LAW (nomos)

Romans 7:4 NIV

⁴ So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

• We DIED to SIN
• We DIED to the LAW
• Does LAW = SIN?

Romans 7:7 CSB

⁷ What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.

Wouldn’t that be the logical conclusion for you math and logic people? No? Well what about this?

Romans 5:20 CSB

²⁰ The law came along to multiply the trespass…

According that verse, you might get the impression that the Law is what causes the trespasses or sins. Sin gives birth to sin. Therefore the Law must be sinful if it brings forth sin, right?

Romans 7:7 CSB

⁷ What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! (one of 8 of these in the book of Romans) NO WAY!

Sin and the law are certainly 2 very different things! Paul will cover that in greater detail later in this chapter. But for now, let’s compare them:

WHERE THE LAW & SIN ARE SIMILAR:

They are similar in that neither SIN nor the LAW own us, control us IF we belong to Jesus. We are no longer married to them, or slaves to them (not that I equate slavery to marriage! I am just using Paul’s words).

WHERE THEY ARE DIFFERENT:

The law was meant to give life, but sin brings death.

Romans 7:10–11 CSB

¹⁰ The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me. ¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.

Romans 7:13 CSB

¹³ Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! But, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.

They are not the same, but they are connected.

HOW ARE SIN AND THE LAW CONNECTED?

The law points out what is sin.

Romans 7:7 CSB

⁷ What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.

Paul points out that without the law we do not know what is wrong. We do not know we have done wrong.

FOR INSTANCE: do any of you have Christmas lights still up? Personally, I think that should be a crime. And in San Diego, it is if you keep them up after February 2nd.

It wasn’t a crime, until there was a law. The law reveals or points out to us what is wrong or criminal. If it violates God’s law it is considered sinful.

The law points out the punishments for sin.

Romans 6:23 CSB

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Law points out the punishment for sin. We are punished for breaking the law, but it is not the Law that is the REASON for our punishment. Perhaps this will help us grasp the difference:

IF we have a law that if you take a life you will forfeit your life – straight up capital punishment. That LAW defines murder and something that is wrong AND it states the punishment for those that commit that crime.

IF I commit murder, and I am put to death, is it the law’s fault that I die? NO – it is because of my bad actions that I am put to death. It was MY CHOICE that caused death, not the law.

So it is MY ACTIONS that caused the end result, the law just made it obvious that it was wrong, and that there is a punishment for it.

Paul says that the law revealed what is sinful. And then he gave a great example – from the law!

Romans 7:7 CSB

⁷ What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.

So Paul takes us back to the beginning of the Mosaic law, the 10 commandments or Decalogue. The last one is about coveting. Why is this one the one he picked? Perhaps because it is the hardest one to keep!

I promise I have not made any carved idols and I have not murdered anyone. But have I ever wanted something that someone else has?

• car
• house
• job
• vacation
• clothes
• hair
• schedule
• income

It is really easy to break this law! It is even unique among the laws in that is happens at a very early age.

If you have a room full of toys, and 2 kids under the age of 3. One kid has a toy, and there are 500 other toys in the room. Which toy does the other child want? THE ONE that someone else already possesses.

No one taught that child to covet, it happens naturally. And if you are a good parent you teach that child that it is wrong to take that toy from the other child. Do NOT covet that toy. Do not take what is someone else’s. Be happy with what you have.

The LAW that states it is wrong to covet is not what is bad. The fact that we choose to covet, knowing that it is wrong, is what it bad. The sin is the ACT of coveting – a decision to break the law.

So, the Law is NOT sin, and the Law does not bring death. Why would Paul be so adamant to defend the law? He just said we died to it? Now he is making sure we know that it is NOT sinful and it does not cause death.

That is because the law still matters!

Not as a task master. Not as a slave owner. But as a reflection of God.

The Law Reveals God’s character, actions, and heart.

The greatest value of the law is that is teaches us about the law GIVER – Yahweh. In our passage in Romans, Paul says 3 things in these verses about the law.

Romans 7:12 CSB

¹² So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.

The Law is:

1. Holy
2. Just
3. Good

The law is a reflection of the law giver. Only Yahweh is truly holy, just, and good.

God’s laws are holy -> they stand about above other laws. They are not like other laws.

1 Peter 1:15–16 CSB

¹⁵ But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.

The Law is holy because the one who gave it is holy, and he wants us to be like him so his laws explain what it means to be holy – to be set apart for him. It also explains what makes HIM holy. While other gods and other laws focus on individual, often self-serving rights (like, “it’s my body”) – God’s law sees every life as precious and valuable and worth defending – especially those that cannot defend themselves like the not-yet-born lives.

God’s laws are just -> they are fair in their dealings with right and wrong.

Jeremiah 9:24 CSB

²⁴ But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me— that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration.

The law of God are JUST because God is just. The one who knows HIM, know that he shows justice. God’s laws are just and they help us understand the justice that pleases God.

Later in this letter, Paul will address this very topic with another, “No Way!” statement:

Romans 9:14 CSB

¹⁴ What should we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not!

God’s laws are good -> because they hold us accountable for our wrongs and help us to do good!

Paul said this earlier in Romans:

Romans 3:10–12 CSB

¹⁰ as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. ¹¹ There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. ¹² All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.

Bad laws come from bad actors – whether governments, agencies or individuals. Good laws come from good actors. Only God is good.

Psalm 119:68 CSB

⁶⁸ You are good, and you do what is good; teach me your statutes.

God is good and he does what is good – so the Psalmist response is, “teach me your laws”. This is still true today.

The LAW of God is the Word of God. In the most direct sense, it is our Old Testament. You and I have this gift – to have the words of God that reveal the nature, character and heart of God to us.

I lost track of how many times Paul used to LAW to point out who Jesus is and what he has done for us in the book of Romans! We have talked about Adam, Abraham, Moses, the covenant, the 10 commandments… think about it. The only way to truly understand the condition of our humanity and of his deity is to understand the LAW.

When the law shows me the holiness of God, the justice of God and the goodness of God, I cannot help but understand my own depravity, my own inability to live up to his glorious standard, my lack of any goodness on my own. I am undone. I have nothing in me that I can hold up to God and say, “look – this is good”.

THAT is the VALUE of the Law.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 CSB

¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Paul wrote that to the young pastor, Timothy, approximately 6 years after he wrote the letter to the Romans. And that “all scripture” would be our OLD TESTAMENT including the Torah (Law). Similarly, when the author of Hebrews said this, he would have been referring to the OT:

Hebrews 4:12 “12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The New Testament contains ninety-four direct citations from the Pentateuch, representing roughly one-third of the approximately 278 Old Testament verses explicitly cited in the New Testament. This breaks down to ninety-four from the Pentateuch, ninety-nine from the Prophets, and eighty-five from the Writings. However, the Pentateuch’s influence extends beyond raw citation counts. Deuteronomy stands as one of the most frequently quoted books in the New Testament, particularly by Jesus, who appeals to it more than any other single book.

And after his resurrection, when Jesus was describing to a few of the disciples what he just did through his death and resurrection, he did it this way…

Luke 24:27 “27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.”

You cannot fully understand who Jesus is apart from the Law. You cannot understand why Jesus had to die apart from the law. You cannot comprehend how the mercy and justice of God can co-exist apart from the law.

Our faith in Jesus does not mean that the OT is not needed. It means just the opposite. Our faith is deepened through the law – not the ritual observance of it, but the revelation of the law giver and our woeful inadequacies and sinfulness apart from him.

The Law reveals who God is. The law shows us the need for salvation, because in it we learn how inept we are in our own strength to keep the law. That is the point Paul is trying to make.

Romans 7:7 “… I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.”

The Law reveals my sinfulness. So, what do I do about it then? I need to repent.

Psalm 32:1–5 CSB

¹ How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! ² How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! ³ When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. ⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat.  ⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

• The Law does not cause death.
• The Law is not sin.
• The Law is not dead (in Rom 7:4 WE were put to death, not the law).

The law is holy, just, and good because the one who gave it is holy, just, and good.

The LAW is a revelation of humanity and deity. If you want to know who you are, read the OT. If you want to know who God is, read the OT.

We are in desperate need of the Law of God for in it we understand our humanity and God’s deity. In it we are confronted with our depravity and God’s holiness, our selfish desires and God’s selfless sacrifice. In the law we understand the God who made us, who is full of compassion and mercy.

Praise God for the Law – it really does still matter.