1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The word “Christ” is not just a proper name. It means “the anointed one,” the Messiah who sums up Israel’s vocation and destiny in himself. Jesus accomplishes what the covenant with Israel has all along intended to achieve. We have our story of salvation upside down. God’s purpose for Israel always was the focal point, and the intended means, of God’s purpose for the whole world. God’s plan to put

Sin and Law Part III 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being [our new nature in Christ which is daily being renewed in our Creator’s image], 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. [All sin begins in the mind, which is why we need the mind of Christ: see1 Corinthians 2:10-16.]

Law and Sin Continued 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin [not the law], producing death in me through what is good [the law], in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. [The law is good; the villain is sin. Through the light of the law the darkness of sin is revealed in all its hideousness.] 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.

The Law and Sin [How does the law stimulate sin? Paul shows how entry into life under the law coincides with the dawn of conscience and the first awareness of inward sin. The obligation to keep the law first involved the obligation to know and obey the Ten Commandments. The commandment which caused Paul the worst problem was the tenth: “You shall not covet.” This deals with an inner attitude rather than an overt action or deed. It is a prohibition, and prohibitions are known

Dying to the Law 4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ [you are free as a widow is free], so that you may belong to another [that is Christ], to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. [With the death of Jesus, who perfectly kept the law, the law is fulfilled by one man for the many. Therefore, we can die to the law. We bear fruit for God, not by keeping the law, but by abiding in Christ. He i

Released from the Law [Paul will be using a marriage analogy] [For Paul, to be under grace is to live according to the Spirit and to live under the law is to live according to the flesh. However, there is no fault to find in the law because it is God’s law. It forbids sin. It prescribes righteousness. It is a revelation of the very character of God himself. The problem is not the law but the human material on which the law operates. Following the law leads humans to regard re

What is The Moral Law? In Protestant theology, the moral law is understood as a reflection of God's character, eternally binding on all people, and revealed through Scripture, particularly the Ten Commandments. It's seen as distinct from ceremonial and judicial laws of the Old Testament, which are viewed as fulfilled or superseded by Christ's sacrifice. While Protestants generally affirm the moral law as foundational, they differ on its application and interpretation, with so

The Wages of Sin 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. [Sin was your master, not righteousness.] 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. [Sin always brings destructive results!] 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. [Those who have been

Slaves to Righteousness [the slave-market analogy] 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! [The antinomian argument of verse 1 is repeated. To treat grace as an excuse for sinning is a sign that one is not under grace.] 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But t

Sin, Law, Grace 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions [such that we satisfy its desires]. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. [You have a choice in the matter.] 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. [The law d