“Because of this, just as Sin entered into the world through one man, and death through Sin, so also death passed to all men, because all sinned. For until the Law, Sin was in the world; but Sin is not imputed, there being no Law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those not having sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the coming One.” Romans 5:12-14
Now where there is No Sin then the Law serves No purpose, it is the presence of Sin in the world that made the Law a necessity. Therefore the Law was given to expose Sin. “But in order that Sin might be shown to be Sin, it is working out death through that which is good to me, so that through the commandment Sin might become sinful beyond excess.” Romans 7:13 So when we try to put ourselves under the bondage of the Law, we are repurposing what the Law was given for. We are saying there is still Sin in me, which I must bring into obedience by my own effort. Thereby invalidating what Christ has done, because Christ has come to put away Sin. “But now He has been revealed once in the consummation of the ages for the putting away of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Hebrews 9:26 Then the very essence, flutter of effort in the Law is the enemy of the grace of God. So Paul says, “I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the Law, then Christ died for naught.” Galatians 2:21
So when Paul says in Galatians, “For if I build again these things that I had torn down, I prove myself a transgressor.” Galatians 2:18 He is saying if you seek then to justify yourself by the Law, then you do not get to pick and choose which Law you obey and which you disregard, because the Law is one unit. [James 2:10] So one who seeks to abide by any part of the Law has obligated himself to keep all the Law. “Now again I testify to every man receiving circumcision that he is a debtor to keep the whole Law.” Galatians 5:3 Therefore because of the sheer complexity and demand of the Law you will [most certainly] make yourself a transgressor. “For not even those being circumcised keep the Law themselves.” Galatians 6:13 Therefore anyone who looks to the Law for justification has pushed aside the grace of God that is in Christ Jesus. “Whoever are being justified in the Law, you are severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” Galatians 5:4
Therefore do not entangle yourself with the Law, Do Not look at it, Do Not stir it, Do Not touch it, even if Sin no longer dwells in your flesh you are unable to keep ALL the Law. Which in itself is an irrelevant point since a righteous person does not have any need for the Law, which Christ has made you. “For the end of Law is Christ, unto righteousness to everyone believing.” Romans 10:4 Then if you are in Christ you are in the Spirit therefore God Himself is your guide. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” Galatians 5:18
So in his letter to the Galatians Paul shows the purpose of the Law from the perspective of human effort. “Now before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, having been locked up until the faith being about to be revealed, so that the Law has become our trainer unto Christ, so that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:23-24 Here the failure of our own effort is expressed in slavery term, that is through the Law we find no freedom. Now when he says, “Trainer unto Christ, so that we might be justified by faith,” He is saying it as a trainer unto our own failure, since the Law is of works but faith is of rest. Therefore we in acknowledgement of our shortcomings in the Law may without effort enter into the rest of God through faith in Christ. In the same manner as Christ was gladly received by those who have failed in the Law but those who boasted in the Law could not accept Him. But sinners, tax collectors and harlots all knew they needed saving because they had utterly failed in the Law.
Which Peter also uses to describe the essence of the Law, “Now therefore, why are you testing God, to put upon the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” Acts 15:10 So Paul uses this approach [the futility of our own effort in the Law] with the Galatians because they were seeking to justify themselves in the Law even after accepting Christ. So he says to them, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh?” Galatians 3:3
However in Romans 7 Paul shows the Law from the perspective of exposing the force of Sin that once dwelt in our flesh. Now Romans 7 was written for those who know the law. [vs. 1] However the gentiles in general do not know the Law and have never struggled to keep it. “That Gentiles, not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, and righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain to that law.” Romans 9:30-31 And it is this dilemma Paul is seeking to explain, why the Law was given in the first place? Which, he does in a similar manner as he did to the Galatians 3:19-25.
So Paul is not sharing with us, his own personal struggle to keep the Law after he has be justified by Christ. NO, because he being a Jew already knew through the Law covetousness was a Sin, he is not now discovering this. But he is bringing to remembrance his manner of walk when he was under the Law and under Sin and how he himself struggled against Sin being made aware of the Law of God. And how he kept failing and brought sacrifice to God year after year to atone for his errors. But [NOW in Christ] he recognised how through the Law the nature of Sin that was present in his flesh was exposed, which he now teaches to others who also know the Law. Gentiles were never aware of this, so he says the Law was given to expose Sin in the flesh. That is the entity of Sin itself is exposed, as a sound mind and force that worked to make us an enemy of God. “For while we were in the flesh, the passions of sins that were through the Law were at work in our members, to the bringing forth of fruit to death.” Romans 7:5 And it is from this body of Sin he sought deliverance, which the Law could not do! The Law simply described his prison for which Romans 7 is a picture of
“Now if that which I do not want, this I do, I consent to the Law, that it is good. And in that case I am no longer doing it, [but the Sin dwelling in me]. For I know that there dwells in me nothing good, that is, in my flesh. For to will is present with me, but not to do good. For the good that I desire, I do not do; but the evil that I do not want, this I practice. Now if what I do not want, I do this, [it is no longer I who do it, but Sin dwelling in me.]” Romans 7:16-20
This is the hidden wisdom Paul imparting to us in Romans 7, the utter helplessness of our condition in the flesh which was the presence of Sin. “For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks all to be under Sin.” Romans 3:9 One was through the Law and the other apart from it. So while the Gentiles are delivered from Sin, the Jews are delivered from the Law [having died] to the same condition that afflicts both Jew and Gentile which is Sin in the flesh. And our redemption from both Sin and the Law is through the body of Christ. So Romans 7 is not describing the struggle of a believer against Sin through the Law, but the struggle of the one who is in the flesh and having received knowledge of the Law [God’s demand]. However one who is in Christ is no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit. “Now you are not in flesh but in Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you; but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him.” Romans 8:9
Therefore once you die to Sin then the Law has no place in you, what is there for it to govern? So death to Sin automatically invalidates the Law. If there was no Sin in the world God would not have given the Law. “Why then the Law? It was added on account of transgressions.” Galatians 3:19
So then “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those under the Law.” Romans 3:19 But not everyone was under the Law. Then, do Gentiles need deliverance from the Law? NO, they were never covenanted to it, but they were under Sin from which they needed deliverance. Do Gentiles mess around in the Law? Yes, Galatians is proof of that and it is written as a rebuke for those who seek to do so. Therefore Romans 7 is not describing a Gentile believer seeking to keep the Law but a Jewish believer seeking to understand why he was under the Law in the first place. How then do we ALL benefit from Romans 7? It shows how through the Law the nature of Sin that dwelt in ALL of mankind to entice, to enslave and to make us an enemy of God is exposed. Only through the Law of God, is the enemy of God that dwelt in our flesh flashed to the surface. From which we ALL needed deliverance from, whether we knew it [Jews] or were oblivion to it [Gentiles]. So then if we are delivered from Sin through the body of Christ, then what service does the Law now provide? [None!]
So what is the effect of implementing the Law on a believer? I bind myself to a yoke of bondage and make myself a slave, no longer to walk in the liberty which Christ has won for me. “In freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore and do not be entangled again in a yoke of slavery!” Galatians 5:1 I myself will create opportunities by which I might fail and condemn myself. “For if I build again these things that I had torn down, I prove myself a transgressor.” Galatians 2:18 I hinder the power of God from being manifested in my life and expose myself to the oppression of the enemy because I have made Christ of no benefit to me. “Christ will profit you nothing.” & “Whoever are being justified in the Law, you are severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” Galatians 5:2,4 Because through the Law God will not work in my life, the Law is closed it is a time of grace. “Therefore, the One supplying to you the Spirit and working miracles among you, is it out of works of the Law, or out of hearing of faith?” Galatians 3:5
“Therefore it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, for the promise to be sure to all the seed, not only to that of the Law, but also to that of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us of all—” Rom 4:16
Therefore Sin is dead, it is not present, it is not dormant, its has no place in us through Christ. We cannot say God left Sin in our flesh to humble us, that is no different form saying God gave us sickness to humble us. “So that the body of Sin might be annulled, that we are no longer enslaved to Sin.” Romans 6:6 If it cost God everything [His Son] to deliver us from Sin, then He will not live a slightest residue of Sin in us, even if one in stupidity were to boast. However one who truly is delivered from Sin knows the might of his own effort he has put himself to deliver himself so that he might walk with his head held up high, that is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. And that is not in a false expression of humility but in actual reality of the truth.
“Truly, truly, I say to you that everyone practicing the sin is a slave of the sin. Now the slave does not abide in the house to the age; the son abides to the age. So if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34-36
Thanks to Pixabay.com where the images was taken from. Red Smoke: https://pixabay.com/photos/smoke-abstract-light-pattern-6245980/ & The Man in Bondage: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-adult-man-hand-rope-3248054/
Bread Bait. 
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