DEAD TO THE LAW

"Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7:1-4).

Devotion 2 of 17

OBJECTIVELY SPEAKING

Objectively, "the Law" is a moral image of God, declaring the Divine nature as a standard of acceptance. It tells us what God is like, and declares that man must be like Him in order to be received by Him. Thus the Divine nature becomes the standard of acceptance, with a total absence of compromise and no reduction of requirements.

Few professed Christians have taken "the Law" seriously. Imagining themselves equal to the demands of "the Law," people speak glibly about "keeping the Ten Commandments," not realizing their nature, or the penalty for a single infraction of them.

This devotion will affirm that "the Law" cannot simply be blotted out, or pass away. It was given by God, and reflects His nature. Because of this, "the Law" is "holy," "spiritual," and "good" (Rom 7:12, 14). I will also assert that a fundamental change must take place in the individual before the condemning grip of the Law can be loosed.

Accentuating the Situation

Lastly, we must accentuate the human condition caused by sin. When sin entered into the human race through Adam (Rom 5:12), spiritual death began a ruthless reign. The Lord warned Adam of this awful condition in the very beginning. " . . . but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die" (Gen 2:17 NASB). Death ensued on the very day, and at the very moment, of transgression! "The Law" informed us of the condition from which we fell. Until that fall is corrected, there is "no hope" for humanity (Eph 2:12).

OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAW OUTSIDE OF CHRIST

Men sustain a relationship to "the Law," whether in or out of Christ. Outside of Christ, however, that relationship is most grievous. In some circles, it is common to view the "Ten Commandments" as applicable only to the Jews, or Israelites. There is a sense in which this is true, and there is one in which it is not true. The "giving of the Law" did "pertain," or apply to, Israel (Rom 8:4). That relationship, however, was one of a covenant--i.e., the Ten Commandments were the "words of the covenant" exclusively for them (Ex 34:28; Deut 29:1). The covenant was simply this, "So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD" (Lev 18:5).

As a standard of righteousness, however, "the Law" was not limited to Israel. It became the basis for the condemnation of the entire human race. Although given to Israel, and imposed upon them as a covenant, it was a standard applicable to all men everywhere. Those who affirm the "Ten Commandments" were ONLY for Israel are seriously mistaken. Scripture affirms that those commands had a calculated effect upon the entire world.

PRAYER POINT: Father, through Jesus Christ, grant me grace to respect Your holy Law, while cleaving to Your Son by faith.

-- Tomorrow: CONDEMNED, GUILTY, AND MOUTHS STOPPED --