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 7 of 17

THE COMMANDMENT OFFERED LIFE

The "commandment," or the moral requirement of the Law, offered life for flawless obedience. "Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD" (Lev 18:5). For the spiritually naive, this sounded wonderful. Surely men, with all of their wisdom and discipline, will be able to fulfill the letter of the Law! Such a thought proved a futile imagination for Paul--and anyone else choosing to live under the Law. "And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death" (Rom 7:10 KJV). The holy commandment found transgression in Paul, and thus the edict was enforced, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezek 18:4,20). Rather than becoming a means of gaining Divine approval, it became the means of driving men from the presence of the Lord.

The Sinfulness of Sin

In its very essence, sin is the antithesis of God. It will take a word from God and deceive us into thinking that word can be ignored with impunity. Thus, speaking for every insightful person, Paul affirms, "For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me" (Rom 7:11 KJV). Sin revolted against the commandment, reasoning with us as Satan did with Eve, "You will not surely die" (Gen 3:4, NIV). Death--spiritual death--was caused by the defiling of the conscience. An awareness of a personal propensity to sin so convicted the Apostle, that he no longer could stand confidently before the Lord--not even in the self confidence, developed when the individual imagines he has done what God requires.

This is the Nature of Law

The Law principle, or approaching to God on the basis of our own achievement, works in this manner. In fact, it can work in no other way. Prohibition without grace awakens the sin principle resident in all people. Honesty will tell the individual this if he will only listen. Only the good news of the Gospel offers genuine hope to the sinner. It does so because acceptance is based upon the flawless achievement and perfect obedience of Another, the Lord Jesus Christ. The well of human nature does not go deep enough to draw living water.

Truth and Mercy Unreconciled

Under Law, truth and mercy cannot be reconciled. Although mercy desires to lavish love upon the transgressor, truth will not allow such a thing. Peace fervently longs for unanimity between God and man, but Divine righteousness cannot acquiesce. It simply would not be right! Truth cannot sweep sin under the rug, so to speak, and mercy cannot proceed in ignorement of truth! Too, peace cannot rule unless righteousness agrees, and righteousness cannot live in the same house with transgression. To put it another way, God could not compromise His own nature to save us. The change had to come in man, it could not take place in God. Thus mercy and truth remained estranged in the matter of reclaiming humanity, and righteousness and peace could not embrace each other in the human race. The Law--the HOLY Law--could not resolve this dilemma.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I praise Your name through Jesus Christ for effectively addressing the matter of condemnation through Your Son.

-- Tomorrow: ALL IS NOT HOPELESS --