We Still Choose to Live Under the Law of Sin and Death (Part 1)

This is the second part in a series I am doing on the work of Christ and the power of the spirit. Last time I talked about how I believe the church behaves exactly the same as the world. I discussed that the main problem with the church is that we live trying to fulfill the law apart from the spirit of God regardless of what people might say to the contrary.”having a form of godliness but denying its power”. I would highly suggest reading that before reading this post. We still choose to live under the law of sin and death.

This post in many ways seems elementary. I talk about salvation and justification and things your probably already know about and have heard about. I’m telling you though, if you look at the Galatians or the Corinthians or Colossians closely, you will see that we are still struggling with the exact same things Paul rebuked them for.

The biggest lie

If Satan could only lie to you about one thing and had to let you believe the truth about everything else, this is the stuff he would choose to lie about. It’s booby trapped with mounds and mounds of false teaching because if everyone understood in their hearts and through the spirit what all this means, he’d be done for. Please for the love of God allow yourself to hear this.

I believe that in many ways, we are still choosing to live under the law of sin and death in the same way the church in Galatia was.

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.  I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?  Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain?  So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?  So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”Galatians 3:1-6

The scriptures are absolutely filled with this idea. I want to take you through and show how the law of the spirit vs. the law of sin and death is the thread that weaves through all the Bible and how crucial the concept is to a real authentic faith.

In order to understand, we must start at the very beginning.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.Romans 5:12-14

Adam didn’t have the law of Moses but had law from God. They were told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was through that knowledge that death took its first victims. If there was no knowledge of wrongdoing there would be no sin.

What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.  Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.Romans 7:7-11

God brought imperfect beings into the world knowing full well they would succumb to the law of sin and death.

This is the curse that is modeled in so many fairy tales. The dark magic over the whole land that keeps everyone in some kind of bondage.

“It is winter in Narnia,” said Mr. Tumnus, “and has been for ever so long…. always winter, but never Christmas.”The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”Galatians 3:10-12

We were not born as sinners but were born inheriting the curse brought on us by the sin of Adam. This law of sin and death is the burden of this life.

God made us knowing full well we could never live up to the standards set before us.

As it is written:“There is no one righteous, not even one;     there is no one who understands;    there is no one who seeks God.All have turned away,    they have together become worthless;there is no one who does good,    not even one.”“Their throats are open graves;    their tongues practice deceit.”“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”    “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”“Their feet are swift to shed blood;     ruin and misery mark their ways,and the way of peace they do not know.”     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.Romans 3:10-20

Burden of the law

Living under the law of sin stinks, obviously. Though I don’t know that everyone genuinely feels that way. Many of us see Gods law as the list of stuff we aren’t supposed to do because God said so.

There was a story about a schoolboy who was asked what he thought God was like. He replied that, as far as he could make out, God was “the sort of person who is always snooping around to see if anyone is enjoying himself and then trying to stop it.” And I am afraid that is the sort of idea that the word morality raises in a good many peoples minds.C.S Lewis-Mere Christianity

The truth is every one of us is afflicted with pain and suffering brought on by sin and by the sin of others. Every negative thing in this world flows from it. NO ONE escapes the ravages of sin. Not even that super rich guy that looks like he has it all. Beneath the hot girlfriend and the sports cars is a deeply broken hurting soul that is in constant pain looking for some kind of relief. Not the really charismatic preacher on TV that’s always talking about prosperity and the blessings of God.

God used the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt as a metaphor for the much worse bondage we all have through sin. The Israelites were forced to work towards a goal they cared nothing for and their backs were broken without any hope. Nothing brought hope or a future but was endless work. It was guaranteed to be meaningless. In the same way, our fight to free ourselves from the bondage of sin is equally meaningless.

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?Romans 7:21-24

For the whole of the old testament. A veil has separated us from God because of this sin.

But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.2 Corinthians 3:14-15

There was always a veil that has come between us an God. We could never remain in his presence since we were filthy.

An then came Jesus.

In part two of this blog I explain what Jesus has done and what it means for us.

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