Apostle Paul’s Understanding of the Law in Romans

5/21/2018 Apostle Paul s Understanding of the Law in Romans

PRAISE PURE MINISTRY

Apostle Pauls

Understanding of the Lawin RomansBY

Lola Richey

The author acknowledges that a significant portion of this paper was derived from a Romans seminary

course taught by Professor Loyd Melton, Ph.D. of Erskine Theological Seminary, Columbia, SC Campus.


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Praise Pure MinistryPO Box 10916

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Copyright August 27, 2014 byLola Richey

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There is only one God, and He makes people right with Himself only by faith,

whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this

mean that we can forget about the Law? Of course not! In fact, only when we

have faith do we truly fulfill the law.1

INTRODUCTION

Many Christians have called the book of Romans a masterpiece. It is

commonly agreed that the book of Romans is one of the greatest Christian

writings.2

Interestingly, this New Testament book of the apostle Paul is

structured as a great legal argument. The apostle Paul states that the good

news of the Gospel is the power of God at work, saving everyone who

believesthe Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God

makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith.3

The apostle Paul proclaims that the Gospel is the power of Godto bring about

salvation to everyone who believes from start to finish.This is belief without

anything morenot circumcision and not the law. The only requirement is

faith and faith alone! Furthermore, the Gospel is a declaration of Gods

righteousness. One aspect of Gods righteousness is Gods justiceand mercy.

The basic meaning of righteousness is moral uprightnessdoing good deeds

from a pure heart and pure motives, which is only possible through faith. So

1Rom. 3:3031 (New Living Translation).

2Leon Morris, Epistle to the Romans(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2012), 1.

3Rom. 1:1617.


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from start to finish, the Christian life is a matter of faith. The power of the

Gospel is faith based upon the faithfulness of God.

As quoted above, Apostle Paul declares that all peoplethe Jew first and

also the Gentileare declared righteous (justified) before God by faith alone,

not the Old Testament law. Concerned Jewish Christians wondered if their

faith in Jesus Christ wiped out Judaism (the Old Testament scriptures) and if

God was no longer working through the Jews.4In Romans, the apostle Paul

portrays Jews without faith in Jesus Christ as seeking their own righteousness

through observance of the law.5Further, the apostle Paul contrasts the law

with the grace of Jesus Christ.6But the most baffling aspect of the apostle

Pauls message is his portrayal of the law as requiring full and perfect

obedience, with no means of atonement for human sins, making it impossible

for sinful humans to fulfill.7

Many of the apostle Pauls critics accused him of preaching a cheap

gospel, because his teaching appears to eliminate the Old Testament law of

God and circumcision. These critics maintained that the Old Testament law

and circumcision were important and that the apostle Pauls Gospel provided

no incentive for people to live a moral and righteous life. The apostle Paul said,

Absolutely not!8When we understand the way of salvation through faith, we

4Life Application Study Bible(Carol Streams: Tyndale House Pub., 2005).

5Rom. 9:3010:4.

6Rom. 10:513.

7James Ware, Law, Christ, and Covenant: Pauls Theology of the Law in Romans 3:1920,Journal of Theological

Studies62, Part 2 (October 2011): 514.8Ibid.


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understand the Jewish religion better as well as the disciplinary aspect of

salvation.9

HEART OF THE GOSPEL

The apostle Paul responds to these charges that he has disregarded the

law, beginning in Romans 1:18. First, Apostle Paul reveals that all people (Jews

and Gentiles) are separated from God because of the disease of sin.10God had

revealed Himself to the Gentiles in the natural world, yet the Gentiles rejected

Gods revelation andworshipped the created world instead of the creatorthe

true and living God.11In Romans 2:1 through Romans 3:20, the apostle Paul

says the Jews are also as equally condemned as the Gentiles, even though the

Jews possessed the law of God. The apostle Paul provided a series of Old

Testament quotes in Romans 3 revealing the Jews failure to keep the law.12

According to the apostle Paul, possession of the law does not declare

anyone righteousness before God. Only obedience to the law makes a person

righteous.13Even the Old Testament prophets repeatedly taught that God has

always wanted our obedience to law revealed as love, justice (fairness), mercy,

forgiveness, and a humble walk with God. This is the whole intention of the

law. If we keep the law, we will walk humbly, justly, and with mercy with

9Ibid; see also Tit. 2:11-12.

10Rom. 1:183:20.

11Rom. 1:1831.

12Rom. 3:10-18.

13See 1 Sam. 15:22-23; Isa. 1:11-15; Jer. 7:21-23; Am. 5:21-24; Mic. 6:6-8.


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God.14True prophets of God proclaimed repeatedly that God wanted our

genuine and wholehearted love, alliance, and devotion to Him and not the

peoples empty, dishonest, and half-hearted worship.15Even more, God wants

our good deeds of love, kindness, patience, forgiveness, and mercy towards

others because these are the very qualities of God Himself. God is

compassionate and gracious .. . slow to anger, abounding in love and

faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness,

rebellion, and sin.16Jesus Christ said In the same way, let your good deeds

shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.17

The apostle Paul goes on to explain that a real Jew (one who pleases God)

is not someone who has been circumcised (a Jew outwardly) but someone

whose heart is right with God and who wholeheartedly obeys Him (a Jew

inwardly).18The apostle Paul makes it clear that membership into Gods

family is based on internal heart qualities and not external. All whose hearts

are right with God are real Jewsthat is, part of Gods family.19God desires

our wholehearted love, faithfulness and obedience to Him as the true and

living.20

14See Mic. 6:68.

15See Isa. 1:10-20; Isa. 66:3; Jer. 4:4; Jer. 6:20; Jer. 7:22-23; Hos. 6:6.

16Ex. 34:6-7 (New International Version).

17Matt. 5:16 (New Living Translation).

18See Rom. 2:2529 (Life Application Study Bible).

19See Gal. 3:7 (LASB).

20See Deut. 10:16, Jer. 4:4, Jer. 6:10, Jer. 9:26, Cor. 7:19, Col. 2:11 (Zondervan NIV Study Bible).


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The apostle Paul therefore made this assessment of ALL PEOPLE: For all

have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.21In other words, all people

(Jews and Gentiles) are separated from God and can do nothing to bridge the

separation between themselves and God because of their sinful disease. The

apostle Pauls conclusion is sobering and hopeless, yet it is a realistic picture.

Humanitys hopelessness is a universal condition, and there is no human cure

and no self-help book for this deadly sinful disease, which affects all humanity.

In Romans 3:21 through Romans 4:25, the apostle Paul provides a

solution to humanityssinful disease, and this is called the Good News!Paul

explains how, first of all, God provided healing for human sin by sending His

Son Jesus Christ as the final sacrifice.22The apostle Paul declares that Jesus

Christ has paid for the sins of all humanity through Gods salvation, made

possible throughJesus Christs life, death, and resurrection.23The apostle Paul

does not explain the mystery of Gods solution throughJesus Christ but simply

states that God has provided a cure for the sinful disease that is present in all

humans.

God has not only provided a cure for the dreadful disease that infects

Jews and Gentiles, but He has also made this gracious cure available to all

people through FAITH ALONE. The apostle Paul uses Father Abraham as an

21Rom. 3:23 (New International Version).

22Rom. 3:2130.

23See Rom. 1:1617.


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example of genuine faith.24Abraham is the father of Judaism and the one with

whom God started His redemptive work in Genesis 12. The apostle Paul quotes

Genesis 15:6s declarationthat Abraham was made righteous (justified) by God

through his faith. Abraham believed and trusted God; he did not trust in

himself but in God and Gods worksalone. The apostle Paul points out that

Abraham was not declared righteous through the law, because the law had not

yet been given. Many Jews believed that the privileges they enjoyed came from

their adherence to the Mosaic law. Yet, the promises given to Abraham

occurred 430 years beforethe law was given to Moses. God gave His promises

to Abraham, who lived long before Moses ever received the law; therefore

Abraham could not possibly have depended on the law. Instead, Abraham

depended on Godthis is faith. Faith in Jesus Christ, not anyones set of rules

or laws opens the door to acceptance by God.25Gods promises reached full

fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whom the apostle Paul calls Abraham Seed.26The

law was never intended to make possible a way to God.27Rather, the law was

given to lead us to Christthat people may be declared righteous (justified) by

faith and by convincing us o the impossibility of gaining Gods acceptance on

our own.28

Also, Abrahams righteousness preceded his circumcision; thus his

righteousness did not depend on this circumcision practice. Genesis 12:13

24Rom. 4:125.

25Gal. 2:16; New Student Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).

26Gal.3:16; New Student Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).

27Gal. 3:11, 21.

28Gal. 3:24; New Student Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).


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tells of Gods call to Abraham when he was seventy-five years old, and the

circumcision ceremony was introduced when Abraham was ninety-nine.29This

was more than fourteen years after the events in Genesis 12. The conclusion is

obvious: circumcision had nothing to do with his justification (righteousness).30

The apostle Paul stated that Abraham was made righteous before God through

his faith (trust) alone in God and Gods promises.Even more, the apostle Paul

declares that Abrahams true descendants are those made righteous by faith

alone, and that faith is in Jesus Christs saving actions.31For the apostle Paul,

belief in Jesus Christ means trusting in Jesus Christ to reconcile us to God

not trusting in ourselves or our morality or our rituals. So, Abraham is the

spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They

are counted as righteous because of their faith. And Abraham is also the

spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the

same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.32Abraham is the

father of the Jewish nation physically, but he also is the father of all believers

spiritually.33

Therefore, all people need healing from sin and cannot help themselves.

God has sent a cure through Jesus Christ, whose sacrificial death was the final

payment for human sins. Miraculously, this lifesaving work of Jesus Christ is

accessible (available) to ALL people through faith alone. The reception of Jesus

29Gen. 17:114, 2327 (Life Application Study Bible).

30Wiersbe, Bible Exposition Commentary.

31Rom. 4:1112.

32Ibid.

33Rom. 4:1617. See also Matt. 3:79.


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Christs life-saving work is not based on wealth, ethnicity, intelligence, gender,

or status but only on faith alone. Therefore, all people can experience Gods

gracious cure for sin without exclusion, as the only requirement is faith in

Gods salvation provided through Jesus Christs life, death, and resurrection.

The apostle Paul goes on to describe in Romans chapters five through

eight what happens when a person has been made righteous through faith in

Jesus Christ. First, the apostle Paul states that through faith inJesus Christs

life, death, and resurrection, God removes the penalty of sin from a persons

life and also equally frees that same person from the power of sin. Therefore,

one is not only declared righteous (justified) by God through faith; one is also

given a new life for Gods glory and honora fresh start and a new heart.34

Even more, a believer has access to God, lives a new life characterized by hope,

and receives reconciliation with the true and living God.35Through faith in

Jesus Christs life, death, and resurrection, a believer is united or reconciled

with Jesus Christ. In other words, believers are in Christ.36True believers

have died with Jesus Christ and have been raised to a new life in union with

him.37Furthermore, through our faith in Jesus Christ, a believer receives the

person of the Spirit, which comes to live within the believers heart. However,

the apostle Paul also states that a believer in Jesus Christ continues to

struggle with their sinful nature (the flesh). The apostle Paul states even he

34See 2 Cor. 5:17.

35Rom. 5:111. See also Rom. 8:1923, Eph. 2:810.

36Rom. 6:11. See also Gal. 5:24, Eph. 1:1, Phil. 2:1.

37Rom. 6:710, 7:6. See also Gal. 2:20.


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struggled with sin within his natural body.38Therefore, even though a believer

has a new nature through faith alone in Jesus Christ, a believers former self is

still present. Essentially, the apostle Paul provides the bad news of the

Gospel: Christian faith is also a life of struggle. Nevertheless, as the apostle

Paul states in Romans 8, the believer now has the Holy Spirit living inside the

believers heart, which enables and empowers all genuine believers to live out

this new life in Jesus Christ with victory! So now there is no condemnation for

those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power

of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to

death.39We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.40

CONTINUED NEED FOR THE LAW

Now that believers have faith and depend upon Jesus Christs finished

work to make them righteous (justified) before God, why do people need the

Ten Commandments and the Mosaic law? What is the function of the law, and

what is the role of the law for believers in Jesus Christ?

As mentioned earlier, the apostle Pauls preaching aroused enemies who

accused him of preaching a cheap gospel. Through his message, the apostle

Paul affirms that humans are not declared righteous and reconciled to God by

obedience to the law. In fact, the apostle Paul states that the law was no longer

essential to reconciliation with God or to salvation. So, many Jews and Jewish

38Rom. 7:725.

39Rom. 8:1-2 (New Living Translation).

40Rom. 8:37.


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Christians had a dim view of the apostle Paul. According to the apostle Pauls

enemies, a person can believe in Jesus Christ and not have to obey the law.

These enemies believed the apostle Pauls gospel placed no moral demand on

people.

For the Jewish nation, the law was the greatest good and the mark of

Gods kindness to His people.41God had given only the Jews the law of Moses.

As such, to the Jewish people, the law was not restrictive or negative but a gift

or privilege from God.42They studied the law with the greatest diligence,

regarding even the minutest detail as important.43Even in Psalm 119, the law

is celebrated and rejoiced, because these were specific commandments with

which the Jews could worship God. God holy law is the only guaranteed guide

for living a pure life. So, the Jewish nation believed that God had made the

Jews into a special people and that God had given them the law to show their

specialness and to honor Him.

Sadly, the Jewish people tried to be made righteous with God by obeying

the law, not through faith in God alone. In order to be saved by the law, the

apostle Paul stated a person would have to live a perfect life, not sinning

once.44Rather than living by faith in God, the Jews established many customs

and traditions in addition to Gods law to try to make themselves righteous in

41Morris, 269.

42Rom. 9:4.

43Morris, 269.



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Gods sight.45But human effort can never substitute the righteousness God

offers everyone graciously by faith.46

To respond to his many Jewish critics, the apostle Paul notes that the

law is the perfect standard of God. The law reveals the righteousness of God,

because the law is holy and just and good.47God is righteous, and the law is

an expression of Gods righteousness and is intrinsically good.48Sin, not the

law, produced death. The law shows us humans that we are helplessly under

the control of sin and points us to Jesus Christ, the only One who can help

us.49In addition, the law acts as a mirror that makes people conscious of their

sins and their need for Gods salvation throughJesus Christs life, death, and

resurrection.50The apostle Paul asserts, For no one can ever be made right

with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how

sinful we are.51In other words, the purpose of the law was to bring conviction

and prove guilt, not human justification (righteousness). The law never justified

anyone.52Most important, the law gives witness to Jesus Christ. The Old

Testamentssacrifices, prophecies, and the great Gospel Scriptures(such as

Isaiah 53) all bore witness to this truth ofJesus Christs salvation.

45Ibid. Rom. 10:35.

46Ibid. Rom 4:125.

47Rom. 7:12.

48King James Version Study Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997).

49Ibid.; Rom. 3:20.

50Warren Wiersbe, With the Word Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1997).

51Rom. 3:20 (NLT).



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According to the apostle Paul, the law excites passions and increased

sin.53There are four ways to interpret this statement. First, the law created evil

forbidden fruits, or the forbidden fruit syndrome. In other words, the law

made people want to sin. Second, the law gave people a false sense of security

via giving them a checklist for righteousness. That is, people believed they were

made right with God because they had checkedall the boxes of the law. This

understanding could have been used by the Pharisees in apostle Pauls day.

The law became a means of false security. Third, the law brought a new

understanding to sin. As mentioned earlier, the law acted as a mirror exposing

Godsrequirements and peoples sins,making people realize they did not meet

Gods righteous standards. Fourth, the law intensified the seriousness of sin.

The law revealed that sin is outright rebellion against God.

In essence, the apostle Paul concludes that the law does not make people

better but makes people worse. Yet, sin and not the law were to blame. Gods

law is holy but the law simply does not have the power to make people

righteous before God.54The law cannot deliver a person who is struggling

against sin. While the law can enlighten a persons conscience, the law is

powerless to produce holiness of life.55The fault is not with the law of God

because the law of God is spiritual56. The fault is with the law of sin in human

fleshthe indwelling corruption and wickedness of human nature which rebels

53Rom. 5:20-21.

54Rom. 7:7; Spirit Filled Life Study Bible(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991).

55Rom. 7:7-25; Ibid.

56Rom. 7:14.


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against Gods laws.57Throughout the Christian life, a conflict goes on between

the new nature and the old nature. But there is a way to victory: Jesus Christ

frees us to live in the controlling power of the Holy Spirit, who is life-giving.58

DEFINITION OF THE LAW

Next, the apostle Paulsdiscussion of law raises a real interpretative

issue about the definition of law.There is no single definition of law according

to the apostle Paul, as revealed in his many New Testament letters. The apostle

Paul never defines law in his many letters and he uses the word law in

several different ways in Romans. Sometimes, the apostle Paul refers to the law

of Moses (e.g., Romans 3:21), the Old Testament as a whole (e.g., Romans 3:19)

while at other times he refers to the principle of sin (e.g., Romans 3:27;

Romans 5:13), but he is still using law.

Particularly in Romans, the apostle Paul declares that the principle or

law of sin was at work in the world even before the law of Moses. Since the law

of Moses exposed the sins of humankind, we know people did not start sinning

when the law of Moses was delivered. The condition of sinfulness goes back to

Adam and Eve, when they both broke Gods single commandment and rebelled

against God by becoming their own gods.59In fact, selfishness was the essence

of Adam and Eves sin, because they wanted to be their own gods and be in

57See Rom. 7: 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23.

58Rom. 7:25-8:11.

59Gen. 2:1517. See also Gen. 3:16.


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control of their lives without God.60Nevertheless, when the law came along, it

made human sin even worse, because the holy law makes humans aware of

their utter sinfulness.

The interpretive issue centers on whether the apostle Paul confines the

law to the written law of Moses. Obviously, the Old Testament law is the law of

Moses as stated in the first five books of the Old Testament, the Ten

Commandments, and the covenant law. But in the first century, the Pharisees

definition of law additionally included its oral interpretation, also called the

traditions of the elders or oral Torah.These interpretations were clarifications

of the law made by the elders in specific situations. Thus, an entire work on

the interpretation of the law developedoral interpretations. So, the lawin

the first century was both the oral Torah and the written Torah (the law of

Moses). Jesus Christ neverviolated the written law, but Jesus did violate the

oral interpretations of the Law (the traditions of the elders).

THE ROLE OF THE LAW

Regardless of how the apostle Paul defines law, what role does the law

have in Godsredemptive plan for all humanity? At Romans 6:14, the apostle

Paul states: Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the

requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of Gods grace.61

Sadly, some believed that no matter how great our sin, Gods grace is greater

60Gen. 3:1-7.

61Rom. 6:14 (New Living Translation).


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than all our sins. In fact, the apostle Pauls enemies argued people can sin

boldly and continually because Gods grace will always be available, despite

their sinful and wicked lifestyle. The apostle Paul was horror-struck and

disgusted at the mere suggestion of continuing in sin and wickedness once we

have experienced Gods grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.62 The

apostle Paul strongly rejects that believers can now throw morality and

goodness to the wind and live lives without moral restraint and ethics. To the

contrary, believers exchange sin for righteousness as their master.63According

to the apostle Paul, believers are free from your slavery to sin, and become

slaves to righteous living.64Slavery to God produces holiness and eternal life.65

True believers are set apart from the practice of sin and set apart to the

practice of righteousness.66

In Romans 7:16, the apostle Paul further clarifies the role of the law in

the lives of believers in Jesus Christ. The law only rules over a person while

that person is alive. So, the law is a temporary fix or a bandage solution. The

apostle Paul uses the analogy of marriage to illustrate our relationship to the

law: a woman is bound to her husband as long as her husband is alive. Once a

wifes spouse dies, she is no longer bound by that marriage. Only death breaks

the marital union.67So the apostle Paul is making the point that the law in and

62Rom. 6:1-2.

63Rom. 6:15-23.

64Rom. 6:18.

65Rom. 6:22.


67Ibid.


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of itself is and has always been only a temporary measure, just as in the case

of marriage.

In Romans 7:4, the apostle Paul declares that believers in Jesus Christs

finished work have been raised to new life. Through a persons genuine faith in

Jesus Christ, a believer is now freed from the law,68but joined to Jesus Christ

to bear fruit unto God.69Believers in Jesus Christ died with Christ in order

that they may bear fruit to God. Thus, the apostle Paulshas changed living by

the law to bearing holy fruit for God (e.g., love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against

these things!).70

Fruit is the natural result of a tree that is alive because dead trees do not

bear fruit. In fact, we know a trees health and life by lookingat the trees fruit.

Every tree that is alive will produce fruit! As Jesus Christ explained on the

Sermon on the Mount, a good tree produces good fruit while a bad tree

produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree

cannot produce good fruit.71

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul discusses the natural lifestyle that bears

fruit versus a life lived by the law. According to the apostle Paul, a believers

new life in Jesus Christ is like a living tree that continually offers good fruit to

God (e.g., love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

68Rom. 6:15.


70Gal. 5:22-23 (New Living Translation).

71Matt. 7:17-20 (New Living Translation).


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gentleness, and self-control). Therefore, the apostle Paul is not preaching a

cheap gospel. According to the apostle Paul, we are saved from condemnation

and judgment so we can become a new person that bears good and holy fruit to

God. Thus, the apostle Pauls Gospel does not lead to an immoral and sinful

lifestyle but a life oriented toward God and holy fruit.

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul explains the metaphor of fruit as the

natural extension of the life of a vine or tree. Once a believer gives up all

attempts to become righteous before God by keeping the law (which is what the

Jews did in the first century) and wholeheartedly depends on Jesus Christ,

Gods Holy Spirit does something amazing in the believers life. A believers total

dependence on Gods salvation through Jesus Christs life, death, and

resurrection reconciles us to God, and Gods Holy Spirit comes to live within a

believers life.The apostle Paul makes it unmistakably clear that the Spirit of

God lives in every true believer.72Believers are indwelt by the life-giving Spirit

as a result of their righteous.73Through Gods Holy Spirit, a believer naturally

begins to live up to the requirements of the law. In other words, Gods Holy

Spirit empowers and lives within the believer not only to live up to the letter of

the law but more importantly to fulfill the intention and purpose of law. God

requires people to be good and loving, as the law stipulates, and the Holy Spirit

gives believers the internal power to meet Gods intentions of the law.

72Zondervan NIV Study Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008).

73Ibid.


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According to apostle Paul through our genuine faith in Jesus Christ, God

sends true believers the Holy Spirit74. The moment one believes from the heart

that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ); one also receives the Holy Spirit. The

indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the unmistakable evidence of true salvation.75

The apostle Paul clearly taught in both Romans and Galatians that one

receives the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ.76The Holy Spirit is the Author

of a believers new birth.77 The Holy Spirit marks the new beginning of a

believers life. Believers cannot belong to Jesus Christ without His Spirit78;

cannot be united to Jesus Christ without His Spirit79; cannot be adopted as

Godschildren without the Holy Spirit80; and cannot be in the body of Jesus

Christ except by baptism in the Spirit.81The apostle Paul stressed that just as

one begins the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit, so one must grow

by the Holy Spirit's power. The Holy Spirit is the indwelling power of a believers

new and righteous lives because the Holy Spirit strengthens believers to live

righteous lives and convicts the believer of sin.82Even more, the Holy Spirit is

the fresh air of heaven living within the lives of believers in Jesus Christ.83In

fact, the Holy Spirit begins a lifelong process of change as believers become

74Gal. 3:2, 5; see also Acts 2:1-4.

75See Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 3:16; I Cor. 6:1920.

76See Rom. 5:5; Rom. 8; Gal. 3:2, 5.

77See John 3:5; see also 2 Cor. 5:17.

78Rom. 8:9.

791 Cor. 6:17.

80Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 4:6-7.

811 Cor. 12:13; see also Life Application Study Bible(Carol Streams: Tyndale House Pub., 2005).

82John 16:8.

83New Student Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).


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more like Jesus Christ84. Gods Holy Spirit gives genuine believers in Jesus

Christ the power and strength to live for God and this power comes through

our faith in Gods salvation in Jesus Christs life, death and resurrection.85The

Holy Spirit is the power of God!

Amazingly during His earthly life and ministry, Jesus Christ still

recognized His dependence upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit.86So intimate

was the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that in the New

Testament He is viewed as endued with the power of the Holy Spirit. For

example, the New Testament recognizes the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Jesus

Christs miraculous birth87, physical growth,88 baptism,89 wilderness

temptation,90ministry,91miracles,92death,93resurrection,94and glorification.95

Jesus Christ recognized His need to have such an intimate and personal

relationship with the Holy Spirit, which in turn emphasizes the believers

continual need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.96

Although Jesus Christ Himself departed from earth, God becomes

present in every true believer, making His activity in the world more

84Gal. 3:3; Phil. 1:6; see also Life Application Study Bible(Carol Streams: Tyndale House Pub., 2005).

85Rom. 1:16-17.


87Matt. 1:18.

88Luke 2:40, 52

89Luke 3:21-22.

90Matt. 4:12; Mark 1:14; Luke 4:14.

91Luke 4:18-19.

92Matt. 12:28.

93Heb. 9:14.

94Rom. 8:11.

95John 16:14.

96Eph. 5:18; see also John 16:8.


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widespread.97 Throughout the Holy Bible, the Holy Spirit was no vague mist

but a living Person, who spoke, guided in decisions, and fueled true believers

with the energy of faith.98Therefore, holy fruit is always the natural result of

God living within a believer through His Holy Spirit. The law can change our

external actions but not our hearts! The Holy Spirit empowers believers to live

by the letter and the spirit of the law. In other words, believers now do good

deeds because they have an internal heart desire to do so through Gods Holy

Spirit living within their hearts giving the believer power to live righteous and

moral lives.

Because believers have died with Jesus Christ, the law can no longer

condemn them. True believers in Jesus Christ are dead to sin and crucified

with Christ.99But believers are not only dead to sin; they are also alive and

united in Jesus Christ as a new person to produce good fruit.100Believers rose

again when Jesus Christ was resurrected, and, as new people, believers

belong to Jesus Christ.101Even more through this death, a new life begins

within a believer with a new mind-set now centered on pleasing God and not

ones own personal (selfish) gratification. Now, God is at the center of a

believers life as a believer is empowered by the Holy Spirit to live holy,

righteous lives and the intention of the law.102A believer serves God, not in the


98Ibid.

99See Rom. 6:2-7, Gal. 2:20.

100See Rom. 6:5; 2 Cor. 5:17; Tit 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:9.


102Ibid.


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old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Holy

Spirit and producing good fruit.103The Holy Spirit enables believers to produce

good fruit for God. Believers now serve God not by obeying a set of rules, but

out of renewed hearts and minds that overflow with wholehearted love for

God.104

Sadly, the problem with the law was that people continually looked for

ways to get around the laws intention. In other words, they would live by the

letter of the law but not according to the laws true and good intention. Jesus

Christ gave an example of this lifestyle in Mark 7:913, describing how people

would sidestep Gods law of providing for their elderly parents in order to hold

onto their own selfish traditions.105In fact, Jesus Christ also used the same

image of fruit on the Sermon on the Mount while discussing false prophets.106

These false prophets were motivated by personal money, fame, or power while

minimizing Jesus Christ and His glory.107

Amazingly, genuine faith in the redemptive work ofJesus Christs life,

death, and resurrection touches the heart, which the law can never do. In the

book of Romans, the apostle Paul reveals that the law is powerless to save

people. All people are condemned by the law and no one can live up to the

righteous standards of the law without help from Gods Holy Spirit. No matter

who we are, only faith in Jesus Christ can set us free from condemnation and

103Rom 7:6.

104Life Application Study Bible (Carol Streams: Tyndale House Pub., 2005).

105Exod. 20:12, the Fifth Commandment.

106See Matt. 7:1520.

107Life Application Study Bible (Carol Streams: Tyndale House Pub., 2005).


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give new life and empowerment to live righteous lives. According to the apostle

Paul, sin used the law, which led to our pride. However, the apostle Paul

declares, believers are enabled to follow the law through their wholehearted

faith in God and the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. As believers live by

faith, believers naturally live according to the lawa process called

sanctification. Sanctification is the process of becoming a saint. Through the

Holy Spirit living within a believers heart, believers can become righteous as a

natural progression of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Paul explains in Romans 7:16 that the spirit of the law of

God is eternal and not temporary. Like Jesus Christs Sermon on the Mount,

the apostle Paul elevates the law to a level that even the Pharisees could not

live up to. Instead of attempting righteousness by living the law to the letter, a

person can achieve reconciliation to God through genuine faith. Now, a believer

naturally starts to live according to the intention of the law. Jesus Christ

taught the whole body of law (613 laws) can be reduced two commandments:

love God and love your neighbor.108In that sense,Jesus Christstwo

commandments are the eternal purpose of the entire Old Testament law as

outlined in Micah 6:6-8. Love is the heart and summary of the entire Holy Bible

Old Testament and New Testament.109Jesus Christs teaching in Matthew 23

illustrates this principle perfectly.What sorrow awaits you teachers of

religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even

108Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27; cf. Deut. 6:4-6; Lev. 19:18.

109See also Rom. 13:9; Gal 5:14; Jam 2:8.


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the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important

aspects of the lawjustice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not

neglect the more important things.110Genuine love ispatient and kind. . . .

not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is

not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about

injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never

loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.111

In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul uses the word servant in

referring to believers, which is a synonym for slave (doulus). The apostle Paul

sets clear demands for his Christian readers.112Nevertheless, there is tension

in the apostle Pauls phrase, slaves of righteousness as well asthe phrase,

slaves of sins that the apostle Paul references in Romans 6:18. There is a

sense that righteous living is responding to a demand that is made upon

believers, but Christian living is also a natural outgrowth of living that God has

given to us. For the apostle Paul, to be a slave of righteousness is both a heart

matter and legal matter. Righteousness is a byproduct of the life

wholeheartedly devoted to God. Believersgenuine faith in Gods salvation

through Jesus Christ allows them to become slaves of righteousness.113

Humanly speaking, slaves of righteousnessis a contradiction of terms.

However, a believers servitude to God through the spirit of the law leads the

110Matt. 23:23 (New Living Translation).

1111 Cor. 13:4-7 (New Living Translation).

112Rom. 6:12.

113Rom. 6:15, 18.


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believer to live up naturally to the laws intentions. According to the apostle

Paul, genuine faith produces a new orientation. In other words, genuine faith

creates a new set of values with a heart, desire, and love to please God and no

requirement to please God according to the law.114The true and living God

becomes a believers master.115In essence, the apostle Paul denies that

Christian faith causes one to live carelessly and selfishly; rather, faith gives one

the heart and desire to live a moral and good life for Gods glory.116

In summary, Romans 7 is the apostle Pauls explanation of the laws role

in a believers life. Through faith in God, a believer is reconciled to God,

allowing Gods Holy Spirit to live within a believers heart, which gives the

believer a natural inclination to fulfill the intention and spirit of the law. Keep

in mind that the key statement occurs in Romans 7:14, for we know that the

law is spiritual. No human can obey the law entirely, because all humans

Jews and Gentilesare sinners.117Jesus Christ uses Corban in in the New

Testament as a way people used to get around the Law.

The Apostle Paul never stated that the law is sin. However, as previously

discussed, a believer would not have knowledge of sin without Gods law. The

law acts as a mirror revealing a persons sinfulness andthe seriousness of sin.

To illustrate this point, the apostle Paul explains how coveting, as a sin of the

heart, can only be revealed through the law. The apostle Paul uses the phrase

114See Deut. 6:5, Matt. 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27.

115Rom. 6:1618. See also Matt. 6:24.

116See Rom. 1215.

117See Rom. 1:183:20.


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home baseto describe sin in Romans 7:8, showing how sin makes an internal

base of operations to create all kinds of lust. Apart from the law, which exposes

our lusts and other sins, we would never know our deepest heartsdesires as

well as our actions. As stated earlier, the law does not give a person the

capacity to live up to Gods expectationsonly the Holy Spirit can do that. The

law, therefore, is holy, righteous, and good in its expression of Gods intentions.

In essence, Romans 7 is the apostle Pauls version of Jesus Christs

Sermon on the Mount and expands on Jesus Christs relationship to the law.

The apostle Paul takes Jesus Christs teachings and applies them to

congregational living, particularly in regards to reconciliation to God and

reconciliation with one another. The apostle Paul reveals how Jesus Christ

came not to abandon the law but to make the law more demanding,

concluding, Therefore, there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.118

In other words, a believer no longer lives a life of self-condemnation, which

faith in Gods salvation (through Jesus Christ) makes possible.119

In Romans 10, the apostle Paul states, Christ is the end of the law so

that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.120This statement

is simple but ambiguous. How is Jesus Christ the end of the law?

Some scholars argue that apostle Paul means that in Jesus Christ we see

the perfect fulfillment of the law, because Jesus Christ lived up to the purpose

118Rom. 8:1.

119See Rom. 8:111.

120Rom. 10:4 (NIV).


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and goal of the law perfectly.121Jesus Christ says, Do not think that I have

come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but

to fulfill them.122 In this respect, Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law and thus

gives the law validity.123Other scholars argue that while the Jews tried to earn

their righteousness only by keeping the law to letter, Jesus Christ also obeyed

the spirit of the law. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the end of the law in the sense

that He has fulfilled the law.124On the other hand, some scholars argue that

Jesus Christ brought an end to the law because Jesus Christs adventor

arrival to earth brought the law to humans, and the law has no more validity

after Jesus Christ arrived. This interpretation is not likely accurate, because

the apostle Paul continued to follow the law of God even after his Damascus

Road experience with the risen Jesus Christ. So, it is highly unlikely that the

apostle Paul interpreted the law this way.

The Greek word teloscan mean termination and cessation as well as

goal, culmination, and fulfillment.The apostle Pauls use of this term in

Romans 4 is therefore ambiguous, as it conveys the dual meaning that Jesus

Christ is both the goal/fulfillment of the law and the laws termination.125Most

scholars believe that Jesus Christ is the goal, culmination, and fulfillment of

the law.126I concur that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law in the sense

121Life Application Study Bible(Carol Streams: Tyndale House Pub., 2005). See also Matt. 5:17.

122Matt. 5:17 (NIV).

123KJV Bible Commentary(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994).


125Ira Jolivet, Christ the TELOS in Romans 10:4 as Both Fulfillment and Termination of the Law,Restoration

Quarterly51, no. 1 (January 2009): 30.126

Zondervan NIV Study Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008).


28 | P a g e

that He brought the law to completion by obeying its demands and fulfilling its

prophecies.127Furthermore, Jesus Christ fulfilled the law in the sense that He

revealed the laws true meaning,128as He emphasized the spirit of the law and

not the mere, external acknowledgement of and obedience to the law.129

The spirit of the law is love.130Love captures the ENTIRE law.131

According to apostle Paul, love fulfills Gods righteous requirements.132If you

love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of Gods law. For the

commandments say, You must not commit adultery. You must not murder.

You must not steal. You must not covet.Theseand other such

commandmentsare summed up in this one commandment: Love your

neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the

requirements of Gods law.133To maintain a close personal relationship with

God, one needs true love.134The Old Testament repeatedly speaks of Gods love

for His people.135God loves us with no strings attached. In return, God asks for

obedience based on love, not on a sense of duty.136The Old Testament

prophets told the people to love God and cling to Him.137God wants not just an

127Ibid. See also Matt. 5:17.

128Ibid.

129Ibid.


131E.g., see Deut. 6:4-5; Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-28; John 13:34-35; John 15:12; Gal.

5:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 4:7-8.132

See Rom. 13:8-14.133

Romans 13:8-10 (New Living Translation).134

New Student Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).135

E.g., see Deut. 4:37; Deut. 7:7-8; Deut. 10:15; Deut. 23:5.136

New Student Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).137

E.g., see Isa. 58:6-9; Ezek. 18; Micah 6:6-8; Hos. 6:6; Amos 2:4; Amos 5:21-24


29 | P a g e

outward conformity, but an obedience that comes from the heart.138

Importantly, living a life a loveloving God and loving our neighborsleads to

a life of happiness. The prophet Moses stated: Be careful to obey all my

commands, so that all will go well with you and your children after you,

because you will be doing what is good and pleasing to the Lord your God.139

Moreover, the prophet Moses stated: And the Lord our God commanded us to

obey all these decrees and to fear Him so He can continue to bless us and

preserve our lives . . . . For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all

the commands the Lord our God has given us.140In other words, the laws

were given for our own good and for our blessings.141

When considering the entire teachings of the book of Romans, the

apostle Paul probably means that, because of the coming of Jesus Christ,

people do not have to make themselves righteous through the law.142The

coming (advent) of Jesus Christ brought attempts to do so to a close.143The

apostle Paul probably does not mean in Romans 10:4 that Jesus Christs

arrival abolished the law.144Indeed, the apostle Paul states throughout the

book of Romans that he is establishing the law and that the law has value for

all people.145According to the apostle Paul, the law has value because it reveals

the mind of God and the intentions of God. In addition, the apostle Paul never

138E.g., see Jer. 4:4; see also Isa. 1:10-20; Isa. 66:3; Jer. 6:20; Jer. 7:22-23; Hos. 6:6; Amos 5:21; Micah 6:6-8

139Deut. 12:28 (New Living Translation).

140Deut. 6:24-25 (New Living Translation).

141Psalm 119:97-106; New Student Bible(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).

142See Rom. 6:14, Rom. 7:4, Eph. 2:15.

143Morris, 381.

144See Rom. 7:7.

145See Rom. 5:2021, Rom. 8:34, Rom. 13:910, Gal. 3:2429, 1 Tim. 1:8.


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preaches in the book of Romans that there is no validity to the law. Instead, the

apostle Paul reveals that justification (righteousness) comes to everyone who

believesin Jesus Christ, which he repeats throughout Romans.146

According to the apostle Paul, faith obtains righteousness and

salvation.147God requires us to wholeheartedly seek and love Him as the true

and living God.148Sadly, some Jews had established many rituals, customs,

and traditions in addition to Gods law to try to make themselves righteous in

Gods sight. But human works, no matter how sincere, can never be a

substitute for the righteousness God freely gives to everyoneby faith alone.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit living within a believer, the righteousness

of the law is fulfilled.149Gods Holy Spirit gives believers the power and

strength to live for God. This power is derived by our faith in Gods salvation,

which is made possible throughJesus Christs life, death, and resurrection.150

In summary, the apostle Paul teaches the importance of faith. The

Gospel from start to finish is a matter of faith! The Christian life is not started

by human effort and the Christian life is not continued by human effort.

Through faith in Gods salvation through Jesus Christs life, death, and

resurrection, a person is declared righteous and reconciled to God. Amazingly,

a person begins to naturally live by both the letter of the law and the true

146Rom. 1:1617, 3:214:25.

147Morris, 381.

148Rom. 10:13, Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21.

149Wiersbe, Bible Exposition Commentary. See Rom. 8:4.

150Rom. 1:1617.


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intentions (spirit) of the law as Jesus Christ displayed during His public

ministry.


32 | P a g e

References

KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1994.

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

New Student Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.

Spirit Filled Life Study Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991).

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.

Jolivet, Ira. Christ the TELOS in Romans 10:4 as Both Fulfillment and

Termination of the Law. Restoration Quar.51, no. 1 (January 2009): 30.

Loyd, Melton, New Testament 750. Course, Erskine Theological Seminary,

Columbia, SC, 2014.

Morris, Leon. The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing

Co., 2012.

Ware, James. Law, Christ, and Covenant: Pauls Theology of the Law in

Romans 3:1920. Journal of Theological Studies62, October 2011): 514.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.

Wiersbe, Warren W. With the Word Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas

Nelson Pub., 1997.

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Apostle Paul’s Understanding of the Law in Romans

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