Print This ArticleTHE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH
By Adam
“WHEREFORE, AS BY ONE MAN SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD, AND DEATH BY SIN; AND SO DEATH PASSED UPON ALL MEN, FOR THAT ALL HAVE SINNED.” ROMANS 5.12. “FOR AS IN ADAM ALL DIE, EVEN SO IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE.” “THEY THAT ARE CHRIST’S AT HIS COMING.” I CORINTHIANS 15:22 TO 24.
“FOR IF BY ONE MAN’S OFFENCE DEATH REIGNED BY ONE; MUCH MORE THEY WHICH RECEIVE ABUNDANCE OF GRACE AND OF THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL REIGN IN LIFE BY ONE, JESUS CHRIST. THEREFORE AS BY THE OFFENCE OF ONE JUDGMENT CAME UPON ALL MEN TO CONDEMNATION; EVEN SO BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ONE THE FREE GIFT CAME UPON ALL MEN UNTO JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE.” ROMANS 5:17 AND 18.
THE LAW OF TEN COMMANDMENTS
By Moses
“FOR THE LAW WAS GIVEN BY MOSES, BUT GRACE AND TRUTH CAME BY JESUS CHRIST.” JOHN 1:17.
“THEREFORE BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW THERE SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT; FOR BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.” ROMANS 3:20.
“FOR IF THE MINISTRATION OF CONDEMNATION BE GLORY, MUCH MORE DOTH THE MINISTRATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS EXCEED IN GLORY.” II CORINTHIANS 3:9.
“BECAUSE THE LAW WORKETH WRATH; FOR WHERE NO LAW IS, THERE IS NO TRANSGRESSION.” ROMANS 4:15.
THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE
By Christ
“GRACE AND TRUTH CAME BY JESUS CHRIST,”
“AND BY HIM ALL THAT BELIEVE ARE JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS, FROM WHICH YE COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW OF MOSES.” ACTS 13:39.
“MOREOVER THE LAW ENTERED, THAT THE OFFENCE MIGHT ABOUND. BUT WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND: THAT AS SIN HATH REIGNED UNTO DEATH, EVEN SO MIGHT GRACE REIGN THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO ETERNAL LIFE BY JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.” ROMANS 5:20 AND 21.
“BEING JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS.” ROMANS 3:24.
“HE THAT BELIEVETH ON HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED; BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, BECAUSE HE HATH NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD.” JOHN 3:18.
Here is a very interesting truth:
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Romans 8:2 and 3.
1—The law of sin and death – By Adam, sin and death passed upon all men. Sin entered by Adam. This law is a universal law. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. “There is none righteous; no, not one.” Romans 3:10. Condemnation upon all by Adam.
2— The law of Sinai – given by Moses. No descendant of Adam could perfectly keep the perfect law. Why? “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin.” “For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Romans 7:14 and 19.
In Romans 8:3 we read: “What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh.” Because of indwelling sin the natural man could not be subject to God’s holy law, the ten commandments. Romans 8:7. Note Hebrews 7:19—“The law made nothing perfect.” But Christ did.
Note again “For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.” “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20. “The law worketh wrath.” “By the law let every mouth be stopped and all the world become guilty before God.” Romans 4:15 and 3:19.
“The law entered (by Moses) that sin might abound.” Romans 5:20.
Therefore the Law, which was given by Moses, is called “The Ministration of Condemnation.” II Corinthians 3:9. “The Ministration of Death.” I Corinthians 3:7.
3—The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:4.
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:28.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14.
Note what Christ accomplished: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Galatians 4:4. “To redeem them that were under the law.”
“For He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:21.
Now note the words of Christ in John 10:17 and 18, and what He accomplished in II Timothy 1:10. “Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life.”
“No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.”
“But now is made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
This is how and when the eternal, omnipotent Divine Christ established the new law; the law of the Spirit of life.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17.
Condemned or not condemned. “He that believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
BY ADAM
The entrance of sin
BY MOSES
The knowledge of sin
BY CHRIST
The forgiveness of sin
CONDEMNED ALREADY
2— The human race condemned by the law of Moses. II Corinthians 3:9.
3— The human race condemned because of the sin of unbelief. John 3:18.
“Have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
BY ADAM
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16 – 17.
“So he drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden, Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24.
FROM ADAM TO MOSES
“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of Him that was to come.” Romans 5:14.
About 2500 years after Adam left Eden, Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving God’s holy commandments, written on two tables of stone. (Exodus 20).
“The law was added because of transgressions.” Galatians 3:19.
Death reigned from the day of Adam’s sin until the day that Moses received the law. During those 2500 years Adam’s descendants were not “under the law” that was given to Moses. The offence entered by Adam. “The law entered that the offence might abound.” Romans 5:20.
Moses was 80 years old when God gave the law to Israel. (Exodus 7:7.)
FROM MOSES TO CHRIST
“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. “ Galatians 3:23 to 25.
Under the law God’s covenant people (Israel) received the spirit of bondage unto fear. Romans 8:15.
THEY COULD NOT ENDURE THAT WHICH WAS SPOKEN
“For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest. And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the Word should not be spoken to them any more: For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart.” Hebrews 12:18 to 20.
About 1530 years after Moses received the law written by the hand of the Lord, the hands of the Lord were nailed to Calvary’s cross.
Note what happened to the law
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.” Colossians 2:14. “For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.” “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which is done away in Christ.” II Corinthians 3:11 and 14.
GRACE CAME BY JESUS CHRIST
Compare and contrast “The reign of law” with “the dispensation of the grace of God.”
“The law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:21.
THE LAW DISPENSATION
1—“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached BEFORE the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” Galatians 3:6 and 8.
2—The law was added till the Seed should come. Galatians 3:19.
3—“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 10:4.
“But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Galatians 3:25.
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1.
UNDER GRACE
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14.
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:20 and 28.
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10.
“Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples. which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Acts 15:10.
“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Romans 4:4 and 5.
We learn in Galatians 3:13 and in Romans 7:1 to 6, that the Jews who were under the law of Sinai were delivered from that law by faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ.
However the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus not only frees the: believing sinner from the curse and penalty of the law of Sinai and from the law of sin and death, but it empowers and enables him, as a new creature in Christ Jesus to walk in the Spirit and fulfill the righteousness of the law. Romans 8:4.
The new creature is God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. But let us remember that Christ put an end to the Old Covenant by His death and resurrection and that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. II Corinthians 3:12 to 15. Romans 10:4.
For more articles by Pastor J. C. O'Hair, visit the J. C. O'Hair Online Library.
