law – Simply True

‘Dead to the law’. What does this mean? (Rom. 7)

We’ve been looking at the new freedoms Christ has won for us in his death and resurrection. He’s saved us from the death we deserve, and we now have eternal life (Romans 5). And he’s saved us from the sin we were mastered by, so that we are no longer burdened with its guilt or control (Romans 6).

But what about being released from God’s law? In the seventh chapter of Romans, this is what Paul now turns to. If we are going to live for God, it’s vital that we are no longer under the power of his law.

What can this mean? It actually sounds wrong.

The answer comes in three parts. This isn’t so much because the subject is complex. It’s because we are!

Knowing what God says about right and wrong does some strange things to us. We can be proud of what we know, or depend on it, even while breaking it—as Paul has said the Jews did.[i] Or, we can resent and react to it, and even blame it—as everyone does if they are not at peace with God.[ii] And then, even when we are reconciled to God and love his law, our behaviour seems to have a will of its own so that we struggle with what God wants of us.

Each of these issues is addressed in this passage.

First, those who depend on the law should understand what Christ has done for them, and to them[iii].

Our obligation to law as a regime[iv] has needed to die—and has died, because we are included in Christ’s dying and rising. Paul’s ‘don’t you know’ highlights our tendency to miss this point.

Paul uses marriage as an illustration. It lasts as long as both parties are alive. But not after that. So, Paul argues, if we have died—with Christ—our earlier ‘marriage’ to law is finished. We can’t have Christ and still be ‘married’ to law.

Jews should have understood this—not just the illustration of marriage but what it refers to. Jesus comes among them and shows that they have not been keeping the law they are so fond of. And he is establishing a new regime. But they don’t understand this—or won’t. And they murder Jesus for standing between them and their law.

But it’s not just Jews who have this problem. All of us can elevate our culture and practices—even our Christian culture and practices—to an absolute. We become legalists who judge everything and everyone by our standard. We’re starting with what comes from God—his law—but actually living by what comes from us—our ‘flesh’.[v]

We need to see that Christ has died for our sins. Yes! But we also need to see that he has died to release us from ourselves and our proud notion that we may be able to please God by fulfilling some code of behaviour.

The tragedy of being under the law in this way is not just that it bypasses Christ’s work on the cross, but that it doesn’t yield any fruit for God. It’s sterile. It arouses our flesh, not subdues it.[vi] It imprisons us. And it ends in death, not life. In plain terms, we’re either going to accept we are dead to law because we’re trusting Christ, or, accept the death penalty ourselves!

We need to look again at what Jesus has done on the cross—to release us from this bondage! And need to see that the Spirit now conveys to us all the liberty and joy that will fulfil the law!

Second, those who blame the law, or dismiss it, don’t yet understand themselves.

Can we blame the law for our problems? Imagine arguing that God gets it wrong when he announces his requirements from Mount Sinai! It’s certainly the mindset of our present world—restrictions cause reaction, so don’t make any restrictions!

But, of course, we all have problems with law. Our problem is that we don’t get to write it! Or change it! Or avoid it! We want to be in charge.

But God’s law defines what sin is, and what righteousness is. And especially, as Paul says here, it includes not only what we are to do but what we want—‘you shall not covet what is your neighbour’s’. To covet is simply to long for all the other things prohibited by the other commands.

The law is not bad because it condemns us. It awakens us to what we really are. We all tend to think what we do is good—until forced to admit our faults. And law does this work. It reveals the worst in us.

This is personal, and, for the first time since the start of the letter, Paul refers to himself. This business of law is not an academic matter.

Does Paul have a particular crisis in mind? Of course, we don’t know. But we know that Paul feels this point personally. He’s speaking about the past, when he isn’t a Christian.

He wants the law to approve him—like the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus[vii]. But God says, ‘Don’t covet’. A law like this can’t approve him. It condemns him. Is this the crisis that Jesus refers to when he says to Saul of Tarsus outside Damascus, ‘It is hard for you…’ (Acts).

But God’s law is not the problem. It’s holy, righteous and good. Rather, the problem is our sin—sin so deep that it ends in death. This is what we need to see—that sin really is sinful. It is ‘sinful beyond measure’. When we do wrong, God is offended.

It’s hard to convey how necessary this point is. We are inclined to think well of ourselves, even while confessing our sins. And the sadness of this is, not just that we can’t see who we truly are, but that we don’t know how much we need Jesus.

Third, those who love the law will always be in a battle.

Paul speaks to us personally again, but now, in the present tense. He speaks to us as one Christian to another.

And this is how we can now think about the law. It’s ‘spiritual’—suggesting that it’s from God, that we can’t get our hands on it and that it does what God wants it to do. It’s good. And, with all our heart, it’s what we want to do.[viii]

But where has this understanding and this desire come from? It’s the new heart God has given us, as he told Jeremiah[ix]. It’s the new covenant that Jesus enacted by the spilling of his blood.[x] The law has been written on our hearts—not just on stone tablets.[xi] We know God. And love him. And in loving him, we want to do his will.

A law that’s above us—as something to reach, kills us[xii]. On the other hand, a law that’s written on our hearts and a Spirit that’s given to dwell in us produces fruit. And this fruit breaks no law.[xiii]

But then, how shall we understand our wrong desires and lapses? These suggest we are ‘sold under sin’ (v. 14), that, in fact we are still slaves and not free at all (v. 23). It makes us feel wretched (v. 24).

Notice how Paul uses ‘I’ in this passage. He says ‘I’ do what ‘I’ don’t want to do. Is he a hopelessly divided personality? Far from it. There is an ‘I’ in Christ, but also, an ‘I’ described as flesh constantly asserting itself. But he, and we, are always one person. The difference is a difference of relation—we know and respond to God, but we also know and respond to the world that has rejected God.

It’s the actions of this latter ‘I’ that are troubling. Sin is close (v. 21) but it’s not our ‘inner being’ (v. 22).

Paul feels this so strongly that he says it is not ‘I’ who do the wrong. It’s sin in me. He’s learned that the ‘I’ who is in Christ is secure. He can look on wrong done as something apart from his real person. His identity is secure. His behavior is the problem.

Anyone who thinks they have conquered their propensity to sin is deceiving themselves. On the other hand, everyone who trusts in Christ has a security more powerful than the greatest of failures. We will endure. And we will be ‘delivered from this body of death’.

This subject continues when we come to look at the next chapter. But we’ve come to some conclusions. First, God’s dos and don’ts are good. We can be thankful for them. And second, we are not good, and we need to run to Christ. And third, we can’t fudge our way through life by pretending we are innocent and harmless. We have to struggle.

[i] Rom 2:23

[ii] Rom. 7:5

[iii] Vv. 1-6

[iv] A governance that can approve or condemn us.

[v] Gal. 3:3-14

[vi] As in 2:17-24

[vii] Mark 10:17-20

[viii] Some think this section describes a pre-Christian experience, but the affirmations about the law suggest that this is a person who loves God and is part of his new covenant.

[ix] Jer. 31:31-34

[x] Luke 22:20

[xi] 2 Cor. 3:6-8

[xii] Cf. Deut. 30:11-14

[xiii] Gal. 5:22-23

The laws we live with and the command that counts (Romans 13)

There are two parts in this chapter of Paul’s letter. He tells us where we stand with regard to our governments (vv. 1-7). And then he encourages us to live an unencumbered life of love as we await Christ’s coming (vv. 8-14). It’s helpful to consider these two matters together.

So, first, let’s thank God for our governments! Perhaps that’s an idea that hasn’t occurred to us. But Paul says every authority is from God—including civil governments. Our life is ordered in such a way that we need people to look after affairs that affect our communities. This means that leaders, laws, courts and taxes are a necessary part of receiving all that God has for us in this world. And their proper functioning requires our willing compliance.

Paul is filling out what Jesus has already said—to give to God what is God’s, and to Caesar what is Caesar’s.[i]

He’s also updating what Jeremiah taught Jewish captives in Babylon. They were to seek the welfare of the state that had ruthlessly deported them, and pray for them. In this way they would also ensure their own welfare.[ii]

But notice that we are being asked to submit ourselves to authorities and responsibilities. This is different from being dominated. It has the same voluntary aspect to it as our submitting to one another as Christians.[iii] We are coming to our present life as those living under the kindness and care of Christ.[iv] If our hearts are settled by his grace and by our being in the Father’s family, we are better able to see our way clear to be socially cooperative without rancor. We know that someone else is ultimately in charge.

But notice too, that this involves being cooperative but not conformed to the narrative of an alien authority.[v] Sometimes, the most helpful thing we can do for our community or country may be to stand with Christ and not submit to an earthly authority.[vi] But this won’t be because we are out of control. To the contrary, it will be because we are under the only authority that can settle our hearts. We will know that our civil noncompliance is the best thing for our country and for our neighbours.

And again, notice that this comes to us, not as an option but as an obligation. God is commanding us. On the last day, he will hold us responsible for how we have lived among our neighbours. And our conscience is reminding us of this right now!

For those of us who live in democratic countries, new questions are arising. Our manner of governance has been shaped by a Christian heritage and it is questionable that it can survive without that background. The respect for authority and the restraint on our passions taught by a gracious God have made governance ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ a workable system.

But with the denial of that heritage, many are already questioning whether democracy is the best form of government for today. We are going to need Paul’s counsel to help us navigate these times. And we need to know that we are not the victims of fate but under the reign of God’s mercy[vii]—the mercy spoken about in chapters 9—11.

But, now, in a second section, we are called to live in the freedom of loving one another (vv. 8-14).

We’ve already been told to pay what is due to those in authority over us, but the same applies to everyone else as well. Withholding what we should pay may be common practice, but not for someone who lives under Christ’s rule.

But Paul raises this to tell us about a greater debt we all have, more than any money we may owe—the debt to love everyone around us!

How has this debt been created?

It’s because Christ has poured out his whole self to bring us sinners into the Father’s presence. He’s paid our debt—the one we could never repay![viii] And now, he’s been raised and ascended, he’s spending his time as our Advocate in the Father’s presence. He spends his whole life giving!

The sheer size of this generosity creates a space to be filled with gratefulness—and by our love for one another.[ix] It’s something we ought to do, like paying a debt.[x] It’s not that Jesus needs to be paid for what he’s done. Rather, he wants the love to go on and on. What he’s started, he calls us to continue.

This love has a specific shape and structure. It’s what God revealed in his ten commandments. We shouldn’t commit adultery, murder, steal or covet or do anything else wrong. We defraud our neighbours if we don’t keep clear of these things. And we steal from God what he wants us to provide for others.

The direction of our perversity is reversed when we love one another. [xi] We’re being called to a life time of preferring other people to ourselves.

Jesus needs to clarify this for the Pharisees. They get caught up on definitions, all with a view to limiting their liability! But Jesus quotes their Old Testament to show that love for God and our neighbour sums up all that the law requires.[xii] In other words, to please God, this is what we need to do. It’s simple. But we need all the ongoing grace of God to do it!

But now, there’s more. We’re already on the brink of sharing in the new age that Jesus has promised. Ever since Jesus rose from the dead, every generation has been, and is, living with the prospect that our world and our works will be transformed into something glorious and eternal.

We’re expecting Christ’s return. And we’re expecting to share in a creation where everyone is awed by God’s goodness and greatness, where everyone loves their neighbour as themselves and is confident and happy beyond measure. Compared to this, everything we are now experiencing is like living in the darkness of night-time.

But here’s the point of all this. We have the privilege of living now as things will be then! And to do this, we need to ‘Put on the armour of light!’. We need to be dressed in something that comes from another world! We need to ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ!’

We have already ‘put on Christ’—when we became Christians.[xiii] Now, we need to go on in the same way and live by him, for him and like him. (Paul told us how this works back in his chapter 6.) We need all the resources he’s provided for us and to be strong in the Lord.[xiv]

None of us can take this lightly. There’s enough of the old world in all of us to get us into trouble very quickly. All of us are naturally selfish, and the world feeds our cravings, and the devil plays his tricks. We need to be saying ‘No’ often. But then, we need to be doing this as we are saying ‘Yes’ to the blessings and the equipping that are coming from Christ.

What an amazing life Christ has provided for us! We’re sharing with him in his great project of a creation filled with people who love their God and love their neighbours.

[i] Luke 20:21-26

[ii] Jer. 29:7

[iii] Eph. 5:21

[iv] John 14:27

[v] Rom. 12:1

[vi] Eg. Acts 4:19-20. Other notable examples are Daniel, Esther, Luther or Bonhoeffer.

[vii] This practical section of Paul’s letter begins and ends with mercy (Rom. 12:1; 15:8).

[viii] Matt. 6:12; cf. 18:28-35

[ix] Jesus says whatever we do for one another, we do for him (Matt. 25:40).

[x] Jesus speaks of things we ought to do as paying a debt (Luke 17:10; John 13:14). And Paul uses the same debt language when he tells us what we are obliged to do in his next section (Rom. 15:1, 27) and elsewhere (1 Cor. 7:3; 9:10; 2 Cor. 12:11, 14; 2 Thes. 1:3, 13). Cf. 1 Chron. 29:14.

[xi] Lev. 19:18

[xii] Matt. 22:36-40; quoting Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:8

[xiii] Gal 3:27

[xiv] Eph. 6:10-18

Don’t steal

We all know the sinking feeling we get when something is missing. And it’s worse if we think if it has been stolen. But this commandment is not about what might happen to us. It’s about what I may do myself.

God is a giver, and he wants us to be like him. Taking what doesn’t belong to us is no part of his economy! Let’s look at some of the ways this taking and giving happens.

The most obvious stealing is taking someone else’s property—by violence or stealth. Some are clever enough to do it legally. There are many kinds of property, including intellectual property. A thief puts his own interest above that of others and above the well-being of the whole community.

Then there’s stealing by withholding what we owe someone else. This doesn’t attract the same attention as direct stealth, but it is just as damaging. For example, if someone employs you, you owe them your good service. And if someone provides a service to you, they need your prompt payment. Failure here breeds distrust and broken relationships. It’s stealing.

On a more personal level, Paul says, ‘Owe no man anything except to love one another’ (Romans 13:8). In other words, pay your bills, but you’ll never finish paying the debt of love to those around you. God’s love has filled you up so full that you have the resources to help others. If you close up your heart, you’re not paying your bill!

Love is powerful. It builds and heals and provides and creates hope. Withholding of love is also powerful. It breaks and bruises and steals and creates despair.

Paul tells thieves who’ve become Christians not to steal anymore. Rather, they should work at something so they have enough to look after themselves and to give to those in need (Ephesians 4:28). God has designed us to look after things, and each other.

God is not running his creation legally—as though we only have to do a minimum to keep ourselves out of trouble. He wants everyone contributing what they can, and as they have opportunity. John tells us that if we have resources and see someone in need and do nothing, God’s love doesn’t live I us (1 John 3:17). That’s serious!

By telling us not to steal from one another, the Lord has raised the matter of property. This is clear from the fact that we are not to take what belongs to someone else.

But is owning certain things a right? We talk about it all the time in the community. But the value of property is greater than a right. It’s a gift. James tells us, ‘Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father…’ (James 1:17).

This means that if I steal from someone else, whether property, or service or opportunity, I am not merely offending the victim, I am messing with God’s generosity.

We may think that if we work consistently and well, we deserve to have what we have earned. But God sees us doing our job as his gift (Psalm 104:23-24). He’s given us a planet with its seasons and systems that enable things to work. He ensures the success of our work—or otherwise. And he’s given us the joy of participating in making everything function well. And then he gives us the fruits of our own work.

The Lord who gives us these commands is leading Israel to their own country. They are going to have their own plot of land—and it will be protected, productive and pleasurable (Deuteronomy 26:8-10).

And this is true for all of us. The Lord gives freely to all the peoples of the earth so that everyone can eat heartily and enjoy their life (Acts 13:15-18; 17:24-26).

So, the Lord is telling us not to get in the road of his generosity to all his creatures! We’ve been made to reflect his kindness, not obscure it.

People who steal don’t understand what it means to be a human being. They are trying to get something for nothing. This denies our need to contribute, to grow and to love.

Thieves may want to be rich, or fulfill an ambition, or get out of trouble, or impress someone, and take the shortest route to get there. But they are saying ‘No’ to hard work, to difficulty, to saving, to waiting. They are also saying ‘No’ to caring for others, to development of character and to love.

God gives to Israel some interesting laws that show how important it is to be concerned about the property of other people. You can check them out at Exodus 22:26-27, Leviticus 19:9-11, and Deuteronomy 15:12-18.

Perhaps we’ve been taking something that’s not our own, or of not providing something we should have given. Our situation is more serious than civil courts can deal with. Our hearts are being exposed for what they are (Mark 7:21; Romans 7:14-24). The love of God is not there! We are not in a good place. If thieves go on stealing, they won’t be part of God’s future (1 Corinthians 6:10).

But if you feel exposed, that’s what this law was meant to do. And it is meant to take you back to the Saviour who saves you. The wretchedness we may feel does not come down from God so much as up from our own hearts. We know this is no way to respond to God’s kindness!

So, we turn from feeling proud of ourselves to being what we are—sinners saved by grace. And we resolve, not to try harder, but to receive the ministry of the Holy Spirit who is showing us who we are, what we have received, and how we may serve our neighbour.