Free From the Law

Introduction

Last week we talked about becoming slaves to righteousness. We have been freed from our slavery to sin and are now free to live righteous lives. Whereas before, a life free from sin was not an option, now we live with the grace of God that permits us to be truly free from sin and its wages. We asked the relevant, “do you wish to remain a slave to sin”? We concluded that we need to answer that question with the same resounding answer that Paul does. If we understand what he has written in this chapter then we will cry out with him (Romans 6:2,15): "May it never be!" (TLV)

Free from the Law

This week we continue our journey through Romans and pick up where we left off last week.

Romans 7:1–4 TLV

Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I speak to those who know law), that the law is master over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives; but if the husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law—so she is not an adulteress, though she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were made dead to the Torah through the body of Messiah, so that you might be joined to another—the One who was raised from the dead—in order that we might bear fruit for God.

Here Paul starts out by using marriage as an illustration. Under law, a married couple is united as one and the two are bound together until one of them die. At that time, the surviving spouse is then freed from the law of marriage and is free to marry another. When we died with Christ, the requirement of the law likewise was broken off of us. The law does not apply to a dead man. When we died with Christ, we were legally released from the authority of the Mosaic Law. Paul goes on to describe this legal release more fully.

Romans 7:5–6 TLV

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions that came through the Torah were working in our body parts to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, having died to what confined us, so that we serve in the new way of the Ruach and not in the old way of the letter.

Paul speaks of how the flesh actually was aroused by the law. If you want to know how that works, it’s pretty simple. As simple as this: If I were to tell you not to think of polar bears, tell me what image is in your mind right now? Now the law is the same, because remember- the law was given so that we might be proved to be sinners, so then the fact that something is forbidden by the law of God makes it irresistible to the flesh. Think of Eve. She had everything! Except for…

Paul cautions us though, not to consider the law a sinful thing. Though the law entices the flesh, it is the sin in the flesh not the law of God that is to blame.

Romans 7:7–12 TLV

What shall we say then? Is the Torah sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the Torah. For I would not have known about coveting if the Torah had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking an opportunity, worked in me through the commandment all kinds of coveting. For apart from the Torah, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from the Torah; but when the commandment came, sin came to life and I died. The commandment meant for life was found to cause death. Sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Torah is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

So we know according to verse 6 that we serve by the newness of the Spirit not by the oldness of the letter. This is where we get the saying that the letter of the law kills, but the spirit of the law brings life. Paul says that while the law itself is holy and the commandment just and good, sin takes advantage when the law is revealed and uses the opportunity to deceive and kill.

Romans 7:13–14 TLV

Therefore did that which is good become death to me? May it never be! Rather it was sin working death in me—through that which is good—so that sin might be shown to be sin, and that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. For we know that the Torah is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold to sin.

The bottom line is that there is nothing wrong with the law. It is an expression of the character and nature of God. He commanded the Israelites:

Leviticus 11:45 TLV

For I am Adonai who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. Therefore, you shall be holy, for I am holy.

How could they know holiness without the law? The problem isn’t God’s law, it is human nature that’s messed up. The law stirs up the old sin nature and ignites a struggle in the believer. As Paul himself writes:

Romans 7:15–24 TLV

For I do not understand what I am doing—for what I do not want, this I practice; but what I hate, this I do. But if I do what I do not want to do, then I agree with the Torah—that it is good. So now it is no longer I doing it, but sin dwelling in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me—that is, in my flesh. For to will is present in me, but to do the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do; but the evil that I do not want, this I practice. But if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I doing it, but sin that dwells in me. So I find the principle—that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I delight in the Torah of God with respect to the inner man, but I see a different law in my body parts, battling against the law of my mind and bringing me into bondage under the law of sin which is in my body parts. Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Paul clearly points out that as good as the law is, it was not able to remove the scourge of sin from man. Jesus says that there is only one way to be set free from sin.

John 8:34–36 TLV

Yeshua answered them, “Amen, amen I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now the slave does not remain in the household forever; the son abides forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!

True deliverance is found only in Jesus. Only Jesus can deliver us from guilt and the very power of sin. No matter how much you want to do good- without Jesus, you just can’t

Paul himself could not even escape this dilemma! Luckily he found the answer and shared it for us to see through the ages.

Read it with me:

Romans 7:25 TLV

Thanks be to God—it is through Messiah Yeshua our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself serve the Torah of God; but with my flesh, I serve the law of sin.

So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

What the heck? With my mind I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin? Pastor didn’t you tell us that we were no longer slaves to sin? Well yes I did. The flesh is going to continue to want to sin regardless. The difference is that someone who is no longer a slave to sin is free to serve the law of God (with the mind – soul the part of us that thinks and reasons). Keep reading though. The next part is powerful. It says:

Romans 8:1–4 TLV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua. For the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yeshua has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what was impossible for the Torah—since it was weakened on account of the flesh—God has done. Sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as a sin offering, He condemned sin in the flesh— so that the requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Ruach.

This is a very famous scripture but it is also one of the most often misquoted. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus comes with a qualifying condition. You have to not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Why? It is because it is the law of the Spirit in Christ that makes us free from the law of sin and death. By dying on the cross and thus fulfilling the requirement or the debt of the law, He took the power of sin in the flesh away from us – so long as we walk according to the Spirit! What did Jesus say about the Spirit?

John 16:7–8 TLV

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away! For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. “When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

Jesus said that it was to our advantage that He go away – die. Why? So that in addition to the atoning sacrifice He made on the cross, HE could send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit acts as an internal sentinel keeping us honest. HE keeps us from sinning. But we are to live according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:5 TLV

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Ruach set their minds on the things of the Ruach.

In order to live in the Spirit, we must listen to His internal promptings in our life. If we do so, then we find that it is He himself that controls the sin nature within us.

Romans 8:5–7 TLV

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Ruach set their minds on the things of the Ruach. For the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Ruach is life and shalom. For the mindset of the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not submit itself to the law of God—for it cannot.

Galatians 5:16–18 TLV

But I say, walk by the Ruach, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Ruach, but the Ruach sets its desire against the flesh—for these are in opposition to one another, so that you cannot do what you want. But if you are led by the Ruach, you are not under law.

Additionally the Holy Spirit living in us does a regenerative – or rebuilding work in our lives.

Romans 8:8–11 TLV

So those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Ruach—if indeed the Ruach Elohim dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Ruach of Messiah, he does not belong to Him. But if Messiah is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Ruach of the One who raised Yeshua from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Messiah Yeshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Ruach who dwells in you.

So we are left with this truth. We are no longer slaves to sin, nor debtors to the flesh – that we should live in accordance to its lusts. We are able to be led by the Spirit of God – that is the reassurance we need. We are sons of God, so we can be Holy – just as He is Holy.

Romans 8:12–17 TLV

So then, brothers and sisters, we do not owe anything to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Ruach you put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. For all who are led by the Ruach Elohim, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall again into fear; rather, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Ruach Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, also heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Messiah—if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

So then, our struggles against the flesh – though they are the cause of much grief and hardship, are a necessary part of our walk as Christians, because we are able to have victory over them.

Romans 8:18–25 TLV

For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly but because of the One who subjected it—in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers birth pains until now— and not only creation, but even ourselves. We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Ruach, groan inwardly as we eagerly wait for adoption—the redemption of our body. For in hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, then we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

There is a glory that is God is anxiously waiting to reveal in us. But not only is God anxious to reveal it – all of creation is anxious to see it revealed in us! Remember, the whole fall of man and the chaos and destruction it brought upon the world, was not the world’s fault. So the whole world awaits the redemption of man, and the revelation of His glory in us, so that that wrong can be made right.

Finally, Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit’s ability to make intercession on our behalf.

Romans 8:26–27 TLV

In the same way, the Ruach helps in our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Ruach Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Ruach, because He intercedes for the kedoshim according to the will of God.

This is precisely why we seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is a very important part of our salvation that puts us in a position to allow God to intervene on our behalf. The Holy Spirit knows exactly how to pray for certain situations. If left to our own knowledge, we would pray amiss.

Conclusion

We are free from the law. The law is powerless over us because we are dead to it. The problem we have is that sin still is living and active in our bodies, and while our Spirit and Soul may be dead to sin and the law, our flesh is weak and must be put in submission to God. We do this by allowing His precious Holy Spirit to fill us up and lead us and help us in our weaknesses.