“The power of sin is the law” 1 Corinthians 15:56.

“The law came along to multiply the trespass.” Romans 5:20

Introduction 

Romans 7:7 “For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet. 8 And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead.”

While the law itself is not sin, the good and holy law empowers sin and is also called the law of sin and death in Romans 8:1-2.

Romans 7:9 “Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again 10 and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. 13 Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.”

Jesus dealt with the law at the cross. “forgave us all our trespasses. (Sin) 14 He erased the certificate of debt (the law), with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it (the law) away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.” Colossians 2:13-15. 

Body

Now the law gets set aside, but only in Christ. The law is still the wisdom of the world, ruling over the world, but Christ is our wisdom. The law is darkness, Christ is light. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes in Him.

1.) The law gets set aside, but only in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:7 “Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside,8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory.10 In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness. 13 We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from gazing steadily until the end of the glory of what was being set aside, 14 but their minds were hardened. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it (the law) is set aside only in Christ. 15 Yet still today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, 16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Sanctification is when our minds are being transformed away from the glory of the law to the glory of the Spirit. The glory of the law fades as the glory of the Lord increases. The Spirit’s ministry is to convict the world of sin, and to convict us of righteousness by faith in Christ. Jesus says in John 16:7 “Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” Our sins are forgiven and we are holy and righteous on account of Christ, crucified and resurrected. Our sin belongs to Jesus, we walk spontaneously in the Spirit using our gifts, abilities, and vocation to help our neighbor out as we are willing and able to. The Spirit is our guide, the law is not.

2.) The law is still the wisdom of the world, but Christ is our wisdom. 

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved. 19 For it is written,

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent.

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish?

A few verses later it says, Christ is our wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us ​— ​our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

 

3.) The law is darkness, Christ is light.

Laura Castleberry teaching on law = darkness, Christ = light. Type and anti-type moved forward from Genesis 1:3-5.

Genesis 1:3-5 “Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day.”

John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

John 12:35-36 “Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become children of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.

Acts 26:17-18 Jesus says to Saul/Paul, 17 I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Colossians 1:13-14 “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

 

4.) “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4

The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 declared that Christians are not to keep the law that came through Moses, it is a heavy burden that we cannot bear. Acts 15:5 “But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

The Jerusalem Council

6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers and sisters, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”

But large sections of the Church believe that Jesus’ commands are the 10 commandments. Jesus’ commands are not the 10 commandments. Jesus has new commands for the new covenant: Believe and love by setting people free from law. See my article on The Gospel According to John, Law and Gospel Distinctions.

Conclusion

Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

“The Jerusalem above is free, (from Mount Sinai) and she is our mother.” Galatians 4:26

Galatians 4:21 “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. 23 But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise. 24 These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery ​— ​this is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.”

The law that was given to Moses at Mount Sinai puts us in slavery to sin. This present Jerusalem, this present world is enslaved to law and sin. The 10 commandments are not part of the new covenant, nor do they exist in the Jerusalem above, but the law of faith is part of the new covenant. The promise accompanying the law of faith is that we are the righteousness of God by faith apart from anything that we do or don’t do. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” We don’t go back under the law of Moses for sanctification or holiness. I recommend listening Mark Anderson teach on “Sanctification and Becoming Holy“. As Acts 26:18 says, “those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Sanctification happens by faith in Christ. “What happens when our sins are forgiven? We become holy.” to quote Mark Anderson. Our sins are forgiven and we are holy solely on account of Christ, crucified and resurrected. The law is not abolished, it is the world’s commands and wisdom, the law is not for us who are righteous by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:16 “From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Galatians 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

For more on this topic, see Romans 7. The law no longer rules over us, we have died in relation to the law through the body of Christ.

Romans 8 goes on to say that a mind that is set on the law is a mind that is set on the flesh, and is death. A mind that is set on the Spirit is life and peace, because it is free from the law. Your sins are forgiven and you are holy for the sake of Christ, crucified and resurrected.

As the Spirit continues His work of renewing our minds away from the power of sin, the law, may we find grace and peace through Christ.