1) Study Romans 7:1-13. What does
the term "Law" mean? What does the Law encompass?
The Mosaic Law is an extensive set of regulations that come directly from God,
which is the unique feature of this law. Through Moses, God taught the Jews that they were to be
holy people and set apart from pagan immorality and idolatry. These laws can be viewed as having
three sections: a) commandments that refer to moral laws, b) judgments that refer to social laws,
and c) ordinances that refer to the Tabernacle and worship laws.
2) In Romans 7:1-13, list the verses
/ phrases associated with the "Law." How do you reconcile the contradictions? How should
Christians view the Law?
(v.1) …, that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?
(v.4) …, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that
you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead,…
(v.5) For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused
by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
(v.6) But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which
we were bound,…
(v.7) …Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come
to know sin except through the Law:…
(v.12) So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
The Mosaic Law was not sin, instead the Law taught man what sin was, human behavior
that was innately unbecoming for holiness. When Christ died for man's sins, these moral principles
remain as God intended; however, Christians were no longer obligated to live by the Mosaic Law.
3) What is the purpose of the Law? Was it meant for salvation? How is this reconciled
with Matthew 5:17-18?
The Mosaic Law was for the Jews before Christ. It had two purposes: 1) the Law
taught holiness by identifying sin which by its standard, deterred and condemned. The Law was, in
essence, God's code of conduct; it was never meant for salvation. 2) The Law provided the means by
which one may acceptably "cover" their sins. This ultimately revealed that man's sinful
nature could never, on his own effort, meet God's standard. Each sin had to be atoned for over and
over with each occurrence. With Christ, God provided the means for a single everlasting atonement
for the complete forgiveness of sin. Jesus Christ brought a new perspective, in lieu of life by the
Law, a new life by the Spirit.
TIP: When reading the Epistles, study one paragraph at a time!
The key to the proper interpretation of the Epistles, within context, is to identify the church
problem(s) that Paul is responding to. However, Paul’s letter to the Christian church at Rome is one
of the few that is not written in response to a problem in the church. Romans is a special letter;
of all the Epistles, it is most like a theological paper with elaborate and systematic discussion on
Christian doctrine. It is worth noting that Paul’s audience is the congregation of Gentile Christians
who did not wholeheartedly accept their minority Jewish Christian members. His letter, with apostolic
authority, presents the basic system of salvation and explains the relationship of Jews and Gentiles
in God’s plan. Romans, of the literary genre logic, is well known for its doctrinal clarity on
sin, salvation, grace, faith, righteousness, justification, sanctification, redemption, death, and
resurrection. If you are interested in Christian doctrine, this is the one book to study!
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