If the negative purpose is "to reveal sin to be utterly sinful", then what is the positive purpose that we are allegedly doing away with?
Doug
Let's look at what Paul says in context.
"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter."
What's the difference between serving the letter verses serving in the Spirit? Serving according to the letter relied upon the flesh to keep it, whereas serving in the Spirit relies upon God to keep it. Note that being delivered from the law is not the obligation, but the penalty of the law which is what kills. The penalty for sin is death. The penalty for transgressing God's law is death. Serving God in Spirit is life eternal, and that has nothing to do with transgressing God's laws, and everything to do with keeping them. That is how "you shall live".
"7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."
He didn't know lust until he BROKE the law. Do you see the difference between keeping the law verses breaking the law?
"8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment,"
Sin??? That means BREAKING the commandment. He's not talking about keeping the commandments here.
" wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead."
If there is no law against adultery, then it is perfectly acceptable to engage in adultery. The fact is that there is a law against adultery, and one couldn't transgress it if it didn't exist. It does exist, and it existed before one could break it.
"10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me."
He is explicitly referring to BREAKING the commandments. He is not talking about keeping them. There is no law against keeping the commandments.
"12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid."
How much more clear does he have to be??? Did God give commandments so that they could be broken? Of course not.
" But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin."
Do you see that he is "under sin"? He is under the penalty of the law because of transgressing the law, not for keeping the law.
"for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."
This is the Old Testament. Moses gathered the children of Israel together and set before them blessings and curses. It was up to them to keep God's law to the best of their ability. Paul points out that relying upon their own will was a recipe for failure. To succeed, one must rely upon the promises of God. No faith on our part is necessary at all.
"Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but GOD IS FAITHFUL, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
So how does he make this way available???
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
See the difference yet? Those who walk after the flesh can only fail. To try is to fail. There can be no condemnation for those who are in Christ because there can be no sin in Christ. Those who are in Christ are a new creation created for good works, not to sin. They can't sin. Again, John's letters contrast the difference between those who abide in Christ and those who don't.
"2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."
The law of sin and death is NOT the commandments! Paul just pointed out that it was ordained to life, and can only become a law of sin and death through TRANSGRESSING the law. Sin is defined as transgressing the law.
"3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,"
Did you catch that???? The law can't do anything. It can't be a guide, tutor, schoolmaster, etc.
" God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:"
Again, he is explicitly talking about TRANSGRESSING the law. That's what sin is.
"4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Who's fulfilling the law? We are. This is not some new law. This is the same law that is referred throughout the entire bible. The Mosaic law.
"5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
The carnal mind sins. That's all it can do, and sin kills. Keeping the law doesn't kill. Keeping the law is "life and peace".
Now which one are you? Are you subject to the law? No? Then you are at enmity against God.
"8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
The evil inclination is dead. Dead people can't sin.
"11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
This is not in the future tense, but the present. The spirit dwells in those who walk after the spirit, and they don't sin.
"33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth."
And God justifies "the doers of the law" They are not justified by the law. They are not justified by keeping the law. The doers of the law are not justified by doing the law. God justifies them, and consequently, they are a new creation, created to keep the law.
"34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."
Intercession for sin, and one cannot sin against laws that no longer exist. Intercession through Christ's sacrifice which does away with the sacrificial system, not the commandments. Under the New Covenant, the commandments are kept so it makes no sense to claim that they're done away with. One cannot keep commandments that no longer exist.
