The law of sin and death

1.      The Law of sin and death

It is imperative that we first establish the fact that, the law of sin and death has absolutely no connection or anything in common with the law of love. The law of sin and death is a law that is in total contrast to the law of love, because according to the apostle Paul, “Has then what is good (referring to the law of love) become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin” (Romans 7:12-14).

The law of sin and death is a force or power, which resides and operates in the flesh. It became effective from the time Eve partook of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, leaving this powerful force that operates in the human flesh.The apostle Paul alluded to this fact by saying: “I know that nothing good lives in me that is, in my sinful nature. For, I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.'

"For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s laws, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin” (Romans 7:18-25).

The law of sin and death is the powerful sinful nature that resides in our flesh, and this is what the law of the Spirit of life (God's divine nature) in Christ Jesus has made us free from.

The law of the Spirit of life is the authoritative rule, or stipulated way of life in the Spirit, that makes one free from the law of sin and death. This authoritative rule or power is the righteousness of God. For it is written; “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.'

"And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness – For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.” And, “If Christ (who is the way, the truth, and the life), is in you, the body (where the law of sin and death dwells) is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. (Romans 6:16-20; 8:10).

The same way when one is a slave of sin he/she is free in regards to righteousness, in like manner, when one is a slave to righteousness he/she is free in regards to sin.

To be continued