Chapter 4 - An Overview of "Law" In Romans

It is almost impossible to understand Paul's Epistle to the Romans without getting into his understanding of "Law". The Epistle to the Romans is a law-book, the burden of which is justification by faith and grace apart from works of the Law.

The word "law" is the key word in Romans and it has a great bearing on our study of Law and Grace. The Greek word "nomos", translated "law" is used some 75 times. (Refer Strong's Concordance).

In the almost twin Epistle of Galatians, the same Greek word "nomos", translated "law" is used some 32 times. In other of Paul's epistles, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians and Timothy, the sum total use of the same word is about 15 times. The burden of Paul's references to "law" and his teaching has to be found predominantly in Romans and Galatians.

In Romans, Paul refers to a number of various laws each of which need to be understood in order to help us understand what Paul meant when he wrote, "We are not under law, but under grace." We note these laws with a brief but suitable comment for clarification..

1. The Law (Romans 2:12)
This expression is often used in a broad and general sense to designate the will of God (1 John 3:4, Rom 7:22). Only the context will help us.

2. The Law of Conscience (Romans 2:14-15)
The moment man sinned, this law began to operate (Gen 9:7-10). This is also called the law of our mind (Rom 7:23)

3. The Law of Works (Romans 3:27)
A guilty conscience drove man to operate in the law of works in self-effort to cover himself and make himself presentable to God (Gen 3:7-10). Conscience drives men to seek to atone for their sins before God.

4. The Law of Faith (Rom 3:27)
The sacrificial victim which provided Adam and Eve with coats of skin necessitated an operation of the law of faith; faith in the substitutionary death of another to cover themselves acceptably before God (Gen 3:21-24)

5. The Law of Ten Commandments (Romans 7;&)
This expressly speaks of the Law of God as contained in the Ten Commandments given to the nation of Israel (Ex 20). Until this time, God dealt with man under the law of consciences. This is why Paul said that sin was in the world from Adam to Moses, but the law entered under Moses to give a more clear and full definition of sin (Rom 5:13,14; 3:20, 4:15, 7:7). But more of this in the following chapter.

6. The Law of Sin and Death (Romans 7:23, 8:2)
The law of sin entered man the moment he disobeyed God's law in his heart. The external act was only the outward evidence of an internal fall. The law of death followed as the subsequent penalty (Gen 2:17)

7. The Law of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2)
This is opposite to the law of sin and death. It was symbolized in the tree of eternal life which man forfeited but it is restored in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (Gen 2:9; Rev 2:7; 22-14).

8. The Law of Righteousness (Romans 8:4, 9:31)
This law is also opposite to the law of sin. In Christ Jesus, the law of righteousness is put within man to overcome the law of sin and death. God's intention is to make an end of sin and bring in everlasting righteousness through Christ (Dan 9:24)

9. The Royal Law of Love (Romans 13:8-10 with James 2:8-10)
This is the highest law of God's Being, back to which redemption will bring redeemed mankind. The grace of God in Christ will restore man back to the law of loving obedience to the will of God. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Against love there is no law (Gal 5:23). The only answer to the sin problem is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. His redeeming grace deals with the law of sin, and brings man back to the law from which he fell.

The issue is : Sin is lawlessness, selfishness and self-will. But through the redeeming work of the cross, God will have a people who will freely, willingly and lovingly submit their will to His good and perfect will. He will write His laws in their hearts and sin will be brought to an end in them. Law, order and harmony will prevail in the universe eternally upon the basis of the New Convenant (Heb 8:8-13, 13:20; Jer 31:31-34).

The scriptures close with the promise, "Blessed are they that do His commandments that they might have right to the tree of life..." (Rev 22:19).

It is important to understand Paul use of the word "law". Grace is not lawlessness. The universe is governed by the laws of God. Mankind is to be governed by the laws of God, laws which are given for man's benefit and protection. These are the laws of life. The law of self-preservation is the strongest law in man's being, which necessitates man taking care of himself, the need for food and drink and finding the necessities of life itself. God has put these laws into the very being of man.