There is more to Law in the Bible than the Mosaic Law. Law has existed from before Creation.
Many important areas of understanding in Christianity concern Law. Misunderstanding of this subject has led to many erroneous doctrines and types of thinking. These in turn have hindered the spiritual growth of many, caused much unnecessary anguish and worked to the detriment of many as regards salvation.
So, what is Law in the Bible?
LAW Strong's Number: 3551 Original Word: nomo Transliterated Word: Nomos Phonetic Spelling: nom'-os Parts of Speech : Noun Masculine Definition:
anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command
of any law whatsoever
a law or rule producing a state approved of God
by the observance of which is approved of God
a precept or injunction
the rule of action prescribed by reason
of the Mosaic law, and referring, acc. to the context. either to the volume of the law or to its contents
the Christian religion: the law demanding faith, the moral instruction given by Christ, esp. the precept concerning love
the name of the more important part (the Pentateuch), is put for the entire collection of the sacred books of the OT
For those who have not heard this definition before some should be a little shocked. That is because the doctrines they hold regarding sin, salvation, Law, condemnation, and the New Testament center around the idea Law is the Mosaic Law. But the Mosaic Law is clearly only one aspect of Law. And that reality completely destroys many doctrines out there.
So, Law is simply God telling us what is right and wrong, sin and not sin, and nothing more and nothing less. Yes, it can apply to something distinct in nature but that does not make Law the distinct issue being covered.
First, what is the purpose of Law? Is it a road to salvation, as many believe it was at least before Christ? Or does it have another purpose?
Romans 5: (NIV) 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Law exists to make us aware of sin and subject to its consequences. Law never has saved anyone. It can only condemn. Salvation has never been by Law but always by repentance, grace, and faith.
When is one subject to a Law? When God reveals it to the earth or when the knowledge becomes available to the individual?
Romans 2: (NIV) 12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Here in addressing the Jews Paul makes it clear that Gentiles who did not possess the Mosaic Law were not subject to it. But they were subject to the Law of Conscience that all Man possesses. Which affirms the truth that the Law in total is greater than just the Mosaic Law.
Romans 5: (NIV) 13…But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.
And here clearly declares where a Law does not exist there can be no accountability. God is a just God and does not condemn one for what they cannot know is sin.
But when saved the Bible declares we are no longer under the Law. And if dead to the law how can the Law condemn us? If dead to the Law how can one lose their salvation as those whom believe in Conditional Salvation declare? Since it takes the Law to condemn us and it no longer has power over us there is no way to be condemned!
Romans 7: (NIV) 1Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know the law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man.
4So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5For when we were controlled by the sinful nature,[1] the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Many forget that Christ died for all our sins; past, present, and future. Not, as some try to claim, just the sins up to the time of repentance. And not just the sins on the low end of the sin scale.
They argue to believe this means that we are then free to sin without costs. And that many saints will wallow in sin and end up losing their salvation.
Well, we are in fact free to sin.
Galatians 5: (NIV) 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! 13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[1] ; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[2]
But those who think this way fail to remember we have new natures and minds. Fail to remember we enter a war within ourselves between the spirit and the flesh. And think of these issues in the terms of other saints, not themselves. Or live in fear of losing their salvation.
Plus this destroys the meaning of grace when one takes personal responsibility for the maintenance of their salvation. And makes the statement we are dead to the Law a lie.
The simple truth is that if we were not forgiven for all our sins when we repent none of us would ever make it to Heaven. Since the simplest sin condemns none of us would last out the day we repent without being condemned again.
Paul makes this point incredibly clear.
Romans 7: (NIV) 14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[1] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. 20Now 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. 21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but 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. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Our spirits are saved not our bodies. And this is not a permission to engage in sin. God firmly says he will correct and punish those who belong to him. And he does.
This verse confirms when read literally that all our sins are forgiven at repentance. It also confirms that we are dead to the Law.
Romans 8: (NIV) 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[13] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
With that said another issue is of value to address here. That being when did Law and sin originate? That in and of itself is another controversial issue.
Many try to say Satan created sin because God does not. Well, the Bible says God created all things.
Colossians 1:16 (NIV)
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
This does not mean God made anyone sin or created actual acts of sin. But he did create the Law that declares certain things sin. And he did created freewill choice that allows his creations to sin.
Another problem doctrine is the one that says there was no sin until Eve ate from the tree. That is totally false. Satan rebelled before the 6 days of creation along with a third of the angels.
Others say sin did not enter the world until Eve ate. That is also false. Satan was most assuredly on the earth before Eve ate. And we have no idea if Eve or Adam committed sin prior because they did not have any Law to condemn them. So they could have sinned, as little children do, and be totally innocent of charge because they did not know it was sin.
Think about it. The Bible tells us that in knowing of sin that if a sinful thought enters our mind that is sin and we are guilty of it. But was Eve guilty of sin in the thinking prior to the eating or not until she ate?
She was not guilty until she ate because God said not to eat and nothing else. If she had thought and walked away there would have been no sin for her to be held accountable.
Further, they were naked before God and it did not bother them until they gained the Law of Conscience. Obviously the nakedness did not change in quality or nature after they ate. And God recognized that when he spoke to them by asking who told them they were naked, as in revealing it was not right.
So sin was around and in the world long before they ate of the fruit. What was not in the world was Law given to Man. So the key in understanding here is not when sin was committed but when Law was given and broken.
Further, it is obvious in the rebellion of Satan Law existed prior to the 6 days of creation in Heaven. And Law was broken before the 6 days of creation. Plus the Law in Heaven was and is far more extensive than ever given on the earth to Man. The mere fact we have gained more Law over the history of Man and are still blind to many truths and realities of even the Millennial Kingdom revelations is testimony to that fact.
So God creating the Law and giving freewill created the ability to sin. And thus God created sin without causing any act of sin to occur. And until Law existed on the earth for Man, as first given in the command to not eat the fruit, sin could occur without their being any condemnation. And over time God has increased the knowledge of sin by increasing Law with each dispensation thus increasing his ability to act in grace toward us. Plus he will continue to do so until the end of time.
As for how it will all work for the saints’ future reality with God on the New Earth, we are told almost nothing. But it will surely be marvelous beyond description.
