DAY 24: Living Beyond the Law
In his letters, however, he does not work out a principle that would require his converts to observe some but not all of the Jewish law. Paul maintained that the law is part of the world of sin and the flesh, to which the Christian dies. But how could the law, which was given by the good God, be allied with sin and the flesh?
Paul, having nearly reached the point of equating the law with the powers of evil (Romans 7:1–6), promptly retracts the equation (Romans 7:7–25). For Paul, everything not immediately useful for salvation is worthless; what is worthless is not on the side of the good; therefore, it is allied with the bad. However, he does maintain that the Jewish law is sacred and that the commandments are righteous and good (Romans 7:12). He continues to say that his mind desires to obey God’s law, while his flesh makes him “a slave to the law of sin” (Romans 7:21–25).
While Paul grapples with the role of Jewish law in the lives of his converts, he emphasizes the freedom found in Christ while acknowledging the sacredness of the law.
Key Verse:
“So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.” ~ Romans 7:12
Questions to ponder:
- Paul viewed the Jewish law as both sacred and potentially restrictive. How does this tension resonate with your own understanding of God’s commandments?
- Meditate on the struggle between the desires of the mind to obey God’s law and the influence of sin on the flesh. In what ways do you experience this tension in your own spiritual journey?
