The law was central to God's special agreement (the covenant) with the people of Israel. Many Jews in the apostle Paul's time, including Jewish Christians, still considered it as essential for living. Therefore, Paul often addresses questions about the law, especially in his letters to the Romans and the Galatians. He explores this deeply in Romans 7. There he argues that the law of Moses, instead of improving people's lives, caused sin and brought death (see 7:5).
Paul wants his readers to understand that the law is not to blame. God's law is good and holy (Romans 7:12). But it cannot change the human heart or will. Whether Paul describes a non Christian, a mature Christian, or an immature Christian, the message is the same. The law cannot defeat human sin (see Romans 7:14–25).
God gives the law to people who, because of their link to Adam's curse, are already easily controlled by sin's power. We may want to obey God's commands, but we find it impossible. Only a new and powerful experience of God's power and grace in Jesus Christ can rescue us (Romans 7:25). Through God's Spirit, Jesus set us free "from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).
If God's good and holy law cannot save us, human laws are even less helpful for spiritual health. Whether these laws come from a religious leader, a tradition, or a church, they cannot change the human soul. They can instruct us, but they cannot give us the strength to follow them. God's law offers a guide for the new life given by grace. But it cannot replace the power of God's grace, which comes through Christ's work.
Passages for Further Study
Deuteronomy 5:1–33; 6:17–25; Joshua 24:19–27; Ezra 7:25–26; Psalms 1:1–3; 19:7–14; 78:56–59; 119:144; Isaiah 24:5; 26:4–8; Jeremiah 31:33–34; Hosea 4:6; 8:12; Habakkuk 1:4; Matthew 5:17–20; 7:12; Mark 7:8–9; Luke 16:16–17; John 1:16–17; 7:19; Acts 13:38–39; Romans 2:13–29; 3:19–21, 27–28; 4:13–16; 7:1–25; 8:3–4, 7; 9:4, 31–32; 10:3–5; Galatians 2:16–21; 3:2, 10–13, 17–25; 5:1–4; 1 Timothy 1:5–11; Hebrews 8:7–13; 10:1–18; 1 John 3:4–6