Understanding the Book of Romans

In the Book of Romans Paul says, “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” (Rom. 3:19) This succinctly describes the purpose of the Law and really conveys the same meaning as Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 1:8-10 where he tells Timothy that the law is good if one uses it lawfully and that the law is for those who disobey sound doctrine. To argue in this way appears to place sinning Christians back under the Law, and yet Paul argues later in Romans that Christians are not “under Law.”

To begin to understand this first notice that Paul only mentions “moral” laws in the section from Timothy. He does not say that the Law is made for anyone who fails to get circumcised or who does not offer sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem or who does not obey the Sabbath laws each Saturday. In fact, he mentions no “ceremonial” laws at all. The reason for this is that Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is the antitype, the prophetic fulfillment, of all the Old Covenant ceremonial laws. Men have no duty today, therefore, to participate in or obey any of the Old Testament laws dealing with ceremony or sacrifices. Our faith in Jesus Christ accomplishes these laws in us. Neither do we need to seek out the Jewish temple to come into the presence of God. Now we, individually and corporately, comprise the temple of God, and the presence of God dwells within us. (1 Cor. 3:16-17; Eph. 2:21) God chisels and prepares each one of us now, making us individually into precious stones. Ultimately he will place each one us into our proper place within New Jerusalem. Our participation in New Jerusalem fulfills the Scripture “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

It is true that the ceremonial laws still prophesy many truths to us, but the New Testament makes it clear that we must not continue any of those sacrificial or ceremonial law practices in a literal sense in a vain attempt to sanctify ourselves or please God, except the prohibition of eating blood. (Acts 15:29) Paul’s book to the Galatians speaks forcefully about these issues. It is clear that Paul does not put moral law in the same category as the ceremonial because when he finishes his instruction about circumcision he reminds them to be careful to walk according to the moral law. ¹ (Gal. 5:13ff)

We must understand, however, that the attempt to strictly obey God’s moral law in the power of our flesh will also lead to a dead legalism and certain failure. Paul makes it very clear in the first few chapters of Romans that no one can perfectly obey God’s moral law. First he teaches us the purpose for the Law saying, “whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” (Romans 3:19) But, then he states, “Therefore by the deeds of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the Law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20) Then he shows us why the sacrifice of Jesus is so important.

 {21} But now the righteousness of God apart from the Law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, {22} even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; {23} for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, {24} being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, {25} whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, {26} to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. {27} Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the Law of faith. {28} Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the Law. (Rom 3:21-28)

We learn two major principles from Paul’s teaching so far in Romans. First, a knowledge of the Law brings with it a knowledge of sin. The Law declares the entire world guilty before God. Second, since we stand guilty, we therefore need a Savior to save us from the wrath of God. That Savior is found in the face of the man Jesus Christ. When God gives us grace and faith to believe in His Son, then we become justified before God. To be justified means to be declared just, or righteous. This comes to us by faith in Christ alone. But, having said this, does he then go on to teach that the law is now null and void, having been “put away” by God?

Was the Law “Put Away?”

If the Law were put away, how then can God still judge sin? If Christ ended, abolished, or fulfilled the Law to the extinction of that Law, then it makes no difference how you or I live. No law would exist to condemn us. Oh yes, we might break one of the State’s laws and be sent to prison, but if God put away His own Law, then He could never hold you or me accountable to it and could never expect us to change our behavior, even if the most repulsive, disgusting, and evil.

But Jesus upheld the Law; He did not put it away. Jesus, as Author of the Law and Creator of the world, could have set us free from the Law’s penalty of death by putting away His Law. This would have legalized sin, but He did not choose this plan. He upheld the Law and paid its price. He died for us. The Law, therefore, remains in effect, but the New Testament teaches us that Christ changed it by fulfilling its ceremonial aspects and by no longer requiring us to do those things. The apostles also teach us that Christ nailed the curses, the penalties, of the Law to his cross so that we would not suffer death by it.

According to the following verses, Paul calls any theory or theology that puts away the Law preposterous:

“Do we then make void the Law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” (Romans 3:31)

 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Rom. 6:1-2)

 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15)

 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the Law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the Law had said, `You shall not covet.’” (Romans 7:7)

 “Has then what is good 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.” (Romans 7:13)

Now let’s look at Paul’s views regarding the positive aspects of the Law that leads him to his conclusions.

“because you have in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth–” (Romans 2:20, NIV)

“Therefore the Law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” (Romans 7:12)

 “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Romans 7:14)

 “For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man.” (Romans 7:22)

 “I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the Law of sin.” (Romans 7:25)

 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the Law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Romans 8:5-7)

Immediately after stating that justification comes by faith alone, apart from the Law, Paul asks, “Do we then make void the Law through faith?” He quickly answers, “Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” (Romans 3:31) “Now wait a minute,” some say. “I thought that `to establish the Law’ meant I was getting into legalism. After all, didn’t Paul say, `You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace?’” (Gal. 5:4) Yes, Paul did say that. How, then, can both be true? Let’s continue reading Romans to find out.

After declaring that Christians must “establish the Law,” Paul uses the examples of Abraham and David to show that God has always declared His people righteous based upon their faith in Him. The purpose of justification by faith is to bring “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) Justification by faith, therefore, establishes our relationship and potential for fellowship with God. Justification does not and cannot come by the Law. Paul then uses the rest of chapter 5 to declare that “through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” (vs. 18) We “establish the Law” after we come to faith in Christ, not before. Christians today, for the most part, fail to establish God’s Law and instead partake of the world’s sins. They have become lawless, anomia, and fight against God’s Law. Hence we see pastors who lead flagrantly sinful lives leading God’s people into more and more sin.. These will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Finally, at the beginning of Chapter 6 Paul starts to explain the comment he made all the way back in Romans 3:31. Chapters 6 through 8 clearly show that he does not consider the Law of God to be something that we cast underfoot to the realm of “mere legalism” simply because we believe in Jesus Christ. On the contrary, Paul asserts in Romans 8:5-7 that the spiritual mind, i.e. the mind given to the things of the Spirit, can be and is subject to God’s Law. Paul teaches us that, having come to faith in Jesus, we now have a choice. We either choose to serve God by obeying His laws or we choose to serve sin and the devil by disobeying them.

For an even more thorough examination of these difficult chapters from the Book of Romans please see my book When We Awake by clicking here.

 1Here I used a principle of Biblical interpretation that is very helpful and easy to remember as follows: “The Old Testament laws are maintained in the New Testament era unless they are modified or eliminated by explicit New Testament doctrine.” The New Testament clearly eliminates the Old Testament ceremonial law. It just as clearly continues our obligation to the moral law. There is a contrary hermeneutic (principle of Biblical interpretation) that goes like this: “The Old Testament is repealed unless it is repeated.” This doctrine cuts off almost all relevance of the Old Testament and has given us bizarre doctrines like forbidding the use of musical instruments in church worship. The preceding principle is easily remembered by the phrase, “the Old Testament is maintained unless modified, not repealed unless repeated.”