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The Bible
says that sin was in the world before the
Law was given on Mount Sinai.
The whole human race is descended from Adam,
he is mankind’s federal head and
representative; because of his sin, mankind
is born spiritually dead and separated from
God and under condemnation. Romans 5:12-21
and 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 explain
how Christ overcame Adam’s sin. As the head
of the human race, Adam passed on to his
descendants his bent toward sin. But
Christ became the “second Adam”, the
representative head of everyone who chooses
to follow
Him by faith.
Romans 5:12-14
says, “Therefore, just as sin
came into the world through one man, and
death through sin, and so death spread to
all men because all sinned— 13 for sin
indeed was in the world before the law was
given, but sin is not counted where there is
no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to
Moses, even over those whose sinning was not
like the transgression of Adam, who was a
type of the one who was to come.’”
According
to Romans 5:13, no one was charged with sin
in the sense of breaking a commandment
before God gave Israel his laws on Mount
Sinai. Since people still died, they were
guilty as a consequence of Adam’s sin
(Rom. 5:12 cf. Gen. 3). Before God gave the Mosaic
law to Israel, mankind was held accountable
for the consequences of having transgressed
the universal moral principles written on
their hearts and in their consciences.
The Law was added to reveal
mankind’s sinfulness and our need for a
Savior.
Galatians 3:19 says,
“Why then the law? It was added because of
transgressions, until the offspring should
come to whom the promise had been made, and
it was put in place through angels by an
intermediary.”
And Romans 3:20 says, “For
by works of the law no human being will be
justified in his sight, since through the
law comes knowledge of sin.”
Everyone
stands condemned before God, whether they
are Jews or not, whether they have the Law
of God, or not. Why? Because Romans 3:23
says, “we have all sinned and fallen short of
the glory of God.”
Romans 2:12-16
says, “For all who have sinned without the
law will also perish without the law, and
all who have sinned under the law will be
judged by the law. 13 For it is not the
hearers of the law who are righteous before
God, but the doers of the law who will be
justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not
have the law, by nature do what the law
requires, they are a law to themselves, even
though they do not have the law. 15 They
show that the work of the law is written on
their hearts, while their conscience also
bears witness, and their conflicting
thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on
that day when, according to my gospel, God
judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”
In Romans 2:12-16,
Paul’s attention was focused on the Gentiles
who were not under the Old Covenant Law. Some people
claimed that since the Gentiles did not
benefit from the knowledge of the covenants,
especially the moral laws of
the Mosaic Covenant (Eph. 2:11-19),
they should not have to suffer condemnation
in the same way that the Jews have to suffer
because they were given God’s greater
revelation, but Paul was essentially saying
that the Gentiles already have the essence
of God’s moral and legal requirements written on their
hearts and minds and they are therefore, just as guilty and without excuse as Israel was.
Romans 2:17-24 says, “But if you call
yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast
in God 18 and know his will and approve what
is excellent, because you are instructed
from the law; 19 and if you are sure that
you yourself are a guide to the blind, a
light to those who are in darkness, 20 an
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of
children, having in the law the embodiment
of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who
teach others, do you not teach yourself?
While you preach against stealing, do you
steal? 22 You who say that one must not
commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You
who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You
who boast in the law dishonor God by
breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written,
“The name of God is blasphemed among the
Gentiles because of you.’”
Paul’s point in Romans 2:17-24 was that,
since we have all sinned, we are all under
God’s condemnation. Paul went on to tell the
Jews that keeping circumcision was a
meaningless act unless that person’s conduct
reflected the true meaning of the ceremony
(Rom. 2:25-29). An uncircumcised person
with a pure heart is more acceptable to God
than a circumcised person is who doesn’t
live in accordance with his beliefs (Rom. 2:25-27). God’s true people are not the ones
who have received circumcision, but they are
those people who have pure hearts and have
received the regenerating work of the Holy
Spirit in their lives (Rom. 2:28-29).
Paul continued to discuss everyone’s
guilt before God in Romans 3. Romans 3:19-20
says, “Now we know that whatever the law
says it speaks to those who are under the
law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and
the whole world may be held accountable to
God. 20 For by works of the law no human
being will be justified in his sight, since
through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
When Paul uses the term, “the law" in
the book of Romans, he is usually referring
to the Mosaic law, so why then does Paul say
that every mouth is left without excuse and
condemned before God if the law is addressed
only to the Jews? Paul was arguing that if
the Jews can’t keep the law, even though
they were God’s special covenant people, it
follows that the Gentiles, who have much of
the law written on their consciences will
face God’s judgment as well.
The Law
was the issue that had to be dealt with in
order for God to redeem us and restore our
broken relationship with Him. The Law was
God’s greatest revelation to mankind up
until Christ came to redeem those who put
their faith in Him alone for their
salvation. The main purpose for the Law was
to show Israel their need for a Savior, and
bring justification and redemption through
faith in Jesus Christ alone to the whole
human race (Gal. 3:19-26; Rom. 3:24-26).
Galatians 3:22 says, “But
the Scripture imprisoned everything under
sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus
Christ might be given to those who believe.”
So when Paul says we are all guilty under
the law, he is saying we are all guilty
under the universal, moral principles of the
law that apply to everyone, Jews and
Gentiles alike. Romans 3:23 says, “for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God.” Therefore, there is only one way for a
person to be saved, and that is by accepting
the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to redeem us
from our sins.
Jesus came to
set us free from the condemnation of the
law.
Romans 5:15-21 says,
“But the free gift is not like the trespass.
For if many died through one man’s trespass,
much more have the grace of God and the free
gift by the grace of that one man Jesus
Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free
gift is not like the result of that one
man’s sin. For the judgment following one
trespass brought condemnation, but the free
gift following many trespasses brought
justification. 17 For if, because of one
man’s trespass, death reigned through that
one man, much more will those who receive
the abundance of grace and the free gift of
righteousness reign in life through the one
man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one
trespass led to condemnation for all men, so
one act of righteousness leads to
justification and life for all men. 19 For
as by the one man’s disobedience the many
were made sinners, so by the one man’s
obedience the many will be made righteous.
20 Now the law came in to increase the
trespass, but where sin increased, grace
abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin
reigned in death, grace also might reign
through righteousness leading to eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
There is only one way to overcome the
condemnation we all deserve; we have to put
our trust in Jesus Christ alone for our
salvation.
John 3:16-18
says, “For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only Son, that whoever believes in
him should not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but in order
that the world might be saved through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the
name of the only Son of God.”
When we are born again, we are made
alive in the Spirit.
Romans 8:1-4
says, “There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life
has set you free in Christ Jesus from the
law of sin and death. 3 For God has done
what the law, weakened by the flesh, could
not do. By sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he
condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that
the righteous requirement of the law might
be fulfilled in us, who walk not according
to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
I
leave you with this
note from the Life
Application Study Bible on our security in
Christ, apart from the law’s condemnation (Rom. 5:20).
“As a sinner, separated from God, you
see his law from below, as a ladder to be
climbed to get to God. Perhaps you have
repeatedly tried to climb it, only to fall
to the ground every time you have advanced
one or two rungs. Or perhaps the sheer
height of the ladder seems so overwhelming
that you have never even started up. In
either case, what relief you should feel to
see Jesus offering with open arms to lift
you above the ladder of the law, to take you
directly to God! Once Jesus lifts you into
God’s presence, you are free to obey—out of
love, not necessity, and through God’s
power, not your own. You know that if you
stumble, you will not fall back to the
ground. Instead, you will be caught and held
in Christ’s loving arms.”
Jesus
Christ paid the price for your redemption!
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