What is "law" and what isn't

lifeseeker77 · Big Goldfish Joined: 03 Aug 2008 Posts: 69

In seeking to understand the dynamics of justification by faith and how it is distinguished from the "law", I find the distinction between what is or is not a law a bit obscure.

In Rom 5 we are told that "...until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no law."

The next verse makes clear that "the law" is that which came through Moses.

If by the law is the knowledge of sin, would not all of God's commandments prior to Moses qualify as law?

Was not God's prohibition of eating of tree of knowledge of good and evil a law?

I recognize that this command was given to Adam specifically. Is it just the specificity that a command is given to an individual and not universally that distinguishes what is law and what is not?

Were there not other commands given prior to Moses that were of universal application and thus qualify as law?

Any other distinctions that have escaped me?

MoJo · Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:24 am Post subject:

It's my understanding that in many cases "the law" simply means God's word. Whenever he speaks, it is the law as he is the lawmaker.

Jesus often referred to all scripture as the law. Throughout the OT, new words are added by the Lord, thus adding to the law.

I think the law is often taken to be synonimous with the Mosaic covenant, but ;

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

In this way, all the prophecies are passed into law. In this way Jesus and his people fulfil the law; IOW, the prophecies spoken by the Lord.

Therefore;

Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Smile

_________________
matt 6: 34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

lifeseeker77 · Big Goldfish Joined: 03 Aug 2008 Posts: 69

Yes, Mojo...I agree that in broad context, every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God is "law".

But there is another context in which scripture speaks of "law".

Rom 7:4 Wherefore my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that you should be married to another, even to Him that is risen from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Rom 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in the newness of spirit and not the oldness of the letter.

A significant dynamic of this "law" that is dead is clearly circumcision and the other ceremonial laws dividing Jew from Gentile but it is also clear that it is not all Paul's writing was addressing.

ShardikSon · Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 3:26 pm Post subject:

lifeseeker77 · Big Goldfish Joined: 03 Aug 2008 Posts: 69