Christians Dead To The Law

WHY? In chapter 6 Paul told us clearly that Christians do not continue in sin, because when Christ died to sin, so did we. We are no longer "in Adam." Our victory over sin is established through the death of Christ Jesus.

Now you would think that after this tremendous victory we have over sin, Paul would jump next to the great blessings of chapter 8, but instead he goes back to talking about Christians being DEAD TO THE LAW.

WHY? Because in Rom. 6:14, Paul raised the question, "Shall we continue in sin because we are not under the law?"

Some have the mistaken idea that when we accept Christ, our relationship to sin is one in which we slow down the sinning process, not die to it.

Illus: People who think like this, remind me of the driver who came to a "stop" sign, but instead of stopping he just slowed down, but kept on going.

A highway patrolman saw him and pulled him over, and asked him if he saw the sign. The man assured the patrolman that he had seen it, and that he had slowed down.

The patrolman told the man, “ A stop sign means to stop, not slow down." The driver said, "Well, I slowed down, and that is the same thing."

The patrolman said it was not, and the driver said it was, and a big argument arose between the two of them.

Finally the patrolman said, "I am going to prove to you that it is not the same!" He grabbed the driver by the head, and took his nightstick and started hitting him on the top head. He asked, as he was hitting him, "Do you want me to stop, or just slow down?"

The people of Paul's day had this problem. Paul taught they were saved "by grace", and they thought that meant they could continue to live in sin.

There are many today who still believe that if a preacher preaches salvation by grace alone, he is giving people a license to sin.

Illus: One pastor was explaining being saved by grace alone to a pastor who was very legalistic in his preaching. The other preacher said, "If I told my people that salvation was by grace alone, none of them would be faithful to the Lord."

That preacher failed to realize that the greatest motivating force in the world today is the FORCE OF LOVE.

In John 14:15, the Lord Himself said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

The Lord is teaching LOVE and OBEDIENCE go together.

We hear a great deal these days about Roe vs. Wade. It is our prayer that the Supreme Court of our land would make abortion illegal, but even if it did, that would not stop all abortions. WHY? Because morality and holiness can not be legislated.

Abortions in this country will only cease, when women have the love that our mothers had, that makes them be willing to bear children, and be loving mothers, and not be worried about career opportunities, etc.. Love makes us willing to lay our lives on the line for others.

We need the law, but the law is not the solution within itself.

In chapter 7, Paul shows us those who had the law, who knew the law, and who were dead to the law.

Illus: Watchman Nee stated it this way, "To be under law means that I must do something for God: to be under grace means that God does something for me. Too many Christians are burdened with 'religious rules and regulations' and good resolutions, not realizing that it is impossible to legislate holiness. How tragic it is to see Christians living 'under law' - striving in their own efforts to please God: when the new position we have in Christ, and the new power in the Spirit, make it possible for us to enjoy victory and blessing BY GRACE."

In chapter seven, Paul explains those blessings that we have under grace by showing us:

I. THE RELATIONSHIP

In verses 1-6, Paul, to prove his point in this relationship, shows us two points.

A. HIS ARGUMENT IS VALID

For example, in verses 1-3, Paul used the marriage relationship to show our relationship to Christ and the law.

It is the best illustration that he could have used, to show us how we ONCE WERE LEGALLY BOUND, but no longer are. He does this in two ways:

1. HE SHOWS US TWO HUSBANDS

• In the first relationship, mankind was married to Mr. Law

• In the second relationship, when we are saved, we are married to CHRIST!

2. HE SHOWS US ONE DEATH

We were married to Mr. Law for many years, but he died, and once he died, that set us free from his dominion, and now we are married to Christ.