"Whatever is not of faith is sin."(Romans 14:23), "The Law (O.C.) is not of faith."(Galatians 3:12), "Is the law sin then...?(Romans 7:7) (and on from verse 7)"
Comments...?
God Bless!
1. Romans 14:23 is true. Anything not of the faith is sin. Men were justified by faith in the Messiah in both covenants, but the laws for each respective covenant one obeyed was different. Even in the Old Covenant, there were different sets of laws for different people groups of the faith. Hebrews 7:12 says the Law has changed.
2. Galatians 3:12 is talking about the condemnation of the false Pharisee religion (that was trying to creep in and deceive the Galatian church). The Pharisees wrongfully believed in trying to be justified or saved under a twisted version of the Old Covenant Law alone without God’s grace, mercy, and faith. How do we know this is true? Well, Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they ignored the weightier matters of the Law like love, faith, mercy, and judgment (Matthew 23:23) (Luke 11:42). Jesus also pointed out that the Pharisees had a problem in not crying out to God to have mercy on their sins (See the Parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14). So the Pharisees had turned salvation into a warped and twisted sense of their own version of the Old Law alone without God’s mercy and grace. They made salvation all about law with no mercy and faith. This is why Paul said the Law is not of faith to the Galatians. Paul says to the Galatian church in Galatians 2, “But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:” (Galatians 2:3). In Galatians 5:2, Paul says, “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.” Circumcision is a part the Old Covenant Law of Moses (that was for Israel). This is the Old Law that is not of the faith anymore. Paul was not referring to New Covenant Laws or Commands that should be obeyed as a part of the faith under the New Covenant. Paul was condemning something that was apart of the Old Law under the Old Covenant (that is no longer in effect). Paul was also condemning the idea of trying to be saved by Law alone without God’s grace and mercy. For the Jews were trying to deceive the Galatians into being justified by being circumcised.
3. Romans 7:7 says, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Romans 7:7 here is talking about “God’s Eternal Moral Laws” within the Old Law that has carried on over into the New Covenant. For verse 6 says, “But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Romans 7:6). “Thou shalt not covet” is a Law that is a part of both the Old Covenant and New Covenant. But seeing we are delivered from the Old Law, we now are to SERVE in NEWNESS of Spirit (New Covenant) and not in the OLDNESS of the LETTER (Old Covenant). This is why the commandment is still holy, just, and good. Romans 8:2-4 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” We learn that in verse 2 (Romans 8:2) that there are two laws. There is a New Covenant Law called the (1) “Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” and there is the Old Covenant Law called the (2) “Law of Sin and Death.” According to Romans 8:2, the NT Law sets us free from the OT Law. Romans 8:3 is talking about the Old Law in that it was weak through the flesh (which we see a description of Paul recounting his past experience in struggling with keeping the Old Law as a Pharisee before he was a Christian - See Romans 7:14-24). In Romans 8:3 Jesus condemns sin in the flesh. Jesus sets us free from the Old Law that brought death (i.e. capital punishment for breaking certain laws of God within the Law of Moses). In Romans 8:4, Paul talks about how we are to fulfill the “righteousness” (i.e. that righteous aspect or part) of the Old Law. This would be God’s Eternal Moral Laws. What are these Moral Laws? They are Laws such as: Do not murder, do not steal, do not covet, etc. (which is the same as loving one’s neighbor) See Romans 13:8-10.
Conclusion:
Romans 14:23 is referring to New Covenant faith.
Galatians 3:12 is referring to Old Covenant Law and it is referring to being saved by Law keeping alone without God’s mercy, grace, and faith.
Romans 7:7 is referring to God’s Eternal Moral Laws that have carried on over from the Old Covenant and into the New Covenant. Note: Compare the words “what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,” in Romans 8:3 with Paul’s past struggle with trying to obey the Old Law as a Pharisee (before he was a Christian) in Romans 7:14-24. Paul thanks Jesus at the end of Romans 7 for delivering him from his past struggle in trying to keep the Old Law when he was a Pharisee before he was a Christian. Romans 7:6 and Romans 8:2-4 holds the key to properly understand what Romans 7:7 says. They are basically saying together that God’s Laws (which have always been holy and good - which tell us about sin) have been changed by Christ Jesus upon the cross; That Christ put away the Old Law that could cause physical death for the OT believer, and He now provides for the NT believer a new and better way of providing mercy and grace for them so as to help them serve God’s Laws more perfectly. For Jesus said He came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. Meaning He came to bring the Law into it’s fulfilled intended purpose with the giving of the commands within the New Testament. These new commands were focused heavily on love and they operated under a better way of faith by providing mercy and grace to serve God so as to be faithful instead of facing physical death under the Old Covenant for any disobedience. God provides a way so as to help believers overcome their sin in this life. This of course is only possible by the power of Jesus working in a person.
I hope this helps;
And may God bless you.
Sincerely,
~ Jason.
