In v.4, we find that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. I have mentioned why to a certain extent in my commentary on the previous verse. We receive the love of God through the Holy Ghost (Romans 5:5); we receive the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14); and love is the fulfilling of the righteousness of the law within us.
Gal 3:14, That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Rom 5:5, And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 13:8, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9, For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10, Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Gal 5:14, For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
1Jo 5:3, For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
2Jo 1:6, And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
In v.5, those who are of the flesh will mind the things of the flesh; and those who are of the Spirit will mind the things of the Spirit. You are either regenerated or unregenerated. If you are regenerated (born again of the Holy Spirit), then the normal bent of your thinking will be towards the things of the Spirit, towards the things that are pleasing to the Lord, towards those things that are righteous. If you are unregenerated, then your thought life will be focused on things that aren't pleasing to the Lord.
In v.6, If your thought life is not towards what is righteous and pleasing to God, then you are headed towards spiritual death and may even be steeped in it. If your thought life is towards righteousness and what is pleasing to the Lord, then you are headed for life and are very likely already a recipient of everlasting life.
In v.7, If you are carnally-minded, then you are an enemy of the Lord, because you are not subject in your mind to the things that He says are righteous in His law. If you are spiritually-minded, then you are subject in your mind to God's law and cannot be otherwise.
I want to qualify this by saying that as believers in Christ we are not bound to the letter of the law but are obedient to the spirit of the law. For example, we do not have to wear phylacteries around our heads. But this is fulfilled in us in that the word is nigh us in our heart and in our mouth (Romans 10:8). It is not the specific details of what the law requires that matter, but we are to be obedient to the intent of the law that God has for us. It amounts to "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and, your neighbor as yourself." Jesus said that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
That being said, the law is the specifics of God's love; and therefore it operates as a good gauge of sin and is an excellent schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. By the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20) and sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4).
Once faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster; thus the definition for sin is changed. It is no longer defined for us as the transgression of the law, but as "whatsoever is not of faith" (Romans 14:23).
Before we came to the fulness of faith, however, sin was indeed defined for us by the law.
Matthew chapters 5-7 and Luke 6:20-49 show us what is Jesus' New Testament estimation of what the law requires.
We are told that if we walk in obedience to those things, we will have a foundation for the house that we are building; so that when the storms of life come, our house will not be destroyed. But if we don't obey, we are building our house on sand; and when the storms come our house will fall and its fall will be great.
Therefore the schoolmaster teaches us how to live and when we graduate from its jurisdiction we will never forget the lessons that it taught us; for they are wisdom by which we can live our lives more faithfully.
Gal 3:14, That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Rom 5:5, And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 13:8, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9, For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10, Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Gal 5:14, For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
1Jo 5:3, For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
2Jo 1:6, And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
In v.5, those who are of the flesh will mind the things of the flesh; and those who are of the Spirit will mind the things of the Spirit. You are either regenerated or unregenerated. If you are regenerated (born again of the Holy Spirit), then the normal bent of your thinking will be towards the things of the Spirit, towards the things that are pleasing to the Lord, towards those things that are righteous. If you are unregenerated, then your thought life will be focused on things that aren't pleasing to the Lord.
In v.6, If your thought life is not towards what is righteous and pleasing to God, then you are headed towards spiritual death and may even be steeped in it. If your thought life is towards righteousness and what is pleasing to the Lord, then you are headed for life and are very likely already a recipient of everlasting life.
In v.7, If you are carnally-minded, then you are an enemy of the Lord, because you are not subject in your mind to the things that He says are righteous in His law. If you are spiritually-minded, then you are subject in your mind to God's law and cannot be otherwise.
I want to qualify this by saying that as believers in Christ we are not bound to the letter of the law but are obedient to the spirit of the law. For example, we do not have to wear phylacteries around our heads. But this is fulfilled in us in that the word is nigh us in our heart and in our mouth (Romans 10:8). It is not the specific details of what the law requires that matter, but we are to be obedient to the intent of the law that God has for us. It amounts to "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and, your neighbor as yourself." Jesus said that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
That being said, the law is the specifics of God's love; and therefore it operates as a good gauge of sin and is an excellent schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. By the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20) and sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4).
Once faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster; thus the definition for sin is changed. It is no longer defined for us as the transgression of the law, but as "whatsoever is not of faith" (Romans 14:23).
Before we came to the fulness of faith, however, sin was indeed defined for us by the law.
Matthew chapters 5-7 and Luke 6:20-49 show us what is Jesus' New Testament estimation of what the law requires.
We are told that if we walk in obedience to those things, we will have a foundation for the house that we are building; so that when the storms of life come, our house will not be destroyed. But if we don't obey, we are building our house on sand; and when the storms come our house will fall and its fall will be great.
Therefore the schoolmaster teaches us how to live and when we graduate from its jurisdiction we will never forget the lessons that it taught us; for they are wisdom by which we can live our lives more faithfully.
Last edited: