Two verses are unrelated when they reside in passages that have different subjects in view. Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, helps the reader follow his arguments, introducing them with rhetorical questions.
Romans 3:20
This verse resides in a discussion of the advantages of living under the law. He opens this discussion with a question, "What advantage has the Jew?" Paul will argue that while there are advantages to being a Jew, living under the law, he and his objectors disagree that living as a Jew gives them the advantage with regard to God's favor, specifically justification. The main advantage of being a Jew, under the law, is the fact that his people have access to the oracles. And do these oracles contain proclamations declaring the righteousness of the Jewish people? No, in fact, just the opposite. In other words, living under the law did not give the Jews an advantage with respect to righteousness. These people proved themselves to be sinners just like the rest of us. These oracles condemn all people, including the Jewish people of sin. Thus Paul has proven his thesis statement that every human being falls short of God's glory and if human beings hope to be saved from that condition, there needs to be another way. Chapter four opens with a discussion of the "new way."
Romans 7:7
This verse resides in a discussion concerning the reliability of the law itself. In fact, this verse is the opening question, "Is the law itself sin?" He will consider the fact that the Law, in a sense, lead to his death. (condemned him to die) and the question is whether this would be considered manslaughter. (an unintentional death.) Is the law itself responsible for evil? Paul will argue that the law was not the perpetrator of his death; sin was. Paul was already dead when the law came along to show him his condition. The law is not evil, the law is good because it helps us see ourselves for who we really are.
Suppose I claim the ability to lift 100 pounds. The claim remains theoretical until someone asks me to prove it. Only when I make the attempt is the issue resolved either way. The challenge is good, because the act of lifting the weight will demonstrate whether my claim is true or not.
Suppose I claim to be a righteous man and good man. The claim remains theoretical until a law asks me to prove it. The Jewish law, for instance, defines righteousness in terms of practices and intent, and it commands the Jew to keep those practices and have the right inwardness. The Law is good because until anyone actually lives according to a righteous code such as the Jewish law, his claim to be righteous man is theoretical.
Jesus told the crowd that their righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. What did he mean? I said earlier that the Law not only defines righteousness in terms of practice, it also defines righteousness in terms of having the proper inwardness. And this was the missing piece the Pharisees ignored. Jesus was critical of the Pharisees because although orthopraxy was not a problem for them, orthodoxy was. In short, they were doing all the right things but for the wrong reason. They lived the correct praxis, but without contrition, humility, honesty, or faith.
In his argument which begins in 7:7, Paul makes the point that as long as he based his justification on his praxis, he was "alive" with respect to justification; but when he considered coveting, which is not praxis but inwardness, he found that he was "dead" with respect to justification. Coveting is not praxis. That is, coveting takes place in the mind and the heart, not in public where all can see. Paul's warning and exhortation is to those who rely on orthopraxy as the means to God's favor. Paul warns them that the Law not only dictates practice (works) it also dictates inwardness.
(wow, these posts are long.)
Good review of Romans 3, right down the line as written. Jews had the advantage of having the oracles of God, but they proved themselves unworthy of them by violating them every chance they had to do so. And when they did actually obey them, it was outwardly
only.
And in Romans 7, you likewise point out that someone can
think themselves justified by works, but are continually reminded they are guilty in spirit.
Which applies directly to the main difference between good works and works of the law: Good works are done to help others, but they are only
good to God when done by faith from the heart: "
though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
Works of the law however have nothing to do with inward faith, because the law doesn't judge the heart nor even cares whether someone believes, agrees, or even likes it: just do it and don't transgress.
While God called upon His faithful believers who obeyed the law outwardly, to be circumcised of the heart and not just of the flesh, it was not law He was preaching, but faith.
The law of Christ, the law of the Spirit of life
begins with the heart, and so makes us
free from the law of sin and death, which only addresses
outward deeds done in the body.
And there we have it: the difference between good works and works of the law is that good works
with God require inward faith, while the law only requires outward obedience.
No man can be judged of transgressing the law of works while yet keeping the law outwardly, but all mankind is judged by God of transgressing the law of the Spirit by inward corruption of the heart, which all mankind is by nature born into after the transgression of Adam.
"How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?" (Job 25)
All are sinners before God, whether doing 'good works' or keeping the works of the law, so long as they continue in sin of heart and soul and spirit. An inward work of God's own Spirit bringing believers under, or
into, the law of the Spirit through faith is required for true justification with God: to be truly seen as righteous before God, and doing His righteousness by faith from the heart:
"
But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption... And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13)
"
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight... Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom 3)
Therefore, no man can fulfill the righteousness of the law by outward works
only, but by the inward work of the Spirit we can fulfill the righteousness of God with good works
of faith, which likewise do not transgress the
outward demands of the law.
The law of sin and death is the law of works
only. The law of the Spirit of Life is the law of
God's work inwardly.
Therefore, we are justified
freely by His grace, because our
inward man is born again by His Spirit, and sin no longer reigns
in our hearts, therefore we are
once again righteous in God's
sight, Who sees not the outward appearance
only according to the law of works, but judges the very thoughts and intents
of the heart according to the law of the Spirit.
The law of works is the law of the flesh, the law that looks
only at the works of the flesh to justify or condemn, but the law of the Spirit is the law of God, the law that looks
first at the heart to either justify or condemn. And only through the faith of Jesus
in the heart can any man be justified
inwardly with
that law, even if they fulfill the outward demands of the other.
