We have what is often termed ‘’the legalistic law’’ and the ‘’moral law’’ given at Sania. The legalistic laws were written in Leviticus.
Then you have what is known as the moral law/ten commandments.
In Jesus day, the Pharisees could faultlessly obey the legalistic law, they cleaned the outside of the cup. Paul himself said of his life as a Pharisee, that he faultlessly obeyed the legalistic law (Phil3:6 NIV 1984 edition) Therefore, when Paul relentlessly insisted you could have no righteousness of obeying the law, it had to be because of the moral law. He wrote:
For
the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was,
8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9
If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness 2Cor3:6-9
Paul is speaking in the above of the law engraved in stone, which was of course the Ten Commandments/the moral law. Paul explains himself in Romans:
So, my brothers and sisters,
you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh,a]">[a] the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.
6 But now, by dying to what once bound us,
we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Rom7:4-6
When Paul speaks of dying to the law, he means dying to righteousness of obeying the law(Christ is the end of the law
unto righteousness for everyone who believeth Rom10:4) Then he makes a statement that when we were in our flesh, sinfull passions were aroused in us by the law. But by dying to what once bound us we are released from the law and serve in the new way of the Spirit, not the written code.
So which law is Paul referring to in the above? Well it cannot be the legalistic law, for he stated he could perfectly obey it, so sinfull passions were not aroused in him by that law. He now continues on, giving an explanation as to why he had to die to righteousness of obeying the law/works of the law. He had a lot of commandments to choose from, however:
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.
8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
9
For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived(or sin consciousness sprang to life), and I died.
10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Verses7-11
So, before Saul the Pharisee made his commitment to God at the age of 13 I believe for a young Jewish lad, he felt alive, for there was no condemnation from the law, he would I am sure have been a normal healthy kid. But then as a young teenager he made that commitment, and knew he must obey the law. He must have been raised strictly for he became an ardent Pharisee. Before him stood the law, and the pinnacle of it was the ten commandments. These commands must be obeyed if he was to attain to Heaven and avoid hell.
So, knowing what those laws demanded he is faced with ‘’thou shalt not covet’’ Thou shalt not desire what is not yours to desire, though shalt not lust, thou shalt not have impure thoughts. Now imagine, what would happen if a young teenager was petrified of breaking the ten commandments as this could send them to hell? They must not lust, they must not have impure thoughts. Probably be afraid of them coming. It won’t be long before they are going to end up consummed by what they are afraid of, that’s human nature where the inside is concerned. I mean, if I said God would send you to hell if you thought of a pink rabbit, what is the first thought that would come into your head if you believed me? Thus, through the commandment thou shalt not covet all manner of concupiscence was aroused in Saul and he started to die/feel condemned. He wasn’t feeling so alive now. The commandment that was ordained to life, if he obeyed it, instead brought death/condemnation for he could not keep it. Hence verse 5 explained. Sinfull passions are aoused in us by the law if we live under it. NOT the legalistic law, for you could live under that and perfectly obey it, but rather the moral law
Of course, that only happened to Saul because he feared condemnation by breaking the law, so what happens if you remove the condemnation?
For sin/.breaking the law shall no longer be your master, for you are not under law/righteousness of obeying the law but under grace/righteousness of faith in Christ
Romans 6:14
Hence Paul's core message was:
Die to righteousness of obeying the law and sin shall not be your master. And Paul could testify to the truth of it
