Christian’s Relationship to the Mosaic Law
In Romans 2-8, the apostle Paul addresses several essential theological concepts. Overall, the
apostle is attempting to bring clarity about the relationship between the follower of Christ and
the Mosaic Law. He explains that the relationship between believers and the Law is different
than that of the Jews who are under the Law. Throughout this portion of his letter, Paul presents a
complex theological argument that outlines the true role and limitations of the Law in light of the
gospel message of Jesus Christ.
Faith Upholds the Law
According to Paul, in Romans 2 – 8, the Mosaic Law, in its broadest sense, reveals God's will,
sets standards of righteousness, and convicts people of sin by showing them their inability to
fully obey God's commands. Thus, the Law establishes that “all, both Jews and Greeks, are under
sin” (Romans 3:9, English Standard Version). While the Law points out man’s sin, it cannot save.
Neither possession of the Law nor works of the Law are sufficient for righteousness. The
solution is righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ upholds the law (3:31).
Therefore, followers of Christ uphold the Law by faith and through faith, not works of the Law.
So, what is the relationship between the follower of Christ and the Mosaic Law?
In this framework, the Law serves to prepare individuals to receive the gospel by making them
aware of their need for a savior. By showing people their inability to fully comply with God's
righteous standards, the Law points them to Christ as their only hope for salvation. For believers,
the Law serves as a guide for holy living. While Christians are justified by faith apart from the
works of the Law, the moral principles of the Law still reflect God's character and His will for
how they should live. While the Law cannot save, the Law is useful for sanctification; helping
believers grow in obedience and conformity to Christ. This way of life, which was once
impossible for man alone, is now made possible for those who have Christ living in their hearts.
For if you live “by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body” (8:13). Believers are no
longer slaves to death, the Law, or sin. Believers are now slaves to Christ. While the law assists
in forming believers into the image of Christ, it is Christ’s indwelling of the believer which
ultimately brings about true sanctification.
Are Christians Obligated to the Law?
The apostle continues by explaining the benefits of being justified by faith, which include peace
with God and access to God’s grace. This was something the law could not provide. According to
Paul, “sin will not have authority” over the believer because they “are not under legalism but
under grace” (6:14, Complete Jewish Study Bible). He notes that where sin abounds God’s grace
abounds all the more. Thus, Paul addresses the question of whether believers should continue
sinning so that grace may abound. He strongly rejects this idea, explaining that believers have
died to sin and should no longer live in it. Paul’s main argument is that the law is incapable of
producing the obedience it requires, and therefore salvation comes only “through faith in Jesus
Christ for all who believe” (3:22). “It is only when believers live out their new identity in Christ
because the Holy Spirit indwells them that they can fulfil the just requirement of the law (8:3–
4).”1 Paul goes on to express how, through baptism, believers are united with Christ in His death
and resurrection, enabling them to walk in this newness of life (Romans 6:1-11).
The Law and the Spirit
1 David E. Garland, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. Eckhard J.
Schnabel, vol. 6, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: IVP; IVP
Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2021), 254.
In Romans 7, Paul describes his own struggle with sin. He acknowledges that the Law is holy,
righteous, and good, but it also reveals and exacerbates human sinfulness (Romans 7:7-13). He
portrays an inner conflict where the desire to obey the Law is present, but the ability to carry it
out is lacking due to the power of sin (Romans 7:14-25). Finally, Paul presents the solution to the
struggle with sin: life in the Spirit. He explains that there is no condemnation for those in Christ
Jesus because the law of the Spirit of life has set them free from the law of sin and death
(Romans 8:1-2). The Spirit empowers believers to fulfill the righteous requirement of the Law by
enabling them to live according to the Spirit rather than the flesh (Romans 8:3-4).
Paul’s overall message is that the Law is not nullified by faith; rather, it is upheld in its true
purpose of pointing to the need for Christ and is fulfilled in the lives of those who walk
according to the Spirit.
Extra Point of Interest and Thought
Note: “the principle that the Law has authority (kyrieuei, “rules as lord”; cf. 6:9; 14) over a
man only as long as he lives.”2 If the believer “dies with Christ” and the old man is no more, by
this logic, the new man (the believer) is not under the law. Furthermore, the statement made, “If
the husband [Jesus] is compared to the law, the law does not die”3 seems to forget that Jesus is,
in fact, the law or Word made flesh. Perhaps an even better reference would be the fact that Jesus
2 John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of
the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books,
1985), 465.
3 David E. Garland, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. Eckhard J.
Schnabel, vol. 6, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: IVP; IVP
Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2021), 231.
is the fulfillment of the law. Thus, it might be reasonable to say that the incomplete law did die,
with Christ, and rose from death, with Christ, complete or fulfilled. In the death of the (old or
incomplete) law, the law no longer has power. In the resurrection of the (new and complete) law,
being resurrected and made complete by the power of the Spirit, it is through the same Spirit that
the law is upheld. This would further insist that the Jew is no longer under any law but the
complete and fulfilled law of Christ. To deny him is to deny the very law which they claim to
uphold. Furthermore, in baptism – the death and resurrection of the believer – the believer dies
with Christ and is no longer under the (incomplete) law, making way for them to come under the
(complete) law of Christ, upheld only by faith and the indwelling of his Spirit.
Summary
Paul’s argument in Romans 2-8 is
Universality of Sin: All humans are under sin, whether they have the Law or not.
Inability of the Law to Justify: The Law reveals sin but cannot justify sinners.
Justification by Faith: Righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the
Law.
Abraham’s Example: Abraham was justified by faith, demonstrating that justification is by
faith apart from the Law.
Effects of Justification: Justification brings peace with God and life through Christ.
Union with Christ: Believers are united with Christ in His death and resurrection, breaking the
power of sin.
Struggle with Sin: The Law reveals the struggle with sin, but it cannot resolve it.
Life in the Spirit: The Holy Spirit enables believers to live in accordance with God's will,
fulfilling the Law's righteous requirements.
Justification by Faith
A hallmark of Protestant theology, particularly from the Reformation, is the doctrine of
justification by faith alone (sola fide):
Justification by Faith Alone: According to Protestant belief, individuals are declared righteous
before God solely on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ, not by adherence to the Mosaic Law. This
doctrine is rooted in Paul’s teachings, especially as articulated in Romans and Galatians, where
he argues that righteousness comes through faith in Christ, not by the works of the Law (Romans
3:28, Galatians 2:16).
Relationship to the Mosaic Law
Based on these principles, the Protestant view on the relationship between Christians and the
Mosaic Law can be summarized as follows:
Fulfillment in Christ: Protestants believe that Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Mosaic
Law on behalf of humanity. His life, death, and resurrection accomplished what the Law
required, thus fulfilling its ultimate purpose (Matthew 5:17).
Freedom from the Law’s Condemnation: Christians are no longer under the Law's
condemnation because they are justified by faith in Christ. The Law’s curse, which is death due
to sin, was borne by Christ on the cross (Galatians 3:13).
Moral Law as a Guide: While the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Mosaic Law are viewed
as fulfilled and no longer binding in a literal sense, the moral law (such as the Ten
Commandments) continues to function as a guide for Christian conduct. This reflects God’s
enduring moral standards and is applied through the lens of Christ’s teaching and example.
Sanctification and Obedience: In the process of sanctification, Christians strive to live in
obedience to God’s moral will as revealed in the Law, not to earn salvation, but as a response to
the grace they have received. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to live according to God's
standards.
Conclusion
The Protestant view of the Christian relationship to the Mosaic Law is deeply rooted in the
concepts of Law and Gospel, the three uses of the Law, and justification by faith alone. While the
Mosaic Law serves various purposes, including convicting of sin and guiding moral conduct,
Christians believe that they are justified by faith in Christ, who fulfilled the Law’s requirements.
The moral aspects of the Law continue to serve as a guide for holy living, but always within the
context of grace and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
PAULS MESSAGE IN ROMANS 5-8
In Romans 5:12–8:17, Paul's main point revolves around the themes of sin,
grace, and new life in Christ. Here's a summary of the key points Paul makes
in this passage:
The Universality of Sin and Death (Romans 5:12-21):
Paul begins by explaining how sin entered the world through one man,
Adam, and death through sin. This death spread to all humanity because all
sinned (5:12).
He contrasts Adam’s act of disobedience, which brought sin and death,
with Christ’s act of obedience, which brings righteousness and life. Through
Christ, grace abounds much more than sin (5:15-21).
Justification and Freedom from Sin (Romans 6:1-23):
Paul addresses a potential misunderstanding of grace: that it could
encourage people to continue in sin. He strongly refutes this by explaining
that believers have died to sin and should no longer live in it (6:1-2).
Through baptism, believers are united with Christ in His death and
resurrection, symbolizing the death of the old self and the birth of a new life
(6:3-11).
Believers are exhorted to offer themselves to God as instruments of
righteousness, not to sin, because they are now under grace, not law (6:12-
14).
The chapter ends by explaining the consequences of slavery to sin
versus slavery to righteousness, emphasizing that the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus (6:15-23).
The Role of the Law and the Struggle with Sin (Romans 7:1-25):
Paul explains the relationship between the law and sin. The law is holy,
but it also makes people aware of sin (7:7-13).
He describes the internal conflict of wanting to do good but being drawn
to sin, illustrating the struggle even believers face with their sinful nature
(7:14-25).
Life in the Spirit and Assurance of Salvation (Romans 8:1-17):
Paul opens with a powerful declaration that there is no condemnation
for those in Christ Jesus because the law of the Spirit of life has set them free
from the law of sin and death (8:1-2).
He contrasts living according to the flesh with living according to the
Spirit. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by
the Spirit is life and peace (8:5-11).
Believers are children of God and heirs with Christ. The Spirit testifies
with our spirit that we are God’s children and provides assurance of our
future glory despite present sufferings (8:12-17).
In essence, Paul’s main point in this section is to articulate the
transformation from death to life through Christ. He underscores the impact
of Adam's sin and the far greater impact of Christ’s redemptive work, calling
believers to live in the freedom and power of the Holy Spirit. This passage is
a profound explanation of the Christian doctrine of salvation, highlighting the
victory over sin and death, the role of grace, and the new identity believers
have in Christ.
