The law of sin and death

‘T here is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

(Romans 8:1–2) Could you imagine living in a world that did not have any laws?

Imagine driving on public roadways without having a posted speed limit, without designated lanes for vehicles to travel in the same direction, without traffic lights or stop signs, and no laws deciding only licensed drivers are permitted to drive. At times we may become irritated with speed limits, or other traffic laws, but those laws are in place for the safety of those traveling the roadways and are designed to keep everyone safe.

There are laws of nature that are in place and are obeyed without anyone giving much thought to those laws. The law of gravity is always in place and yet we seldom think about our having to obey this law. Every day (with exception of a few places on earth) the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, the moon and stars come out at night, the seasons change throughout the year, and the laws of nature continue to remain.

There are laws in place in this country that are designed to keep peace and order. We understand the idea of laws being in place and our responsibility to obey these laws, and if someone violates these laws there may be a penalty involved. Romans 8:2 speaks of a law that is in place and those guilty of this law will have to pay the penalty, but, sadly, there are many that are unconcerned about this law and the penalty involved.

Before we notice the law of sin and death, let’s look at the Lawgiver. If there is a law in place, then there must be One that has given this law, and if there is a penalty involved, then there must be One that will enforce that penalty. The law of sin and death is a law that was put in place by God. From the beginning of creation, man was created, placed in the Garden of Eden, was giving the rights to everything in the Garden, but there was one stipulation (one law).

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16–17).

God gave man everything that was needed to enjoy life, He had placed man in the Garden, He had created all and stated “it was good” after creating all, and because He had created all, and everything depended upon Him, He had/has the right to decide what should or should not be done. The one thing that should not have been done carried a heavy penalty with that command, and just as God gave the command (the law), He also warned of the penalty (thou shalt surely die).

God, through His infinite wisdom, knows what is best for His creation, and has given us instruction for our benefit. The Bible is given for our “instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim.

3:16-17), it is given that we might keep ourselves from sin (Psalm 119:11), it is given so we may have a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105), and those that use it as intended will be able to come to a knowledge of the truth and will be able to be saved from the penalty of the law of sin and death (1 Tim. 2:4).

God has given His law, through His Word, He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), He has given the Gospel of Christ, which is God’s power to save man (Rom. 1:16), and those that have knowledge of the law will be able to have a knowledge of how to avoid the penalty of not keeping the law.

What is the law of sin and death? The law of sin and death is the principle that sin brings about death. This fact was questioned by Satan in the Garden of Eden, and sin entered the world because Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan as he stated “thou shalt not surely die” (Gen.

3:4). Along with disobedience came death. Although it was not an immediate death that came as a result of their disobedience, because Adam and Eve sinned, Adam and Eve, and everyone after them died. Man, that lives will face death (Heb. 9:27), and this fact has been proven throughout the history of mankind. The Old Testament is filled with genealogies of men, and in many places, after giving the names of a family, and the number of years a person lived, the Bible will state “and they died”. Romans 6:23 reminds us that the wages of sin is death, and although Satan tried to convince that man would not die, God’s law of sin and death has proven to be true, as everyone will die.

Thanks be to God, as He has put in place an avenue of escape from the law of sin and death. All sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and all die, but God has provided redemption from sin though His Son. Before the foundation of the world, there was an eternal purpose in place (Eph. 3:10-11), which would send Christ to offer Himself for our sins. When sin entered the Garden of Eden and the penalty of sin was handed down, the redemption of God was shown as God promised there would be One that would defeat Satan (Gen.

3:15). Jesus humbled Himself, left heaven, took on the role of a servant, and was obedient to the will of God, going to the cross for our redemption (Phil.

2:5ff.). Sin leads to death, but Jesus came so we can have a way to the Father (John 14:6). Those that will die to sin and bury their sins in baptism, may be able to walk in the newness of life (Rom. 6:3ff.), and through the blood of Christ, that was shed for the remission of sin (Matt. 26:28), we may be set free from the law of sin and death (Rom.

8:2).

We may understand traffic laws that must be obeyed and the penalty that is involved with not obeying those laws, but more serious is the need to understand the law of sin and death and the penalty it carries. Sin does result in eternal death, but obedience to God’s laws, because of Christ, leads to eternal life.

Jeremy Thornton is Minister of Highway 77 Church of Christ in Marion.

Jeremy Thornton

We may understand traffic laws that must be obeyed and the penalty that is involved with not obeying those laws, but more serious is the need to understand the law of sin and death and the penalty it carries. Sin does result in eternal death, but obedience to God’s laws, because of Christ, leads to eternal life.