Romans_Many Laws

"I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me." (Romans 7:21)
"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man…" ( Romans 7:22)
"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." (Romans 7:23)
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2)
"…that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:4)

In one of the verses above, Romans 7:23, three laws are mentioned:

1. The law that Paul found in his physical body (this is that which his flesh wants to do even though it is wrong; this is sin)……
2. The law of his mind (this is that which he knows is right to do; this is righteousness as defined by the Law of Moses and further defined by Jesus – NOT as defined by man)….
3. The law of sin and death (when item 1 wins, then the result is death, thus the combination of item 1 winning over item 2 produces item 3: the law of sin AND death. Thankfully, Paul goes on to say, Jesus changed that equation.)

Then there is the "law of God"; the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus"; and the law whose righteousness is proved by those "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." These are God's laws - as given to Moses, and as fulfilled (or performed) through Jesus and, by the Spirit, through us.

I am pointing this out to show you that every time the word "law" is used in the Bible, it is not necessarily referring to the "law of Moses" as found in the Torah. And I especially want readers to note that there is a law called "the law of sin and death" that is NOT at all referring to the "law of Moses." The "law of Moses" equals "the commandments of God" which did not (and do not) bring captivity but rather bring "life" and "blessing" to its observers:

"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil……I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live..." Deuteronomy 30:15-19
"….IF thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul." Deuteronomy 30:9

BAD LAWS:
SIN brings death…and is then its own law. It is a "cause and effect" principle. Sin is evil because it is contrary to God and, when fulfilled (or performed) in us, becomes contrary to life.

The law that is in Paul's members, (and that of all humans) is known as the "flesh" (man's desires) which battles with the knowledge of "right according to God" and, if not subdued by the GOOD law of the "Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" and brought into the righteousness of the law of Moses, then it becomes sin and produces death.

GOOD LAWS:
The "law of Moses" pointed out what sin was, but the "law of Moses" in and of itself was NOT death-producing…only SIN is death-producing. The law of Moses is good and when observed brings life and blessing.

And the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" is better stated as a divine principle or a divine "cause and effect" that has been put into action through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the giving of the Comforter as described in the first few chapters of Acts.  This law destroys the law of sin and death in those who trust in the Word of God: Jesus.  This "law" or "principle" produces life BECAUSE it is in the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ that we have been freed from the "battle" that Paul describes as raging within us…we have been freed from having to LOSE that battle….we no longer HAVE to lose…IF we choose to walk after the Spirit rather than the flesh. But those who do not have "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" are doomed to remain bound and captive to the "law of sin and death" – they MUST sin, and they WILL die. Thus, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is good. This law is not separate from the law of Moses; it is a fulfilling (a performing) of those laws so that the glory of God can be revealed through man.

THE LAW IN SUMMARY:
We see then that there are many different types of "law" mentioned in the Bible and in these verses in Romans specifically. We must not make the assumption that every time the word "law" is used, it is referring to the "law of Moses" and we certainly must not make the assumption that "the law of Moses" is bad.  This just is not true.

"The law of sin and death" has extremely negative connotations for us and speaks of bondage and death rather than freedom and life. It is something that we humans cannot avoid without Jesus.

"The law of God" is something we are to "delight" in as Paul did, and as David did. We "delight" in the righteousness of "the law" of God, for it is fulfilled [performed] in us who are led by the Spirit of God into becoming obedient to God's laws.

We should be able to conclude then, that whenever Paul is speaking of "the law" in reference to evil, bondage, captivity or death, or as something to rid ourselves of, it must be "the law of sin and death" in some form. But it is NOT the law of God.

And we should conversely conclude that whenever the word "law" offers life, freedom, and blessings (whether it is a "thou shalt do" or a "thou shalt not do"), then it is referring to the "laws of God" – those which have been defined for us in the Torah (through Moses), and further defined for us (but not done away with) in the New Testament by Jesus who demonstrated the law in both word and action.

Thus the "law" (when it refers to God's law) is not bad, does not contradict grace but is fulfilled (performed) by the grace of God given to us through Jesus Christ, and produces righteousness, the thing which God still desires from us in order to show the world who He is.

It really is that simple.