Without The Law, Sin Was Dead?

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Without the Law Sin Was Dead

For without the law sin was dead? In the book of Romans chapter 7, the apostle Sha’ul (Paul) was discussing sin, more specifically: the law of sin and death. He also referred to the law of the spirit of life in the Messiah, which rescues us from the law of sin and death.

Romans 7:8

So, let us see exactly what we are talking about here.

Romans 7:7 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.

Romans 7:8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
Romans 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

Romans 7:10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

Solving The Mystery

To solve this mystery, we are going to use our tried and proven strategy. We do not just try to figure out what it means only from what we read there in Romans 7, but letting scripture prove and interpret scripture.

So let us look at what happened before the law (when sin was supposedly dead). In actuality, we are going to do a before and after journey.

First let us look at an example of what happened before the law was given.

Before The Law: Marrying One’s Father’s Sister

Now we know that it was Moses who delivered the law. Therefore, he was before the law. But if we look at his geneology, we see that his father was actually married to his father’s sister, which we would call his aunt!

Exodus 6:20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

The Law: Marrying One’s Father’s Sister

Now let’s look at what the law says about taking one’s father’s sister to wife.

Leviticus 18:12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman.

So, before the law, it was not sin, but after the law, it was a sin. That is what Sha’ul means by “without the law sin was dead.” But stay with me, there are some hidden insights into this.

Now the unbeliever would say that this is confusion, or something like that. But in trying to understand the Most High’s word, we have to hold him righteous at all times, and try to figure why he allowed these things.

But let us look at another scenario. Note that both these examples involve very famous biblical figures.

The next is Abraham.

Before The Law: Taking our Father’s Daughter To Wife

Before the law, Abraham was actually married to his sister?

Genesis 20:11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of Aluah is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.

Genesis 20:12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

He declared here that he was married to his sister, what some call a half sister, as they did not share the same mother. But what does the law say?

Leviticus 18:9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.

The law declares it sin, but where no law was, there was no sin. Notice, these men are set apart holy men of YAHUAH.  Yet, they were not declared to be bastards or coming from uncleanness.

Abraham Kept My Laws

However, at that time, the Most High still had laws and statutes that he gave to men, because Abraham was said to obey them:

Gen_26:5  Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

So Sha’ul was not speaking (SPECIFICALLY) about those laws that Abraham kept. Of course today, we have to keep the spirit of those laws as covenants are progressive, to take us to HaMashiach. We should then be able to better understand what the following verses mean:

Gal 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of Aluah? Aluah forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Yahusha HaMashiach might be given to them that believe.

Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto HaMashiach, that we might be justified by faith.

Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of Aluah by faith in HaMashiach Yahusha.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into HaMashiach have put on HaMashiach.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in HaMashiach Yahusha.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be HaMashiach’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

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Noah Did All That Was Commanded Him

Also, remember, Noah (before Abraham) was also perfect, even before man was given the law:

Gen_6:9  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with Aluah.

Sir_44:17  Noah was found perfect and righteous; in the time of wrath he was taken in exchange for the world; therefore was he left as a remnant unto the earth, when the flood came.

Noah Did What Was Commanded Him In His Generation

But why was Noah found righteous?

Because he did all that the Most High commanded him to do AT THAT TIME!

Gen_6:22  Thus did Noah; according to all that Aluah commanded him, so did he.

Gen_7:1  And YAHUAH said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Gen_7:5  And Noah did according unto all that YAHUAH commanded him.

And what is this saying to us today?

We are also to do all that we are commanded IN OUR GENERATION!!!

Old Testament Only?

This brings us to believers today who are old testament only. Their claim is that they have found errors in the new testament, and the new testament is a corrupted, false creation of the gentiles.

Now how do you evaluate the New Testament? By asking, is it taking us to a higher level of righteousness than the Torah.

The answer is a resounding, Yes!!!!!!!

Example?

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Mat 5:46  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Mat 5:47  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

The New Testament is a call to perfection AT THIS TIME!

How can we refuse this?

Each covenant calls us to a higher level of righteousness, crowned by faith. To reject this is to reject the Most High’s perfection. I only hope this little post will open our eyes.

But let us continue.

EACH COVENANT CALLS US TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

But what really is happening here? We did a teaching declaring that the Most High gave us covenants that were gradual. Go to this teaching here.

Each covenant is more demanding than the previous one to get us to perfection that is in HaMashiach. Hence, the law was more demanding than the time of Abraham, and HaMashiach came to magnify the law, to make it even more demanding on us to serve Yahusha, than it is to obey the law only.

Isa 42:21  YAHUAH is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.

So, an example of how Yahusha magnifed the law and made it more honorable?

Mat 5:38  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

An eye for an eye was righteousness in the Torah. But now we have to be willing to suffer evil being done to us. So what does this mean for Romans 7? What does it mean for “before the law sin was dead?”

What Is Sin Today Was Not Sin Then!

It means that before the law, many things that are sin today were not sin before the law. But now that they are declared to us as sin, they have awakened our sinful nature to stir something in us, to want to rebel against the very same laws.

Rom 7:9  For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Rom 7:10  And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.
Rom 7:11  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
Rom 7:12  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
Rom 7:13  Was then that which is good made death unto me? Aluah forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

So, this sin working in us to commit more sin, is a result of the penalty of death that is upon us, a penalty we all inherited because of Adam’s fall. Remember, death was pronounced on Adam…

Gen 2:16  And YAHUAH Aluah commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Gen 2:17  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.

And for us to die, we need to sin, as sin is the payment for death…

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of Aluah is eternal life through Yahusha HaMashiach Our Master.

So our sinful nature leads us to death through the law, because the law stirs up lustful desires in us, after we are told by the law, that things are sinful.

The Example Of Marrying One’s Sister

So for example, in the days of Abraham, it was not a sin to marry one’s sister. Indeed, it was the same in the days of Adam’s children, which is why the book of Jubilees tells us this…

Jubilees 4:9 And Cain took Awan his sister to be his wife and she bare him Enoch at the close of the fourth jubilee. [190-196 A.M.] And in the first year of the first week of the fifth jubilee, [197 A.M.] houses were built on the earth, and Cain built a city, and called its name after the name of his son Enoch.

So where no law is, sin was dead. Therefore that was not a sin. That is how people had to multiply upon the earth. And no, there was one family created (Adam and Eve) and all came from them.

2Es_6:54  And after these, Adam also, whom thou madest master of all thy creatures: of him come we all, and the people also whom thou hast chosen.

Moses Marrying An Ethiopian

It is the same principle also, involved in the problem with Aaron and Miriam, chastising Moses for marrying an Ethiopian.

Num_12:1  And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

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And we know what happened after that…

Num 12:9  And the anger of YAHUAH was kindled against them; and he departed.
Num 12:10  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

Before the law, sin was dead. Therefore for Aaron and Miriam to be speaking against Moses for marrying an Ethiopian, it was wrong, as he did it before the Torah. Before the law, sin was dead.

Chastising A Sinner Who Has Repented And Now Walking In Newness

Needless to say, it is the same today for us chastising a person who has repented of their sins and walking in newness of life.

If we continue to hold them guilty for the sins they repented of (and are no longer walking in them), then we could incur the wrath of YAHUAH! As long as one is no longer walking in these sins, one cannot be held accountable for them.

A HIGHER CALL TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

So, what does it mean for us? It means that what these men did, we cannot now do, as we are called to a higher standard of righteousness.

The Most High gave his covenants step by step, little by little, and we are now called to the highest level of righteousness that is, the righteousness that is through faith in Yahusha.

Wherein serves the law? The law was given to show us what sin is, so we do not sin.

Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Aluah 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.

But additionally, the law was given as a placeholder, until the coming of Yahusha.

Gal_3:19  Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Whatsoever Is Not Of Faith Is Sin

And we just saw that the law shows us what sin is. However, in the new covenant through faith in Yahusha, sin is now expanded (magnified), and it is no longer simply transgressing the law that is sin. Now WHATSOEVER IS NOT OF FAITH IS SIN!!!

Rom_14:23  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Perfection Through Faith

So you see with each covenant, there is a calling to a higher level of righteousness? The law stirred in us all manner of concupiscence, so we cannot justify ourselves in it.

But Yahusha has come to make us perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect. This perfection is through faith in him, because it is written, the just shall live by faith.

Hab 2:4  Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of HaMashiach: for it is the power of Aluah unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of Aluah revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Conclusion: For Without The Law Sin Was Dead

In walking as Yahusha walked, we will attain to that perfection and be able to overcome the law of sin and death that is in us. This law of sin and death is making us love to sin (because of our embedded carnality) because the law shows us what sin is. Thereby, stirring up our appetite to sin.

Hence, from an understanding of “without sin the law was dead,” we should get more understanding as to the perfection that is required of us at this time, and also why we need to attain unto that perfection.

This perfection is the highest level of perfection man can attain, the perfection that was in Yahusha HaMashiach. That is why the end time saints were described thus:

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Aluah, and the faith of Yahusha.

Not loving our lives unto the death (Rev 12:11) means being like HaMashiach when he said “nevertheless not mine will, but thy will be done.”

Having the faith of Yahusha (Rev 14:12) means believing in the Father unto death. We are not required to walk anything less than HaMashiach walked in this generation! Remember, Noah was perfect in his generation. We are called to a higher place of emunah (faith).

Hence we have this…

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

And what does it mean to abide in him?

1Jn 2:6  He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

All praises to the Most High for providing us with his understanding. Please share Just a Word’s content with others or go to our homepage for more.