Finding Balance in Law vs. Grace (Virtues of Torah)

— The Romans dilemma

Let’s pick up this story in chapter 7 where Apostle Paul equates freedom from the law akin to one being freed when a husband (spouse) dies. This is a good analagy. Women are bound to their husbands until death when one is now free to remarry. Likewise one is free from the confines of the law once we die to the flesh.

Romans 7:5-6
For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Dying to the flesh is not always easy. Some backslide and take up the fleshly nature anew. It is the Sprit of God that shows us how to live right.

Romans 7:8-13 speaks about law bringing death. Is that what he really meant? On the surface that seems to disagree with the Torah and Writing (which we shall cover in the next section)

The more immediate problem seems to be a conflict in Romans where Paul says ‘the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death’ (Rom. 7:10). His argument is that sin produces in us evil desire. This is evident from the beginning of Genesis.

‘I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died’. (Rom. 7:9)

This is in apparent conflict with his earlier statement in Romans 5:14 which says ‘death reigned from the time of Adam until Moses’. If before the Law death reigned then why even argue that the commandment brings death. Is there something else being stated here?

The clarity is in Romans 5:13 ‘For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law’. So death was there before the law and according to Paul death remained after the law due to sin creating in us evil desire. The law pretty much just codified sin, it condemns us. So one might concluded here whether law existed or not death still exists. Quite literally, Paul argues that law or no law we are still eternally lost. The law just made available the possibility of eternal life. Yet we are weak and often fleshly.

Romans 8:3-4:: For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Praise God he condemned sin in the flesh! The criteria is to live by the Spirt for Galations 5:16 says ‘Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh’ and verse 18 says ‘if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law’.

— Choose Life, Not Death

Paul’s arguments in Romans are not exactly what we see in the Law and in Prophets. Many times the old testament speaks of natural consequences not spiritual ones. Ultimately we shall live again so there is no distinction in reality. For there is a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15).

Romans 7:7:: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet”.

It is a kind of argument that the law itself is sin in the sense it is not good. The greek word harmatia is used in the Septuigint and can mean iniquity, great sin, even faults.”

The letter of James speans again tersely concerning the law when we pass judgement on each other.

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (James 4:11)

We should be doers of the law not a judge. Here James equates speaking evil of a brother the same as speaking evil of the law. We should do neither. Do not speak evil of a brother and do not speak evil of the law. Rather Paul speaks of the law this way:

Romans 7:12:: the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good

and again in the Torah:
See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil (Deut. 30:15)

Deut. 30:16:: in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments (misva), His statutes (ḥuqqâ), and His judgments (mišpāṭ), that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

These verses take me back to chapter 28 where the Hebrews were instructed to either choose blessings or curses. It is a choice to live righteously. Curses ultimately bring death.

But some will undoubtedly point to Acts 15 and Galations 3 to say that the gentiles are not bound by the law. This is true in part. It is our schoolmaster to help us discern right from wrong.

Gal. 3:24-25:: the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. It is really the milk of the word. For we really do not know what is right from wrong. However,

Heb. 5:14:: solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

So discern good from evil we have to use what we are learning. That is how we instinctively become a law unto ourselves (Romans 2:15), it is by use and recognition. Walking in the Spirit frees us from the confines of the law, so much as we are in the Spirit. It is not ignorance or willful neglect. It is the higher direction from God himself. This is what Yeshua followed after. Guidance.

— Proverbs on Law, Commandments, Wisdom, and Understanding (Intelligence & Discernment)

Let’s look at a few proverbs that Soloman wrote which extolls the virtues of the law and commandments.

Prov. 3:1-3:: In the first three veres of this proverb Solomon extols the benefits of following the law and commandments

My son, do not forget my law (torah), but let your heart keep my commands (misva). For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

So there are definite benefits to following the law and commandments!

Then he covers mercy and truth (vs. 3-4), trusting and acknowledging the LORD (vs. 5-7), Fear of ther LORD (vs. 7-8), and Honoring the LORD (vs. 9-10). Please read those benefits youself. For brevity here lets jump to verse 13.

Starting in vs. 13 Solomon extols the benefits of following after wisdom and understanding

Prov. 3:18:: These verses speak directly about wisdom and understanding
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who retain her.

Verse 13 speaks about finding wisdom (ḥāḵmâ) and understanding (tāḇûn). As such it is those that are a tree of life.

and in verse 20 he extols adds knowledge

Prov. 4:22:: This proverb again extols the benefits of getting wisdom (ḥāḵmâ) and understanding/discernment (bînâ)

vs. 4 says ‘keep my commands (misva), and live’ so the wisdom and understanding are closely tied to following the commands (misvot)

Uses of Hebrew words meaning understand in early chapters of Proverbs:
tabun: 2:2; 2:3; 2:6; 2:11; 3:13; 3:19; 5:1; 5:1; 8:1; 10:23 (undderstanding with intelligence)
bînâ: 1:2; 2:8; 3:5; 4:1; 4:5; 4:7; 7:4; 8:14; 9:6; 9:10; 16:16 (understanding with discernment)

Notice here that the Hebrew word for understanding is different than in Chapter 3. tabun is understanding with intelligence and bînâ us understanding with discernment

Prov. 6:23::
For the commandment (misva) is a lamp, and the law (torah) a light ; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

Prov. 6:20 is rather telling. It anthropromorphises the commandments and law:
My son, keep your father’s command (misva), and do not forsake the law (torah) of your mother.

Prov. 9:10-11::
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (ḥāḵmâ), and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (bînâ).

For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.

Conclusion: With all of the benefits of following God’s holy commandments why would we not want to do what prospers us. We can follow after grace and say that means I do what I want or we can follow after God’s ways and gain much. The opposite of not following Law is lawlessness. We would never want to promote lawlessness, nor teach others this doctrine from hell. We can certainly look to Messiah for eternal salvation because of his perfect blood sacrifice. We need to couple gaining wisdom to that of keeping the Law. This is where the ways of Yeshua are superior to the letter of the law. If we want to proser in THIS life, not just eternal life, then God’s ways are better.

Next week, God willing, we shall looks specifically at the commandments of Yeshua.