SCANDALOUS GRACE: What is the Law for?

INTRODUCTION:

Rob began a series on God’s Grace last week by looking at Rom 7:1-6; how we have died
to the Law and are now joined to Christ, as our life-giving husband.

“Mr. Law has us totally under his thumb. He tells us where we are wrong and is
constantly commanding us, ‘do this, don’t do that’. An austere, condemning figure, he
never lifts so much as a finger to help us fulfill his requirements. What is worse is that he
is always right! When he says something, there is no further argument. It’s Law!” – Terry
Virgo, Enjoying God’s Grace, p.22

Before we move on to learn more about the grace of God, we first have to understand
more about the Law and its purpose. The more we understand about the purpose and
limitations of the Law the more amazing grace will become to us.

John said, ‘From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.’ (John
1:16-17)

WHAT IS THE LAW FOR?

We all have certain ways we react to Law

Sweaty palms when being followed by a cop
Stand up straighter around someone in authority
Work more diligently while our boss is watching

But is the Law meant for us, as believers in Jesus?

Read 1 Tim 1:8-11

In a moment we’re going to turn again to Rom 7, which is possibly one of the most
famous and controversial chapters in the Bible. Before we dive into our text, I’d like to
give you some important background on Paul’s letter to the Romans that will hopefully
shed some light on the context of this very important chapter:
1. Paul did not plant the church in Rome nor had he ever met the believers there. This
letter was serving as introduction to who he was as an apostle and the gospel that
he was proclaiming. (1:1-5)
2. Paul had been longing to meet these believers to be mutually encouraged by them
(1:11) and had planned to travel to them many times before (1:13).
3. Paul was hoping that the church in Rome would help him on his way toward Spain:

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 I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to
have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a
while. (15:24). This is likely Paul’s main reason for writing, not to lay out a doctrinal
exposition just for the sake of it – Paul was a church-planting apostle seeking to
extend the Kingdom.
4. In order to ensure their unified support and solidarity with him in his apostolic
mission, Paul goes to great lengths to expound on how his gospel is for ‘everyone
who believes’, Jews and Gentiles.
a. He tells the Gentiles not to be arrogant because they are just branches that
have been grafted into the root, which is the Jewish people (all of their
promises and scriptures). (Chapter 11)
b. He tells the Jews, those who know the Law, that boasting on account of the Law
is excluded by faith which accepts both Jews and Gentiles equally. (3:27-31)
5. At the end of chapter 5:20-21, Paul makes this very controversial statement:
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased,
grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might
reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“We *need to be reminded+ ourselves that if our preaching does not expose us to
these ‘slanderous’ attacks the probability is that we are not really preaching the
gospel.” – Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Law: It’s Functions and Limits, p. 2

Now he will spend the next several chapters (6-11) handling the many objections
that could arise and some of which were already being slanderously reported:
a. If salvation is by grace can we keep on sinning? (chapter 6)
b. Is the Law sin? Is the Law good? Why was the Law given? (chapter 7)

Read Rom 7:7

THE LAW EXPOSES SIN

Apart from being confronted, we always think we’re right – the Law exposes our
error.

“Sin is not simply a social disorder but an offence against God. It is not a matter
of common consent or a standard arrived at through social consensus. God
defined the law and the law reveals sin.” – Terry Virgo, God’s Lavish Grace, p.22

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 Read Rom 7:8-9

THE LAW EMPOWERS SIN

“Fallen humanity hates to be told what to do.” – Terry Virgo, God’s Lavish Grace,
p.23

Not only does the Law expose sin, it also empowers it (or ‘revives’ it) 7:9

Why? The Law confronts our desire to be God, to be in control, to be the one
who makes the rules. When confronted, we respond in the contrary way – in
‘spite’ of God. This is what the Bible calls our flesh.

“Adding the law to *sinful man+ does not improve him but strangely makes him
even worse.” – Terry Virgo, God’s Lavish Grace, p.24

Read Rom 3:20; 7:10

THE LAW IS POWERLESS

CANNOT SAVE US – It does just the opposite by empowering sin – it kills us.

Law is inanimate – it is unable to ‘go after us’.

Illustration – Like expecting the ‘no diving’ sign to double as a lifeguard

after you’ve hit your head on the pool floor; it can’t come in after you –
it’s only there to warn you.

CANNOT CHANGE US – The ‘wretched man’ of Rom 7 is a picture of someone

seeking change (or righteousness) under the Law. Yet, he finds that he is a
prisoner of two desires – God’s Law and the Law of Sin – without the power or
hope to change.

“…not only can a man not be sanctified by the Law, but it is actually true to say
that the Law is a hindrance to sanctification… That is the general thesis of this 7th
chapter, the fundamental proposition [Paul] sets out to prove; we must keep it
very firmly in our minds”. – Lloyd-Jones, Ibid., p.5

Read Rom 7:14-25

In Newfrontiers, we believe, based on the overall statements that Paul has

made about the purpose and limitations of the Law (in contrast to the clear
freedom that he writes about in Rom 6 & 8) and the questions he has set out to

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 answer, namely, Is the Law sin? and Did the Law cause death for me? that the
man in Rom 7 is NOT a description of Paul’s life as a believer or the normative
Christian experience, but rather an attempt on Paul’s part to illustrate the
relationship of sinful man with God’s holy Law, revealing our hopeless
condition and need for a Savior.

Run, John, run. The Law commands

But gives neither feet nor hands.
Better news the gospel brings;
It bids me fly and gives me wings.
– John Bunyan

THE LAW LEADS US TO JESUS

Read Gal 3:24-4:7

“The law does not come to save us but to show us our need of a Savior. Satan
wants to trick us into trying to prove ourselves holy by the law which God gave
to prove us sinners. The law came to rub it in. Jesus came to rub it out.” – Terry
Virgo, God’s Lavish Grace, p.25

The irony is that the Pharisees added hundreds of extra laws defining God’s Law
in an effort to get everyone to be sinless for one day, which they believed would
usher in the Messiah’s kingdom rule on earth (i.e., and oust the Romans).
Ironically, this is Paul’s whole point: Obeying the law perfectly was, is and always
will be impossible, because of the nature and purpose of the Law. The law was
given to expose and provoke the rebellion in our flesh making it abundantly clear
that we need a Savior!

“The believer whose life is characterized by fear is described by Paul as a slave.

The believer whose life is marked by love is called a son. The first sees God as a
fearful judge. The second sees him as a loving Father. The first is driven by the
flesh to earn God’s acceptance. The second is led by the Spirit into the
knowledge of his acceptance. The first is constantly under condemnation and
cries out in terror. The second basks in the Father’s affection and cries out in
praise, ‘Abba, Father!’ The first is bound. The second is truly free.” – Mark
Stibbe, From Orphans to Heirs, 145-46

DON’T GIVE UP YOUR FREEDOM!

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do
not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [referring to Law, not sin]. (Gal 5:1)

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 Expression ‘fallen from grace’ come from Gal and refers to returning to Law, not
slipping up in sin as so many of us would assume.

…you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Gal 5:4)

“You must never return to law as though your salvation were incomplete
without it. You must revel in the gift of righteousness that the New Covenant
provides.” – Terry Virgo, God’s Lavish Grace, p.28

RETURNING TO THE LAW IS FOOLISH

Read Gal 1:6-7

For all of the sin and abuse that went on in the church in Corinth, Paul still
greeted them with his typical thanksgiving. The Galatians received no such
thanks, but rather a series of pointed questions trying to get to the bottom of
why Paul’s efforts among them had gone so terribly sour.

Adding Law to the gospel is impossible, like oil and water. It results in ‘another
gospel’ which is not good news at all!

Read Gal 2:19-3:5, 5:12

Paul’s strongest language in the NT! Foolish, bewitched and castrated! Returning
to law to try and please God is an offence to the cross and nullifies grace.

RETURNING TO THE LAW IS FUTILE

Read Col 2:20-23

Legalism produces attainable rules in place of God’s perfect righteousness. It

always majors on externals and performance in search of approval and
acceptance. The results can include pride toward self, denial of self and critical
attitudes toward others. The irony is that legalism, because of the true purpose
of the Law, does more to stir up the flesh than it does to stop it.

“God’s Law is not the way of holiness. Being under our own feeble laws is even
more useless.” – Michael Eaton, Living Under Grace, p.127

Legalistic people adopt a number of rules that they consider necessary to gain
acceptance and blessing from God (and others). Examples might be ‘no alcohol
or movies’, ‘I must wear my best clothes to church’, ‘we don’t go into that kind
of restaurant’, etc. Can you think of some others? These things or decisions may

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 not always be wrong, but the motivation behind them is faulty and lacks real
power. An individual caught up in legalism may find it difficult to accept that
others do not hold to their standard. This may result in trying to force your rules
upon others.

RETURNING TO THE LAW IS FRUITLESS

Read Rom 7:4-5 (NAS)

“The imposition of law upon your life will never cause you to reign in life. It will
never cause you to enjoy fellowship with Jesus and the grace-filled life that is so
necessary for you to bear fruit for God.” – Terry Virgo, God’s Lavish Grace, p.16

Read John 15:4-5 (NIV)

CONCLUSION:

Jesus said the truth will set you free – let’s confess the truth together.

Repeat after me:

The Law was given to expose my sin
The Law was given to provoke my sin
The Law is powerless to save or change me
The Law led me to my Savior, Jesus
Jesus redeemed me from under the Law
I am no longer a slave, but a son of the Father
For freedom, Christ has set me free!

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