The Spirit and the law
Believers are not only to avoid following the dictates of the flesh, but also to remember that the law is no longer their guide, for the Spirit is their superior mentor. When he speaks of the law, Paul often, as in Romans 7:4–16, refers to the OT law, in particular, the Torah.
This was prescribed by God for his covenant people to set the standard for lifestyle; failure to keep it was covered by the sacrificial system. Ongoing sacrifices to cover sins are no longer necessary, since the sacrificial death of Jesus has atoned for the sins of the world.
In Romans 2:29, Paul acknowledges that the law confirms the racial identity of the Jew, particularly demonstrated by a physical surgical operation (circumcision). However, since the death of Jesus, the Spirit marks the spiritual identity of the members of a renewed Israel, as prophesied (Jer. 31:3–34; Ezek. 11:19; 36:26–27; 37:1–14), confirmed by spiritual internal surgery, not external circumcision (Rom. 1:21; 2:15; 5:5; 6:17).
Thus, Paul describes believers as having been discharged (released) from the law, having died to it (7:4),2 resulting in the possibility of a new, fulfilling life in the Spirit (7:6).
Paul is not stating that the law was valueless; indeed, he describes it as holy (Rom. 7:12), spiritual (7:14) and good (7:13, 16), identifying important purposes of the law. It pointed out sin and identified the standards expected by God (7:5, 7, 13); it also established that he is holy and just. However, it has limitations, and thus Paul refers to it as weak (8:3).
It acted as a very good standard for the behaviour of the Israelites, consistently pointing out their failings and identifying punishments. However, it could not provide power to facilitate improvement. Thus, because of the people's weakness in keeping it, the law locked them in a circle that led to condemnation.
Furthermore, although the law offered valuable guidance to the covenant community of God in the past, now that Jesus has died, a better guide is available—the Spirit, who indwells every believer. Paul taught that the law had now been superseded as the ethical guide of the believer (Rom. 10:4; Gal. 3:2–5, 19–29; 4:4–7; 5:1, 5).
As well as drawing attention to the new guide, Paul draws a contrast between the old law, as defined by words and letters (and therefore, to a degree, external, impersonal and lifeless), and the new life of the Spirit (characterised by internal, personal and vital components).
God gave the law to the Israelites as an act of grace, not judgment. It declared that they were sinners, unable to achieve God’s standards on their own. However, one of the main purposes of the law was not merely to encourage them to achieve acceptance by good deeds, but to help them realise that God desired relationship with them.
That relationship was based on his grace towards them, not on their efforts towards him.
For Paul, the Spirit provides the most sensational insights and privileges for the believer. He is a better resource than the law for a number of reasons. The Spirit offers specific guidance, being able to advise the believer in multiple situations, his advice sometimes being more precise and explicit. He is a superior guide since he is God and not merely a code book of conduct.
As contrasted with a book of regulations, he is associated fundamentally with relationship, not rules. The Spirit brings a person into relationship with God whereas the law can only provide the standard expected by God and warn of the consequences of disobedience. The Spirit acts as a personal guide and influence whereas the law is impersonal.
The Spirit points out sin but also provides strength to overcome it, and power to obey his promptings, whereas the law only highlights sin and condemns the sinner (Rom. 7:7–11; Gal. 3:10). The advice of the Spirit is contemporary, relates to issues relevant to the lifestyle and context of believers, is available without having to consult a handbook of laws, is not confined to issues relevant to ancient ceremonial or religious topics, and provides an internal and loving influence. Finally, the Spirit acts as an ever-present guide while the law, since it is a collection of books, is less immediate. The Spirit is less an empowering force or power and more an enabling friend and mentor.
Paul specifically states that it is because of the Spirit that ‘the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us’ (Rom. 8:4, ESV). It is not that the Spirit is given to enable the believer to keep the law. Rather, he is stating that those requirements laid down by the law have now been fulfilled in the believer because of what Jesus has already achieved on our behalf, the benefits of which have been transmitted to us by the Spirit.
They have been fulfilled in the sense that believers base their relationship with God on faith that Jesus has done everything that is needed. The Spirit’s presence in their lives is the confirmation that their God-given faith has been accepted as that which was needed to commence a relationship with God. The Spirit whispers the words of assurance that friendship with God has been established. There is nothing more to be done. The cross has now taken centre stage; the Spirit introduces the believer as a child of God, while the law bows out, having done all it could.
The purpose of the law (to encourage relationship with God by faith, in the context of an understanding of his holiness) has now been achieved. The law demanded holiness; the Spirit now makes believers holy by applying to them the gift of salvation as achieved by Jesus on the cross. Those who walk with the Spirit (that is, believers) have passed God’s standard, not on their own merits but based on faith. They have passed the exam without even having to sit it. If they had, they would have failed it anyway, but God passed them at the cost of the sacrifice of his Son, who passed it for them.
The purpose of the law was to identify sin and its consequences, and to point to Christ. It has achieved what it was designed to do. It can now leave the rest of the believer’s journey to the Spirit who has been given through faith (Gal. 3:14).
Christ, who has redeemed us from the burden of the law (Gal. 3:13), is now our custodian, not the law (Gal. 3:24–25). Now as heirs of God (Gal. 4:1–7), it is the privilege of believers to be mentored personally, not by an external law code, however good, but by the Spirit of God himself.
It is no wonder that Paul regularly uses the concept of freedom to define the new life of the believer (Rom. 7:3; 8:2; Gal. 4:30–31; 5:1, 13). Of course, this does not refer to a freedom to sin. On the contrary, this new relationship, in which the Spirit takes it upon himself to be the coach for every believer, has serious consequences.
This new freedom is for the purposes of attaining righteousness (Rom. 6:20); believers are freed from slavery to sin in order to be bound to God’s standards and will. Therefore, in the battle against the flesh, believers are to take advantage of their new, influential and empowering resource and mentor—the Spirit, who has replaced the law and its limited ability to facilitate change in the lives of those who sought to keep it.
OT Old Testament
2 Paul builds on the analogy of the significance of the death of one partner in a marriage to the marriage relationship. He argues that, because of a believer’s union with Christ, it is as if he or she died when Christ died. As a result, a change has occurred in the relationship with the previous partner, the law. Now, believers are free to engage in a new relationship with Jesus, who replaces the law. As the law was an integral element of the old covenant, now the Spirit is the integral replacement in the new covenant. Believers no longer need the law; they have the Spirit.
esv English Standard Version
Warrington, K. (2009). The Message of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit of Encounter (D. Tidball, Ed.; pp. 154–157). Inter-Varsity Press.
