The apostle Paul refers to the law of sin and death in Romans 8:1–2:
“Therefore, there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
What is the “law of sin and death”? In these verses,
Paul contrasts two laws: the law of the Spirit
and the law of sin and death.
The law of the Spirit is the gospel or
good news of Jesus,
the message of new life through faith
in the resurrected Christ.
The law of sin and death is the Old Testament
Law of God. The Law is holy, just and good (Romans 7:12), but,
because we cannot keep God’s Law on our own, the result is only sin and death for those under the Law.
Romans 7:5 explains Paul’s
focus on the Law as leading to sin and death:
"For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.”
In contrast,
the “way” or law of the Spirit
is noted in Romans 7:6:
“But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”
The Law itself is not sinful (Romans 7:7). However,
the Law defined sin
and stirred up our natural rebellion against God’s rules,
resulting in sin and death.
Romans 7:10–11
speaks of how sin, death, and the Law are connected: “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.” This death refers to spiritual separation from God.
Shackled by our depraved nature,
we naturally opposed the Law,
and we found that God’s life-giving Word
served only to sentence us to death.
It is because of this that Paul can refer to the Law as the
“law of sin and death.”
The conclusion of Romans 7 shows
the need of the
gospel to deliver us
from the consequences of sin under the Law:
“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Thanks be to God,
who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
(Romans 7:22–25).
The next chapter,
Romans 8, begins by declaring there is no longer any condemnation
or judgment for those who are in Christ
We have been released from the law of sin and death.
Paul’s argument from Romans 7 transitions in Romans 8 to
a rejoicing over the change the gospel makes-in the lives of those
who believe in Jesus.
The chapter concludes by confirming, in the
strongest terms possible, that
believers can never be separated
from
God’s love:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in
all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God that
is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 8:38–39).
The writer to the Hebrews
talks about the arrangement of the tabernacle of the Old Testament.
The tabernacle was the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites
from the time of their wandering in the wilderness
after the Exodus from Egypt
to the building of the temple in Jerusalem (see Exodus 25–27).
Within the tabernacle was the ark of the covenant which included
the mercy seat (Hebrews 9:3-5 NKJV).
The ark of the covenant,
the chest containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, was the most sacred object of the
tabernacle
and later in the temple in Jerusalem, where it was placed in an inner area called the Holy of Holies. Also within the ark were the
golden pot of manna, such as was provided by
God in the wilderness wanderings
(Exodus 16:4)
and Aaron’s almond rod (Numbers 17:1-13). On top of the ark was a lid called the mercy seat on which rested the cloud or
visible symbol of the divine presence
Here God was supposed to be seated, and from this place
He was supposed to dispense mercy to man when the blood of the
atonement was sprinkled there.
In a manner of speaking, the mercy seat you see
concealed the people of God from the ever-condemning
judgment of the Law.
Each year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood of animals sacrificed for the atonement of the sins of God’s people. This blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat.
The point conveyed by this imagery is that it is only through the offering of blood that the condemnation of the Law could be taken away
and violations of "God’s laws" covered.
The Greek word for “mercy seat” in Hebrews 9:5 is hilasterion, which means “that which makes expiation” or “propitiation.”It carries the idea of the removal of sin.
In Ezekiel 43:13-15, the brazen altar of sacrifice is also called hilasterion (the propitiatory or mercy seat) in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) because of its association with the shedding of blood for sin.
What is the significance of this?
In the New Testament, Christ Himself is designated as our “propitiation.”
Paul explains this in his letter to the Romans:
"Being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance
God had passed over
the sins that were previously committed”
(Romans 3:24-25 NKJV).
What Paul is teaching here is that Jesus is the covering for sin,
as shown by these Old Testament prophetic images.
By means of His death, and our response to Christ through our faith
in Him, all our sins are covered.
Also, whenever believers sin, we may
turn to Christ
who continues to be the propitiation or covering for our sins
(1 John 2:1, 4:10).
This ties together the Old and New Testament concepts
regarding the covering of sin as exemplified by the
"mercy-seat" of God.
“Therefore, there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
What is the “law of sin and death”? In these verses,
Paul contrasts two laws: the law of the Spirit
and the law of sin and death.
The law of the Spirit is the gospel or
good news of Jesus,
the message of new life through faith
in the resurrected Christ.
The law of sin and death is the Old Testament
Law of God. The Law is holy, just and good (Romans 7:12), but,
because we cannot keep God’s Law on our own, the result is only sin and death for those under the Law.
Romans 7:5 explains Paul’s
focus on the Law as leading to sin and death:
"For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.”
In contrast,
the “way” or law of the Spirit
is noted in Romans 7:6:
“But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”
The Law itself is not sinful (Romans 7:7). However,
the Law defined sin
and stirred up our natural rebellion against God’s rules,
resulting in sin and death.
Romans 7:10–11
speaks of how sin, death, and the Law are connected: “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.” This death refers to spiritual separation from God.
Shackled by our depraved nature,
we naturally opposed the Law,
and we found that God’s life-giving Word
served only to sentence us to death.
It is because of this that Paul can refer to the Law as the
“law of sin and death.”
The conclusion of Romans 7 shows
the need of the
gospel to deliver us
from the consequences of sin under the Law:
“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Thanks be to God,
who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
(Romans 7:22–25).
The next chapter,
Romans 8, begins by declaring there is no longer any condemnation
or judgment for those who are in Christ
We have been released from the law of sin and death.
Paul’s argument from Romans 7 transitions in Romans 8 to
a rejoicing over the change the gospel makes-in the lives of those
who believe in Jesus.
The chapter concludes by confirming, in the
strongest terms possible, that
believers can never be separated
from
God’s love:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in
all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God that
is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 8:38–39).
The writer to the Hebrews
talks about the arrangement of the tabernacle of the Old Testament.
The tabernacle was the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites
from the time of their wandering in the wilderness
after the Exodus from Egypt
to the building of the temple in Jerusalem (see Exodus 25–27).
Within the tabernacle was the ark of the covenant which included
the mercy seat (Hebrews 9:3-5 NKJV).
The ark of the covenant,
the chest containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, was the most sacred object of the
tabernacle
and later in the temple in Jerusalem, where it was placed in an inner area called the Holy of Holies. Also within the ark were the
golden pot of manna, such as was provided by
God in the wilderness wanderings
(Exodus 16:4)
and Aaron’s almond rod (Numbers 17:1-13). On top of the ark was a lid called the mercy seat on which rested the cloud or
visible symbol of the divine presence
Here God was supposed to be seated, and from this place
He was supposed to dispense mercy to man when the blood of the
atonement was sprinkled there.
In a manner of speaking, the mercy seat you see
concealed the people of God from the ever-condemning
judgment of the Law.
Each year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood of animals sacrificed for the atonement of the sins of God’s people. This blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat.
The point conveyed by this imagery is that it is only through the offering of blood that the condemnation of the Law could be taken away
and violations of "God’s laws" covered.
The Greek word for “mercy seat” in Hebrews 9:5 is hilasterion, which means “that which makes expiation” or “propitiation.”It carries the idea of the removal of sin.
In Ezekiel 43:13-15, the brazen altar of sacrifice is also called hilasterion (the propitiatory or mercy seat) in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) because of its association with the shedding of blood for sin.
What is the significance of this?
In the New Testament, Christ Himself is designated as our “propitiation.”
Paul explains this in his letter to the Romans:
"Being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance
God had passed over
the sins that were previously committed”
(Romans 3:24-25 NKJV).
What Paul is teaching here is that Jesus is the covering for sin,
as shown by these Old Testament prophetic images.
By means of His death, and our response to Christ through our faith
in Him, all our sins are covered.
Also, whenever believers sin, we may
turn to Christ
who continues to be the propitiation or covering for our sins
(1 John 2:1, 4:10).
This ties together the Old and New Testament concepts
regarding the covering of sin as exemplified by the
"mercy-seat" of God.
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