La Ley y el Pecado
As Paul continues to explain how a believer is transformed by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, he unpacks the role of the law. While the law is good and holy, it serves to highlight our natural depravity and powerlessness before sin. Only through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can we experience life change and gain victory over sin. We not only have the ability but great power to live out a life of obedience.
Study Questions
Application
Paul explains that the law cannot save us—it can only arouse our sin nature. Have you experienced this? When have you been faced with the weight of the law and your own powerlessness to stop sinning? How did that affect you?
Even though believers are no longer enslaved to sin, many of us justify the presence of ongoing sin in our lives. Are there sins in your life that you view as simply part of who you are? Do you justify chronic sin because of a past wound or experience? How does this minimize the work Jesus has done for us?
Key Points
Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, those who trust in Christ experience an inner change that gives them new abilities—power to produce the fruit of obedience.
In our natural, broken state, the law cannot save us—it can only arouse our evil desires. The law serves to show us our powerlessness before sin and point us toward grace.
While the “old way” of the law was characterized by rules, the “new way” is characterized by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—his presence and power.
Paul describes life under the law without Christ as a “wretched” existence of bondage to sin.
Thankfully, through Christ’s sacrificial death and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be free from such bondage. Because of the new life and power we have in Christ, we are free to claim victory over sin and serve God with our lives.