The law part 3: Does law cause sin?

There is the claim that the law causes more problems, while this is always possible, because people can always use good things in bad ways. However, in engaging with some of these questions, lets take a brief look at some verses which are used at times to prove the laws link with sin. This will then be balanced with scripture that helps us to understand and properly used these scriptures.

1 Cor 15:56b '...The power of sin is the law'

Does this mean, that the law brings or causes sin?

2 Cor 3:7 refers to law as '...the ministry that brought death...' (where he goes on to say that it came with glory!) '...for the letter kills' (verse 6 end, both NIV 1984)

This makes law sound like the bad guy in a movie. And that is how some people use this scripture. But not here. Let's look again.

As previously stated, the law cannot save a sinner. Therefore the law brings death. It cannot save, not because there is a problem with the law, for the law is good, and Holy which has been discussed in Part 1 and 2, but it is because of sin in us the law leads to death, not because of the law in itself.

As written the law is Holy, the law is Spiritual, just because it highlights sin, doesn't make it bad.1 John 3:4 'Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness'. The law does not make me a sinner the law reveals the sin that is already there. This is Paul's argument when he talks of the law saying 'do not covet'. It produces covetous desires.

Logically, if we were not sinners, reading the law would not cause us to sin. How do we know this? Remember, Jesus read the law, it didn't cause him to sin. In fact in Romans 5:20a it says 'For before the law was given, sin was in the world.'

The law doesn't cause sin; sin already existed before there was the law.

It is a bit like seeing a sign on the grass - 'keep off the grass!', there is a sign, now you are thinking about walking on it. The law draws out sinfulness already latent inside, which is why the power of sin is the law, not because the law causes us to be more sinful. But why does this mean the law is a ministry of death. James 1:15b makes this clear, it talks of the link between sin and death, '...sin when it is full grown gives birth to death'. What did God say to Cain in Genesis 4:6 '...sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it' (NIV 1984). Sin was right there way before the Law of Moses. Notice also how the curse was also there, in verse 11 of that chapter because it says 'Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground...'. So before the written law, there was both sin, and a curse because of sin. So the law did not cause sin, but the law was a ministry aimed to serve people and keep them in the right track. It did not cause sin, nor did it cause death, it merely implemented punishment through its condemnation of sin.

Also when making a comparison between the law and Christ himself, Christ is the only way to life. Imperfectly trying to follow the law cannot save you. Which basically means that ANY ministry which isn't Christ is a ministry of death, because only life is found in Christ. Paul would never say you can find life in the law compared to or independant of Christ himself. Nor would he say that we need Christ plus adherance to some or all of the laws (such as circumcision discussed in part 4) to be saved.

So in summary the law doesn't cause sin, it reveals sin, and sin leads to death. The law cannot save us from sin but only point it out and judge it which is the link between these things and explains why the law is described as being a ministry of death. Sin was there way before the law, Sin is not caused by the law as some claim.

Not only does the law reveal sin, it also judges and condemns sin which is also why the power of sin is the law. The more law, the more we see the reality of sin, and therefore the more death occurs. Understanding the link between these things teaches us so much about law and the links between law and sin and death, and, as always our desperate need for Christ. But it does not mean that the law and the prophets has zero value in the life of the believer. These ideas teach about the law and sin and the need for Christ, but do not necessarily imply that we can therefore throw out any usefulness we might get from the law and prophets. But by this, I am not saying, that believers return to following the law, as this has also been made clear because there is no gaining righteousness by the law that Christ has not already achieved for us. More on this in part 4.