But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter (Romans 7:6).

There are still many believers, many pastors included, and even a whole Christian subgroup, the Seventh Day Adventists, that still believe that we are bound to follow the Law of Moses. Now, most believers would not insist on the need for believers to keep the sacrificial, physical or dietary laws of the Law of Moses; however, they do insist on certain expedient laws, like keeping the Sabbath and tithing. Interestingly, neither of these laws were even mentioned by the Jerusalem Council for Gentile churches to follow:

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things (Acts 15:28-29).

Why, then, would certain churches emphasize the Sabbath, whether the true practice of it, which was on Saturday, or the evangelical recasting of it for Sunday? And why would the church insist that of all the Mosaic Laws only tithing, again a Christian recasting of it as monetary gifts to the church, is still operative? 

If I might gander a guess, it was not for biblical reasons but for expedience. What better way to keep people coming to church faithfully than to tell them that God requires it. What better way for the church to prosper than to tell its members that (1) God requires them to give at least ten percent of their income and that (2) they cannot outgive God because God will always give back to them more than they give to Him (that is, the "church").

Yet, the Scriptures clearly teach that we are dead to the Law -- all of it. If we have died to the Law, what business does anyone have of insisting that we still abide by it? The writer of Hebrews clearly declared that the Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant:

For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another... By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear (Hebrews 8:7,13).

In view of certain Judaizers, who were trying to insist on the Colossian believers keeping the Law, Paul tells them,

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17). 

In another place, Paul, who was a Jew among Jews, even insisted that he was no longer under the Law of Moses:

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law (1 Corinthians 9:20). 

Friends, and I speak especially to pastors and teachers among you, it is not right for you to distort God's Word or use deception to insist that believers follow certain tenets of the Old Covenant. I know the reason you do it. You believe that people will not give anything to the church if you do not insist they tithe. You believe people will not come regularly to church if you do not insist that they keep the Sabbath. But when you do this, you are being just like the Pharisees. Remember what Jesus said about them:

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’” (Matthew 15:3-9).

When the Pharisees insisted on their traditions over the Word of God, Jesus condemned it. If you ask an orthodox Jew the reason for their traditions, they will often say that they were created to help people obey the Law of Moses. While some may have added the traditions out of greed, they did not all have this motive.

In the same way, pastors and teachers do not all have a wrong motive in insisting on the tithe or the Sabbath laws, but they may feel that keeping such laws alive may help believers attend church faithfully and give consistently. Yet, Jesus taught that by doing this we are nullifying the weight of God's Word. Regardless of outcome, we ought to teach and obey His Word alone!

2 Corinthians is Paul's magnus opus regarding ministry. Listen to what he writes regarding their ministry of the New Covenant:

Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God (2 Corinthians 2:17).

Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:2-3).

Friends, when we distort God's Word for expedience, we are not honoring God. Even if we are doing it to "unveil" the gospel, it is not a reason to do it. Traditions are fine, but not when they distort or contradict Scripture. There is no command for Christians to tithe. To insist on this is to distort Scripture. There is no command for Christians to keep the Sabbath, including a Sunday Sabbath. To insist on this is to distort Scripture. 

If we follow the Scriptures, perhaps we'll be like the Church of Smyrna or the Church of Philadelphia, both poor and fledging churches described in the Book of Revelation (cf. Revelations 2-3). Yet, is it not interesting that these were the only churches among the seven that were simply commended and encouraged to stay steadfast in their course. All the others were criticized.

We ought not to be concerned so much with expedience but with obedience. Our interest should not be certain outcomes, which is the realm of God's providence, but faithfulness to obey regardless of the outcome.

Romans 5
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned- 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

So sin came through Adam. Death came through sin. Death came to all mankind because sin was in everyone. Yet sin was not counted before the law; the period between Adam and Moses.

Yet we are told even where the law is not there is a conviction, an evidence of guilt.

Romans 2
14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.

So Romans 5 says where there is no law, sin is not counted; Romans 2 says gentiles do not have the law. Yet all have sinned. Doesn't it seem like the space between Adam and Moses, and perhaps even gentiles and those who have not been shown the gospel, makes void the conversation and meaning of sin, if sin is not counted?

Even though sin is not counted death still was, so the counting of sin or its amount must not be a means to life or death. After all even one who sins only once and is a convict and death is due. (Are they dead before they sinned or dead after they sin?)

Romans 5
20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

The law increased sin, perhaps not in a qualitative sense but a quantitative sense. The law came and sin spread further, it was counted. But because there is no account of sin that does not mean there is no nature or sin or effects of sin.

"...just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned" - or perhaps to clear up my point this should finish with: ...spread to all men because all where sinners (implying sinners begot sinners)

Romans 5
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life

In other words: Sin is to death as grace is to righteousness (or life).

Sin may not be counted but it still had the effect for death. So “Are they dead before they sinned or dead after they sin?” I think it would correct to say they sinned because they were dead; the judgment announces what already is!

Carried forward to those ignorant of God's law, their nature still speaks to them and causes guilt when judged. The nature causes death when acted upon. And so by nature, they bring death - there is no escape.

Conversely, God's grace by its nature, justifies us, by doing what our nature cannot. It replaces ours and when judged reveals righteousness (proper standing). It causes life to flow out like a living spring overflowing. And by nature brings eternal life - there is no escape.

---------------------------

Romans 6
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

"I believe in God," "I believe in Jesus" these things in its full meaning are not just an awareness. It’s not just an appreciation like an interest or hobby. It’s not even about giving thanks for pleasures. To "believe in Jesus" should have an element of self-death. The purposes are no longer for you, your desires are no longer at the top of your priority list; you are now living, relying on God for pleasures and purposes. This means your purposes will take you to uncomfortable decisions, unpleasant confessions, scary investing, and diligent behaviors.

It’s death! We are always carrying this cross; always to not consider ourselves - we're dead. Perhaps, it’s better said, we are always dying, until Jesus return.

We are dead. Christ is alive in us.

--------------------------

Romans 7
9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.

So there was a time in Paul's life that sin was not alive, the commandment was not given to him. But when the commandment came sin arose.

Something I got from this: Sin was always there, yet at one period, without a product (the production of death or rather death -due).

This follows what I said in chapter 5 that even without sin being counted its effects were still there. But here we see that sin was not alive, and it was not until it arose that death came.

Previously, we are told sin was not counted until the law came, then it multiplied. So far, Paul has taught that before the law, sin was not a live; also before the law it was not counted. In both lessons, when sin was activated, death came.

And in both cases he makes sure we don't try to blame the law for evil results, results that came when it came - the law is innocent. In fact in both cases he has demonstrated that sin was always there. Innocent Law simply came and revealed it.

13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

And again as the earlier chapter our actions convict us and show our support for the law's righteousness - and therefore our guilt.

16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me (that is to say I do what my master, the sin and the devil, order me)

18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

Sin is in us believers, but it has no power not given by us; for:
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but in my flesh I serve the law of sin.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6,8).

In other words, God did not wait till we got our act together to apply the death of Christ to our account. This should be our answer to those that think that they have to be "good" to be saved. We need to remind them that they will never be good enough. They will always come short (Romans 3:23).

But the good news is that even while we continue to struggle with our sins, Christ paid for these very sins on the cross. Christ's sacrifice was not made simply to reform us as if our lives merely needed some tweaking. No, His sacrifice was to completely transform us and give us a new identity in Christ, so that what was hopeless and impossible before would now be full of hope and made sure through the power of God. 

------------------

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous (Romans 5:19).

This is what is meant when theologians speak of "original sin." Whether one sees Adam as our "federal" head or our "seminal" head, it is clear that through Adam sin entered the human race, such that every person naturally born into this world is born a sinner. So David wrote,

Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5).

Now, I have skipped through Paul's logical presentation in Romans 5:12-18, where he lays out his biblical case for this conclusion. I would encourage you to take time to think through those verses as well.

But I want to  focus on the conclusion, which coincides with Paul's initial contention in chapters 1-3 that every person is under the power of sin (Romans 3:9). The signficance of it is that (1) every single person is born a sinner and (2) every single person is, therefore, born condemned. This gives some perspective to the Scripture in John 3:18,

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

There are only two classes of people in the world, the saved and the condemned. There is no neutral place. If you are not saved by the grace and power of God, you stand condemned, just biding time in this life, awaiting death and judgment:

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment... (Hebrews 9:27).

But for those that are saved, we have a different expectation. In the very next verse in Hebrews, we read...

... so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (Hebrews 9:28).

Sin is tied up into our very humanity and freedom. Complete freedom means autonomy, an exercise of the will to choose our own course. Adam, our representative head, was perhaps the most free of anyone that ever lived on the earth. He also had the most intimate access to God. Yet, he sinned. And even unlike Eve, he sinned with knowledge and deliberation. What does this suggest? Man in his purest element, with nearest proximity to God, and with the least responsibility (i.e. he had only one command to obey), when confronted with temptation, will choose to sin. What does this say about free will? Even when there is no sinful nature to taint free choice, people will still choose to sin.

This is why I find it remarkable that anyone would argue that they chose God rather than He chose them for salvation. Somehow a person's "works" are tainted so that they cannot do what God commands to be saved and yet a person's "faith" can be perfect? Now, I'm not talking about faith as a gift of God but the faith that is based on free will. Certainly, the faith that God gives is perfect because God is perfect, and such a pefect faith can sustain the believer from the point of salvation all the way to glorification. As Paul writes in Romans 1:17,

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.

But how can anyone say this about faith that is based on free will? Is that faith perfect too? If not, how can it sustain the believer from the time they profess to believe to the time of their glorification? Will they never fall back? Will they never doubt?

But someone will respond that God will sustain them. Does this mean, then, that while they cannot accept that God gives the faith, they can, nevertheless, accept that God will perfect the faith once it is exercised. In other words, a person has the freedom to both reject or accept Christ at the point of conversion, but then this freedom is lost once they are converted?

This is the position of many people that believe in salvation based on "free will." They are inconsistent. While they reject the notion that God can violate a person's free will in salvation, they, nevertheless, happily embrace God's violating a person's free will in keeping them saved. Otherwise, to be consistent, people that believe in a free-will based faith must also reject the doctrine of eternal security (i.e. once saved always saved), which means that they must believe that believers can lose their salvation. 

Friends, Adam is a representation of a human being with free will. They will always reject God. Christ is a representation of God's undeserved favor, which can overcome a person's free will so that they might be saved:

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was brought in 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 (Romans 5:18-21).