Our True Freedom from the Law—Part 7
What is Our True Freedom from the Law (Torah)?
Introduction
In my previous article, Our True Freedom from the Law—Part 6, we finished learning the foundational truths that will help us understand what Paul meant when he declared “we are free from the Law.” Then we applied those seven truths to help us understand what he meant. Here is a summary of our seven foundational truths.
Foundations for Understanding the True Meanings of Paul’s
Statements Suggesting We Are No Longer Under the Law
#1—What is the Correct Biblical Worldview of the Tanakh (Old Testament)?—The Law is good and perfect. The Law is Adonai’s (the Lord’s) good, perfect, holy and eternal written revelation, given as a blessing and a heritage to the nation of Israel. It was originally written on stone tablets as part of the Mosaic covenant, whose primary message teaches us to love Adonai with all our heart, mind, body, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, and whose primary purpose is to be a source of life, blessing and goodness to His people. It was faithfully taught, lived and heralded by the apostles of Yeshua (Jesus) and is the basis of the New Covenant, which consists of Adonai’s Law written upon the hearts of His people.
#2—Does the Law Have Only One Function /Role /Purpose?—The Law has more than one function/role/purpose. In fact, it has many functions/roles/purposes, and the Scriptures specifically and carefully define these different functions/roles/purposes. Context will determine the function/role/purpose of which the writer is speaking.
#3—What is the Primary Function of the Law—The primary function of the Law is to ensure that those who faithfully obey its commands live a long life on the earth.
#4—Which Function/Role/Purpose of the Law is Paul Referring to in Romans 5:20–7:25?—Romans 5:20–7:25 pertains to one function of the Law. Throughout Romans 5–7 Paul is specifically dealing with ONE limited function of the Torah, its ability to stir up sin in a person’s heart (The Stirring up of Sin Effect).
#5—When is the Stirring up of Sin Effect Active in a Person’s Life?—The Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law is only operational in a person’s life when they are unsaved and in the unregenerated state.
#6—What is the Root Cause for the Stirring up of Sin Effect (the Law of Sin and Death)?—The Torah stirs up sin in a person’s life because of the sin in their life. But for the sin in a person’s life, the Torah would not stir up sin. Thus, the root cause for the Stirring up of Sin Effect (the law of sin and death) is SIN, not the Law!
#7—What is the Proper Corrective Action to Prevent the Law from Stirring up Sin in a Person’s Heart?—The solution to the problem of the Torah stirring up sin is to remove the root cause, which is sin in the heart of the sinner. Adonai does this through the process of regeneration, where our old man dies through our identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua.
The Unity of Romans 5:20–6:14
By Use of An Outline
Next, I’d like to begin looking at Romans 5:20–6:14 in logical and thematic sections. First, let’s look at portions of this passage that make up logical units of thought. The first evidence that this is one logical unit pertains to the thematic parallels between the beginning and end of this grammatical unit.
Romans 5:20-21
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:12-14
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
A close thematic examination of these two passages reveals they are like two bookends providing boundaries, as if to say here is the beginning and ending of a logical unit. Notice how a problem is introduced with the following major thematic ideas:
“Moreover the law entered”—Here we have the introduction of the Torah (Law) of Moses. It makes its way onto the scene.
“that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded . . . so that as sin reigned in death”—Next, we are given the effect of the entrance of the Law. It caused offenses/sins to abound/increase and sin to reign in death.
“even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”—Nonetheless, despite sin and the stirring up of sin effect of the Law, Adonai’s grace was with the people to help them.
This beginning bookend consisting of the three themes in Romans 5:20-21 listed above are perfectly balanced and offset at the end of this section of Scripture by what we read in Romans 6:12-14, which appears as a final bookend and conclusion to the problem introduced in Romans 5:20-21.
“for you are not under law”—The initial problem introduced in Romans 5:20 was that the Law entered and brought with it the Stirring up of Sin Effect. However, as I said earlier, Romans 6:1-11 presents Adonai’s solution to defeat the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law. That answer is the death of the old man through regeneration, which disables the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law. Therefore, Romans 6:14 informs us how we now live in a new reality—we are not under the Law, i.e., we are no longer under its Stirring up of Sin Effect. Thus, the problem introduced in Romans 5:20 is remedied in Romans 6:14.
“12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you”—The other problem introduced in Romans 5:20 is the fact that when the Law stirred up sin, we became captives to offenses/sins abounding/increasing in our lives, causing sin to reign in death in our lives. However, as I said earlier, Romans 6:1-11 presents Adonai’s solution to defeat the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law, and that answer gave way to a second new reality in Romans 6:12-13—now we can resist sin and present ourselves to Adonai as instruments of righteousness, something we couldn’t do before.“but under grace”—The initial grace Adonai provided during the period of the Tanakh to regenerate people so they could be free from the Stirring up of Sin Effect through regeneration is the same grace men have access to now under grace.
As you can plainly see, the three themes introduced in Romans 5:20-21 are the same three themes comprising the conclusion of Romans 6:14. Furthermore, two of the themes that are introduced in Romans 5:20-21 are introduced as a problem. However, those same two themes are revisited again in Romans 6:14, but in the sense of how they were resolved. So, what we have here is a grammatical picture (outline) of Romans 5:20–6:14 that looks like this:
Our final outline looks like this:
As you can see, this rough outline perfectly summarizes the conclusions we’ve reached through thoughtful analysis of our seven foundational truths. By logically applying our seven foundational truths, we were brought to the conclusion that to be not under the Law means to not be under its Stirring up of Sin Effect; or said another way, to not be under the law of sin and death. They both concur perfectly.
Listed below is a full outline of Romans 5:20–6:14:
By Use of Chiastic Analysis
In case you are still wondering if the above outline is legitimate or if you are looking for a second witness, I’ve got another proof for you that Romans 5:20–6:14 expresses a unique thought. As some of you are aware, I rely upon making thematic connections when I read the Scriptures. Whenever I see two themes repeat, I pay close attention to the connection. All the stories in the Bible are written in thematic patterns, and one of the most common patterns is called a chiastic structure. A chiastic structure is a thematic way of writing a story. Whenever you see a story in the Bible being told chiastically, the story will have two halves. All the themes in the first half of the story will repeat in the second half of the story in reverse order. The middle section is called the central axis, which sometimes functions as the most important highlight of the passage. It’s like a divine highlighter saying, “This event/theme is very important.” At other times, the central axis functions as the turning point in the story. Whereas things may have progressed negatively in the first half, after the central axis the plot will change, and the second half will be very positive. Please review this pattern in the example below and make sure you understand the pattern.
It just so happens that Romans 5:20–6:14 is written chiastically. Here is what the chiastic structure looks like:
The way to analyze a chiastic structure is by comparing and contrasting the themes on each side. For example, you should compare element A in the first half with element A’ in the second half, element B in the first half with element B’ in the second half, etc. Let’s examine this chiastic beauty where the themes in the first half are repeated in the second half in reverse order. The idea is to match the bold, italicized parts in the two halves.
A/A' contains three major thematic connections
Notice how both sections reference the Law (black, bold, italicized text). In A, the Law is active in stirring up sin in the individual. In A', we have been delivered from the Law, i.e., the stirring up of sin effect of the Law.
Both sections contain themes related to bondage to sin (red, bold, italicized text). In A, offenses/sin are increasing, and the sinner is increasing in sin. In A', the person is no longer a sinner, bound by increasing sin. Now they are walking in victory over sin, for sin has lost its mastery over them.
Both sections mention death (green, bold, italicized text). In A, sin reigns in death in the individual. In A', the sinner is alive from the dead.
As you can see, these two portions of Scripture are extremely complementary. And of course, they should be, because Adonai had Paul write this portion of Scripture chiastically, where the themes repeat in reverse order. Notice also how the themes in A' are a correction to those in A. Again A presents the problem, while A' presents the resolution of the problem.
B/B' contains two major thematic connections
Both sections mention death to sin (black, bold, italicized text). In B, we have died to sin, whereas in B', Messiah Yeshua is said to have died to sin.
Both sections mention a death. In B, we were baptized into Yeshua’s death, whereas in B', death no longer has dominion over Messiah Yeshua.
C/C' contains two major thematic connections
Both sections mention our death in Messiah Yeshua (black, bold, italicized text).
Both sections also emphasize our identification in the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua (red, bold, italicized text).
D/D' contains two major thematic connections
Both sections teach about the death of the old man (black, bold, italicized text).
Both sections teach about our freedom from sin. In D, the emphasis concerns doing away with the body of sin, whereas D' emphasizes freedom from sin. Both are equivalent expressions indicating our release from sin.
The central axis (E) highlights the most important point of the chiasm—that we should no longer be slaves of sin. The point is that because of what Adonai has done within us, we will no longer be slaves of sin.
As you can see, the chiastic structure confirms what we already knew—that Romans 5:20–6:14 can be viewed as a thematic unit. It is a beautiful passage which can be summarized as follows:
Adonai sent His Law to Israel, but because of the sinful nature (the old man), His Law stirred up sin rather than blessed us with long life as originally intended.
The grace of regeneration was present during the time period of the Tanakh, just as it is today.
Those who wanted to follow Adonai were regenerated, the process whereby the old man, the sinner, or unregenerated nature, dies and we become a new creation.
Our baptism in Messiah Yeshua provides a picture of the death of the old man when we go down into the waters of baptism.
When we arise, we arise by the power of the Holy Spirit to live a new life, wherein we have the ability to live in obedience to His loving commandments found in His Law.
This is all pictured for us through the death and burial of Yeshua, which is a type and picture of what happens to us. Just as Yeshua died to sin once for all, so have we. Furthermore, just as Yeshua was raised in power by the glory of Adonai (the Lord), so likewise, we are raised in power to live a life of victory over sin as we walk in obedience to the commandments of the Law.
As a result of our identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua, the old man, the sinner who was quite responsive to the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law, has died. Therefore, there is no longer any basis for the Law to make us more sinful.
You see beloved, Adonai has taken care of the root cause of the problem regarding the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law by crucifying the old man who was sinful by nature. That death set us free from the law of sin and death (the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law) so that we could live in newness of life.
Another Logical Unit
We have already seen how Romans 5:20–6:14 is a logical unit. However, there is another way we can view Paul’s arguments! It just so happens that Paul actually expands his reasoning concerning the two new realities. Recall how our identification with Yeshua’s death and resurrection created two new realities.
Romans 6:12-13—We Are No Longer Slaves to Sin
Romans 6:14—We Are No Longer Under the Law = We are No Longer Under the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law = We are No Longer Under the Law of Sin and Death
In actuality, Paul does not just introduce these two new realities and go on to another subject. He goes on to expand both. In order to see this, you need to realize what Paul does when he mentions the two new realities. First, he gives a short version (just a few words of explanation) of the two new realities, and then he immediately follows the short version of the two new realities with an expanded version (more words of explanation) of the two new realities. It looks like this:
I. Romans 6:12-13—Short Version of New Reality #1
II. Romans 6:14—Short Version of New Reality #2
III. Romans 6:15-23—Long Version of New Reality #1
IV. Romans 7:1-6—Long Version of New Reality #2
Now, let’s look at the longer version of New Reality #1, which occurs in Romans 6:15-23. We know that this is a longer version of New Reality #1 found in Romans 6:12-13, because the exact two major themes are covered. Just look at the color coding!
As you can plainly see, Romans 6:15-23 is just a longer version of New Reality #1 first introduced to us in Romans 6:12-13. Thus, it seems that Paul simply introduced New Reality #1 for us in a shortened version and then took more time to explain it.
As you can easily see, each portion of the red, bold, and italicized text in Romans 7:1-6 matches thematically with Paul’s short explanation in Romans 6:14.
At this point, let’s analyze what Paul said in Romans 7:1-6 and show how it also teaches how we have been set free from the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law. The beauty of realizing that Paul has used the following formula,
I. Romans 6:12-13—Short Version of New Reality #1
II. Romans 6:14—Short Version of New Reality #2
III. Romans 6:15-23—Long Version of New Reality #1
IV. Romans 7:1-6—Long Version of New Reality #2
is that it is easy to see that Romans 7:1-6 is a direct Holy Spirit inspired interpretation of Romans 6:14 where it says, “for you are not under law but under grace”! With that in mind, let’s see what Romans 7:1-6 teaches us about the meaning of “for you are not under law but under grace.”
Using the analogy of marriage, Paul first argues that the Law has dominion over a person when they are alive. He chooses the Law of marriage for his example. The first point I’d like to bring out is that Paul chose one limited type of law, right? He didn’t use the entire Law in his example, just one aspect of the Law—marriage. His argument is that as long as the husband is alive, the woman is bound to him by the law of marriage. However, once he dies, she is free from the law of marriage. Again, note, she’s not free from the whole Law, just the law of marriage.
This serves as a perfect illustration for Paul to describe in what way we have been freed from the Law; or put another way, in which way we are no longer under the Law! Just as Paul limited his discussion to one law, the law of marriage, so likewise, throughout Paul’s discussion in Romans 5:20–7:25, he is focusing on one function of the Law—its ability to stir up sin in an unsaved person’s life.[1] In other words, he’s not talking about the entire Law, just one aspect—its ability to stir up sin. Then Paul stated that once there is a death (specifically the death of the husband in his analogy) the woman is freed from the law of marriage—not all the Law. The analogy Paul is making is this. When a sinner is regenerated, his death (death of the old man) occurs, which follows exactly with the example he gives! The death is the death of the old man, just as Romans 6:1-11 states. And because a death has occurred, the sinner has been freed from and is no longer under the stirring up of sin effect of the Law, not the entire Torah—just the function of the Law he's been harping on pretty clearly in Romans 5:20–7:25! Paul’s point is this. Just as the woman is freed from the law of marriage (not the entire Law) because of the death of her husband, so likewise, the sinner is freed from the law of sin and death (the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law, not the entire Law) through the death of the old man. They are both free and no longer under the Law. Paul’s analogy is simple, but 90% of Adonai’s people miss this primarily because of an incorrect worldview of the Law. This is the fountain from which all the other errors about Paul’s teaching on the Law flows.
These examples have shown that when Paul states we free from the law, he specifically means we are free from the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law. He’s not saying we’re free from the condemnation of the Law (he says that later in Romans 8). He’s not saying we’re free from the entire Law.
By Use of Chiastic Analysis
I have discovered the entire book of Romans is one large chiastic structure, and I’d like to share some more thoughts with you on Romans 5:20–7:25 based on the chiastic nature of the entire book of Romans. If I tried to present the entire chiasm, that would be a huge undertaking as you can imagine. So, I’ll only share as much as is needed to develop my thoughts for your consideration.
Remember, whenever a passage is written chiastically, the themes in the first half are echoed in the second half in reverse order. This is exactly the situation within the book of Romans. It is arranged in such a manner that each theme in the first half of the book is counterbalanced by a complementary theme in the second half. With a large chiastic structure that encompasses an entire book, you have to read the book and break it up into smaller thematic units. These thematic units typically span a little more or a little less than a chapter. Once you find one thematic unit, the first goal is to summarize its overall theme by giving it a title, some type of short phrase that captures the basic theme of the passage. This is what I did as I progressed through the book of Romans. Next, I found matching thematic units on opposite sides of the thematic center. Lastly, you need to prove that the matching themes on the opposite sides of the thematic center actually correspond to each other by showing objectively how they are thematically connected through similar word, phrases, topics, situations, events, and circumstances. For starters, let me just show you the entire chiastic structure at a very high level, which only includes the major themes.
Next, let me give you a flavor for how two themes on opposite sides of the chiasm are related. Let’s look at theme F (Romans 3:21–4:8) in the first half and theme F' (Romans 9:30-10:13) in the second half. I chose a theme I felt summarized Romans 3:21–4:8—Justification by Faith. In my estimation, that same theme characterizes Romans 9:30–10:13, so theme F' is summarized by the same theme—Justification by Faith. Now, let’s see if in fact themes F and F' share similar themes. The connections I found are listed below. Simply compare number 1 in section F with number 1 in section F', and so forth, progressing through each theme numerically. As is usual, the common themes are marked in bold, italicized text for ease of identification.
F) Romans 3:21–4:8—Justification by Faith
Romans 3:21-22—But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed . . . even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ
Romans 3:21-22, 4:3, 4:5-6—But now the righteousness of God (through faith) apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ . . . For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness . . . But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness (through faith) apart from works
Romans 3:27—Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law (of righteousness)? Of works (for righteousness)? No, but by the law of faith.
Romans 3:28—Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law
Romans 4:6—just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works
Romans 3:22b-23—For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 3:22, 26, 4:3 and 4:5—even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe . . . that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (believes). . . For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God” . . . But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly
Romans 3:31—Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
F’) Romans 9:30-10:13—Justification by Faith
Romans 10:3—For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
Romans 9:30, 10:3, 10:6—What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness (of faith), even the righteousness of faith . . . For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness (of faith), and seeking to establish their own righteousness (of works/law), have not submitted to the righteousness of God . . . But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way
Romans 9:31—but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness
Romans 10:3—For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness (righteousness through deeds of the law), have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
Romans 10:5—For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”
Romans 10:12—For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
Romans 9:33, 10:9-11—And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame . . . that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart . . . For with the heart one believes unto righteousness . . . For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 10:4—For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. This connection is an opposite.
As you can see, I found eight themes in Romans 3:21–4:8 matching perfectly with eight themes in Romans 9:30–10:13! These matching themes establish a firm connection between these two sections of Scripture on opposite halves of a thematic presentation of the book of Romans. I did the same type of analysis for every theme in the overall chiasm above, but as mentioned earlier, it would take up too much space to go through that now.[2] As you can see, the eight thematic connections connecting F to F' are straightforward and objective, clearly establishing that Romans 3:21–4:8 and Romans 9:30–10:13 are 1) both generically described by the theme Justification by Faith and are 2) passages very strongly connected to each other through similar themes.
Now, let’s get to the main point I’d like to explore. I want to analyze the chiastic nature of the book of Romans in the area of themes J through J', because they encompass the portion of Scripture pertaining to Paul’s arguments about being set free from the Law. Let’s isolate that portion of the chiastic structure.
The first thing I want to point out is that Paul’s complete argument about our freedom from the Law is recorded for us in Romans 5:20–7:25. Now, notice that Romans 5:20 and 7:25 make up elements J and J' in chiasm above. I find that amazing. Why? Because it helps to 1) establish the veracity of the chiastic structure and 2) demonstrate that Romans 5:20–7:25 is one logical unit of thought Paul is making! Remember how I argued that the chapter breaks in the Bible are NOT inspired. The chiastic structure of the book of Romans has confirmed that assertion. The beauty of studying the Scriptures thematically is that when we find chiastic structures, we are finding the work of the Holy Spirit. And His patterns are meant to lead us and guide us into truth.
Let’s analyze the chiasm above by comparing J/J', K/K', etc. The connection between J/J' teaches us quite a bit. Theme J clearly pertains to the introduction of the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law. It represents the big problem that confronts every person who has ever wanted to serve Adonai. We all come to Him as sinners. So, how can we serve Him in obedience to His commandments when His commandments cause offenses/sins to abound/increase when we try to keep His word. So, how is J) Romans 5:20-21 thematically connected to J') Romans 7:7-25? It’s easy. If you haven’t read Romans 7:7-25 in a while, please do so now. So, can you see how J and J' in our chiastic structure are thematically connected? Element J') Romans 7:7-25 is a vivid picture of what J) Romans 5:20-21 is all about. In other words, isn’t Romans 5:20-21 the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law? Well, if you want to see how that looks, how the Law stirs up sin, the actual inner workings of the law of sin and death in action, then Romans 7:7-25 is a graphic description of how it works, especially Romans 7:13-25! This first thematic connection between Romans 5:20-21 and Romans 7:7-25 is right on the mark, confirming that we’re off to a good start making bona fide Holy Spirit inspired connections. Furthermore, it confirms that Romans 5:20-21 is the introduction of a new train of thought for Paul and should not have been separated from Romans 6:1 via a chapter break.
The thematic connection between K and K' is almost too good to be true. I’m almost laughing with joy looking at it. Once again, the chiastic nature of Paul’s writings is helping to confirm the interpretations I’ve made concerning Adonai’s remedy for the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law. Earlier we learned that Romans 6:1-11 presents the solution to the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law. Part of that solution requires the death of the old man. A description of the death of the old man is found in Romans 6:1-11. Therefore, how appropriate that Romans 6:1-11 would be thematically connected to Paul’s discussion about how the death of the husband frees a woman from the law of marriage. More importantly, Paul’s discussion of the death of the husband pictures how we died in Messiah Yeshua so we could be freed from the Law, i.e., the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law. This chiasm and how it matches and confirms what we’ve already learned is almost too good to be true!
We learned earlier that Romans 6:12-13 was a short version of New Reality #1. Furthermore, we learned that the longer version of New Reality #1 is actually a deeper explanation of the short version of Romans 6:15-23. Now, we can see that the connection between Romans 6:12-13 and Romans 6:15-23 is also made through the chiasm which included Paul’s entire discussion of Our True Freedom from the Law (Torah)! I couldn’t have planned this even if I wanted to.
Lastly, look at the central axis of Paul’s discussion! The fact that we are no longer under the Law’s influence of making sin more sinful and making offenses/sins abound/increase is the central axis of the entire book of Romans! That’s how major this topic is within the eyes of the Holy Spirit who provided Paul’s inspiration! Remember, within a chiastic structure, the central axis typically functions as the most important portion of the entire chiasm. It’s like a divine highlighter, highlighting the most important concept Adonai wants us to focus on. I believe Romans 6:14 is the most important verse in all the book of Romans because of its position at the thematic center of the entire book. Why?
Think about the importance of the problem Paul brought to the forefront in Romans 5:20-21. He brought forth this problem after his teaching in Romans 5:1-19, which basically showed how all mankind is walking in sin and death because of sin. Within that context, Paul stated that even if someone wanted to do what’s right by adhering to Adonai’s perfect Law, whose primary function is to ensure life for the obedient ones, they couldn’t do it! Not only could they not do it, but they would also fail miserably because when a sinner tries to obey Adonai’s holy words, that sinner will only become more sinful in his actions in the long run because the Law will stir up sin within them. What an utter condemnation of mankind as he is found in Adam. Obviously, no one can be saved because the very vehicle for life (Adonai’s Law) causes people to become more sinful, the exact opposite goal of the Law! Oh the magnificent grace of God! How awesome are His works. He has delivered us from this negative influence of the Law. We are no longer under the Stirring Up of Sin influence of the Law, and are now able to obey His holy words with a sincere heart, and only Adonai can be thanked for this new privilege. So, as you can see, Romans 6:14 justly sits at the thematic center of the book of Romans, the book that teaches us about salvation and justification through the blood of Yeshua. Yet most of Adonai’s people don’t really know what it means! Ninety percent of Christianity believes that Romans 6:14 is about freedom from the Law as a standard of righteousness, instead of what it is in truth—freedom from the Law’s ability to stir up sin within the unregenerated human heart, thus enabling salvation to invade the human race, something that was formerly impossible because of the law of sin and death (Stirring up of Sin Effect) fueled by the Law. Oh! What a shame! What a horrible, devastating shame! Oh, God have mercy on us and help us know your truth! Open thou mine eyes to behold wondrous things from your Law (Psalm 119:18)!
[1] Remember, Paul has already taught us that the Stirring up of Sin Effect of the Law only occurs in the lives of the unredeemed!
[2] The entire chiastic structure can be found posted on Biblical Chiasm Exchange: www.chiasmusxchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/The-Chiastic-Structure-of-the-Book-of-Romans-BCE.pdf