Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

What is The Power of The Law?

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

What is the power of the law? Does the law have any power if we don’t break it? As fundamental as this question is, the truth is, most of us have no thought of what the power of the law is?

And because of that it is important to the basic primary teaching of Christian to go back to the foundational stone of Christ. We are told some two thousands years ago that anyone of us building our house upon sandy soil it would be washed away if we did not build “carefully” upon Christ the rock-stone of our faith.

Matt. 7:24 "Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.
7:25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock.
7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn't do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.
7:27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."
7:28 It happened, when Jesus had finished saying these things, that the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,
7:29 for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.

By all indication the Christian’s faith today has become worthless in our modern society. We are not here talking about saying “I am a Christian!” But morally, there is no power in what Christian’s should be, which is the moral fiber and integrity of a person heart creating a strong family and society.

2Tim. 3:1 But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come.
3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3:3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,
3:4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
3:5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. Turn away from these, also.
3:6 For of these are those who creep into houses, and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
3:7 always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

In fact, people are fleeing from organized religion, we now have a generation that doesn’t believe in any truth, everything is moral equivalence which means there is no morality, right, or wrong.

So what is the power of the law? It would be, all the legal means from police, courts, and government when a person breaks the law!
But that power does not exist for a law keepers, it is there for a person protection so society can live in peace, and secure, in a place so a society can conduct business, religion, government. In other words, where families can flourish.

But the question what does the power of the law mean in our bibles? For one it is a biblical question that the apostle Paul uses as a primary teaching for the brothers and sister back in the first century.

1Cor.15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

The context of this inspired writing by Paul was to a fleshly congregation (Corinthian's), and what does that mean? It means that this congregation was putting their hope in the power of this life, and not the new one they had been born into, by Christ life.

In other words, the law governing this life had become elevated above the power of Christ life by his resurrection into immortality, which mean biblically, incorruptible, that is, not perishable, without sin, without death, and, hence, breaking the power of sins law over Christ life.

The laws of the flesh, which in this case the power of sin in us gave the law its power. Yes! All the working of the law in Israel, from food, to daily life into the temple of God, the government of Israel was turn against a sinner that broke the law giving its its power over their life! In other words, their lives were held captive to by the law until those sins could be atone for, it they could?

But if a person did not break the law, the law had no power. Now that seems simple enough, but is it?

1Tim.1:9 as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1:10 for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine;

Could a person not sin? If they did not sin, the law was not against them, but if they did sin the law gained power over them giving it the right for God and his government to convict a person of being a sinner.

Rom. 7:6 But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.
7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn't have known sin, except through the law. For I wouldn't have known coveting, unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."{Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21}
7:8 But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
7:9 I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
7:10 The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death;
7:11 for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.
7:12 Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good.
7:13 Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceeding sinful.
7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.
Simply stated, the law was against a sinner, it was hostile to a sinner because it judged them unworthy of life! The law only had one judgment for all sinners, and that was death!

Ephesians 2:15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;

Romans 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be.

Romans 11:32 For God has shut up all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.

Thus, the question/context is, that Paul was explaining that without the resurrection of Christ the Corinthian's congregation, that is, all of us calling ourselves Christian’s have no hope! Why? It is because we all sin and fall short of God’s glory and that means there is not one righteous person, for us to be righteous one has to be sinless!

Subsequently, we as sinner give power to a law that condemn us as worthy of its wage death!

Now that is the context of 1Corinthian’s the Fifteenth chapter. Thus, Paul makes clear if Christ was not raised than we are still dead to God, because we all sin, and sin wages is death.

1 Corinthians 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised.

1 Corinthians 15:15 Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn't raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised.

1 Corinthians 15:16 For if the dead aren't raised, neither has Christ been raised.

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:21 For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.

So why was it paramount that these fleshly Christian’s understand the power of Christ resurrection over the power of the Old law? There is no such things as a non-sinner born from Adam, all are dying in Adam’s sin[ the evidence is abundant God did not lie when he stated all are dying in Adam.

Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren't like Adam's disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Furthermore, God did not lie when he stated all are living in Christ the last Adam. The power of the flesh is greater in most Christian’s than the power of Christ living in them. But believing the laws of the flesh over the power of Christ life puts a person into a constant stated of repenting from dead works.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection--not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

In other words, they do not put faith in that Christ finished, completed, and ended the Old law over his body members who are born into him by Spirit and truth, and not by the physical will of man that fights to obey the laws of the flesh.

John 1:13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, "Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew,{The word translated "anew" here and in John 3:7 (anothen) also means "again" and "from above".} he can't see the Kingdom of God."

The lust of their flesh was being harnessed by the physical will of the life of Adam in them in fighting to obey physical laws for the flesh. This fight was more important in proving they were righteous than accepting the righteousness of Christ given them by Holy Spirit understandingly.

Rom.7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good. 7:19 For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice.
7:20 But if what I don't desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 7:21 I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present. 7:22 For I delight in God's law after the inward man, 7:23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.
7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God's law, but with the flesh, the sin's law.

They wanted to earn their righteousness so they would have merit before Christ in saying: “look how much effort I’ve put forth to serve you Christ, look at the merit I have earned by my suffering.”

Subsequently, they wanted grace by works, they wanted to stay in the old person of Adam, under sin that is death that gives the laws power rather than be freed by Christ from all sin once for all times.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Galatians 2:16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.

Galatians 3:2 I just want to learn this from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

Why would anyone be so foolish? Well, it quiet simple, all power on earth, that is, under the flesh of Adam life passed on too us comes from controlling the flesh making it earn everything from love, to education, position and power.

If men and woman wanted power, position and fame in Christ they could not live in Christ who Spirit is against all works of the flesh. There is no individual power in Christ if a person is a body member, it is the head of the body that has complete control over the gifts of the body. No body member can boast as if they somehow they took or earned a gift of the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn't receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

This life on earth is hated by the Spirit which is the flesh that lust for attention and recognition from others. To suffer in Christ as not being known by this world was not pleasing to those prominent men that were teaching others the Christ. They had gain fame, and power, recognition as super fine apostles of Christ, something God’s Holy Spirit would never say or even utter!

Moreover, this was the yeast Christ spoke of while still in his own flesh on earth before his resurrection into Spirit and truth for his followers. Yes, the mixing of laws of the flesh into the teaching of Christ would corrupt his followers on earth but not in heaven.

That is summation of the whole of your Christian Greek scriptures is the fight for true Christian’s to reject those yeast teachings and stay only in Christ by faith.

Giving ourselves over to laws of this flesh to empower sin in us already atone once for all times, it is not the power of the life of Christ in us. Love does not break promises, it does not live in death and sin. Living in Christ is free from condemnation of our sinful flesh, living in Christ puts our flesh to death by his life and baptism, but it also puts us under the power of grace, it is grace we must grow in.

Completed: April 04, 2021

by: Daniel a Slave in Christ Jesus

Additional Research:

Paul and the Super-Apostles – Quest. 2
Published on: May 12, 2015 Author: jblock@uoregon.edu Leave a comment
In 2 Corinthians, Paul spends several chapters addressing the threat of so-called “super-apostles” to his ministry to the church in Corinth. The background and teachings of these men are indicated in 10:3-5, where Paul uses warfare imagery to point out that these super-apostles are debaters. He implies that they are trained in speech (in contrast to himself) in 11:6. Paul also recognizes that these super-apostles claim to be “descendants of Abraham” and “ministers of Christ” (11:22-23), and were demonstrating miracles (12:11-12). They clearly took exception to the humble way in which Paul presented himself, claiming that while his letters were weighty, he was unimpressive in person (10:10), and was untrained in speech (11:6) – an apparent sign of weakness for a leader. There were also claims that Paul may have been dishonest with funds as he suspiciously would not allow himself to be financially supported by the Corinthians (11:7-11; 12:16). Ultimately, it seemed the super-apostles viewed Paul as a fool (11:16). Paul responds to these claims boldly, first by announcing to the Corinthians that whatever he said in a letter he certainly means to do in person (10:11). He also addresses their view of him as humble and unimpressive by saying that he refuses to boast beyond limits and will stick to the assignment he has been given from God (10:13), this in contrast to the way Paul characterizes the super-apostles as boastful, working outside their jurisdiction, looking to take credit for the work of others, and not showing good sense (10:12-13, 15-16). He even implies that these men, while they commend themselves are not necessarily even commended by God (10:18). He reminds the Corinthians that he was the first to come to them with the Gospel (10:14) and even if he lacks training in speech, he has proven to them he does not lack knowledge (11:6). Further, Paul asserts that any humbling of himself has purpose to elevate the church and makes him an even better minister (11:7, 23). The work of the super-apostles on the other hand may lead the church astray (11:3-4) and their need to be recognized shows them to be “false apostles and deceitful workers…ministers of Satan disguised as ministers of righteousness.” (11:12-13, 15). Ultimately, Paul seems to be warning the Corinthian church not to trust those who appear to have everything together – the ministers who have slick speech and can perform miracles, but are driven by recognition and power. On the contrary, Paul says that true power “is made perfect in weakness.” Suffering and the display human weakness show authenticity (11:30-31) and humility gives access to God’s power, rather than relying on one’s own human strength (12:7-10). Therefore, the appearance of Paul’s weakness – that which the super-apostles would put him down for, was in fact his greatest strength as it showed authenticity and a reliance on God instead of himself.