Now, many of you Jews know and love the Torah and are afraid of abandoning its precepts. But remember that laws apply only as long as one is alive; just as a woman, whose husband has died, may legally remarry. In the same way as physical death releases men from worldly laws, our baptism is releases us from a Jews-only detailed obedience to Moses i.e. Torah. Think of baptism as the end of one life and the beginning of a new Life in obedience to Jesus.

Previously, under Sin our bodies produced the kinds of things which deserve destruction and the Torah condemned them. But now, as slaves to God, through allegiance to Jesus, we are to produce worthy “fruit” which God will approve of – good works which lead to Life with a capital ‘L’.

The Law of Moses was part of our enslavement to Sin because it condemned us and held us captive. But it was nevertheless a good law because our deeds were evil and needed showing up. Indeed some evil deeds, like envy and coveting, would have remained hidden without the law to reveal them. The problem is not the Torah but it’s ability to show me up for what I am and condemn me.

Sin’s power over us was evident: We were puzzled at how we did the things we hated and could not do the things we knew were right. We thus confirmed the goodness of Moses’ commands but became tragically aware of our bondage under sin. Only God could and can rescue us from this dilemma through Jesus and free our minds to serve him in conflict with the sin which still lingers in our bodies.

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