The last two verses of Romans 5 are among the truly great verses of the Bible. In the midst of a book in which every sentence is great, Romans 5:20, 21 stands out like a brilliant beacon on a dark night. The dark background is sin and its horrible proliferation in the world. But the beacon flashes brightly: “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.” This is the climax of a passage that contains a greater concentration of the word “grace” than any other similar passage in the Bible, five times in verses 15-21.
Yesterday we concluded our study by describing one failure of legalism. We need to see one more, before showing how true freedom leads to obedience.
Legalism produces bondage. Not only does legalism fail to produce what its defenders seek—that is, morality—but it actually has a contrary and harmful effect if it is seriously pursued. It produces bondage. Don't you know people who always seem to be trying to live their lives by rules? People who are constantly afraid that they might transgress some legal or moral boundary and be knocked down by God? They are not free people. They are not even happy. They are oppressed, sad, grim, burdened, and discouraged.
The gospel Paul preached leads to loose living. The third charge against Paul was that his gospel of grace through faith abolishes restraints against sin. The Jews had the law, and they had stressed rigorous morality. Therefore, they looked down on Gentiles who did not have the law and lived immoral lives. What would happen if the law should be removed from Gentile churches? Clearly, lawlessness would increase and immorality would rise, according to the legalizers.
Paul's opponents had probably argued that because the law is God's law and is eternal in its effect (since God's character does not change), keeping the law was and continues to be the way of salvation. They would have claimed that all who have ever been saved have kept the law. Jesus himself kept the law. So did his disciples. Who, then, was Paul to dismiss the requirements of the law as things unnecessary for salvation?
As we read Paul's letter, we are aware that Paul was facing three devastating charges from his opponents: first, that he was no true apostle; second, that the gospel he preached was no true gospel; and third, that the gospel he did preach leads to loose living. Paul answered these charges in the three major sections of the letter: the first in chapters 1 and 2; the second in chapters 3 and 4; and the third in chapters 5 and 6.
