The God Culture: What Is The Law Of Sin And Death?

Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has a new entry in his Foundations series. This time he is asking: What is the law of sin and death? This is an issue Tim discussed a few years ago. In a nutshell Tim says the law of sin and death is not the Law of Moses but the inward disposition to sin. Let's take a look. 

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FOUNDATIONS | WEEK 19

📖 What is the Law of Sin and Death?

Not the Law of Moses.

In Epistle to the Romans 7–8, Paul contrasts two opposing principles:

The Law of the Spirit of Life

The Law of Sin and Death

These are not the same—and Paul does not treat them as such.

He writes:

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)

Freedom from one law by definition means it stands in opposition to the other.

Two Laws in Contrast

Paul consistently frames:

Spirit vs. Flesh

Life vs. Death

Obedience vs. Sin

The “law of sin and death” is tied to the flesh—the inclination toward sin that leads to death (Romans 6:23).

The “law of life” is tied to the Spirit—a life aligned with Yahusha and in agreement with Yahuah’s ways.

What About the Law of Moses?

Paul does not equate the Law of Moses with sin and death. In fact, he distinguishes them

To collapse these into one category creates a contradiction within Paul’s own argument.

Scripture maintains a consistent tension:

All have sinned (Romans 3:23)

Yet we are called to walk according to the Spirit

This is not about perfection—it is about direction.

Paul directly refers to the Law of Moses as opposite of the Law of Sin and Death:

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Romans 7:7-8

He then makes a statement that proves his character was never that which is represented in many church doctrines of men:

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Romans 7:12

There was no conflict here in Paul's words:

Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

Romans 7:13

Paul repeats this while contrasting the difference defining the Law of Sin and Death as that of the flesh, never as the Law of Moses: 

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Romans 7:23-23

Finally, Paul repeats himself over and over in these 2 chapters defining: 

"I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

Romans 7:25

If a pastor is teaching the Law of Moses is the Law of the Flesh, they have been deceived and are teaching the opposite of Paul's words. To teach lawlessness, is to teach sin (1 John 3:4) in fact. Thus, in espousing such satanic doctrines, they undermine the whole of scripture leading the lambs to slaughter. We do not believe most do this knowingly and their hearts are to serve. However, this is a structural challenge for a church which is becoming impertinent in these days of increasing knowledge.

For those wishing to us the next verse to claim we are not to condemn false unbiblical teachings, they also do not even read the sentence:

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Such doctrines justify the flesh and are not protected by this passage which requires such person to walk in the spirit which they have reframed as sin and death. There is condemnation for such false doctrines. 

Paul says Yahusha came to keep the Law: 

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

For those who position this statement as condemning the Law of Moses which Yahuah wrote with His own finger to start, is one of the very worst deceptions of our time. A claim that one who followed the Law of Moses was serving their flesh is blatantly false and blasphemous in fact. The real question is why do those they follow hate Yahuah's Law so much. Paul did not. 

Those who lived by the Law of Sin and Death in the Old Testament were not considered Israel even as they were lawless not operating in covenant: 

"Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."

Romans 9:6-8

In other words, the Law of Moses followed in the Old Testament was the opposite of the Law of Sin and Death as well. Equating the Law of Moses as the Law of Sin and Death requires profound deception. No people could ever claim salvation was a bloodline but it was always about covenant. Paul address those in Israel not keeping the covenant as "not Israel." This is how the Bible always treated such. YasharEl (Elohim is Upright) is not a people of man's blood but that of spiritual covenant. The "stranger among them" (Gentiles) were saved in the Old Testament the same as we all are today and YasharEl is a people defined by covenant, not by blood. It was a mixed multitude all along even I the days of Abraham and Moses.

A Matter of Alignment

Paul’s framework is clear:

Walk according to the flesh → leads to death

Walk according to the Spirit → leads to life

A choice is required.

Testing What We Are Taught

Scripture warns us:

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Interpretations must be tested against the full context—not isolated phrases especially when Paul provided 2 entire chapters on this conflict of 2 opposing laws even labeled as such in the KJV. That would be strange, new doctrine never taught by the Apostles which Paul rebuked.

Final Thought

The distinction Paul makes is not complicated:

Life and death do not come from the same source.

They are opposing paths.

The call is to walk in the one that leads to life.

Yah Bless.

Two passages have been highlighted above showing that Paul clearly says the Law of Moses REVEALS SIN AND DEATH. That is what makes it the law of sin and death. No one disputes the law is good and holy. But that is because it leads to Christ. Now Christ has come we are no longer under the law. 

In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul is very clear when he calls the law of Moses the ministration of death!

2 Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

Those verses completely undo Tim's Foundation lesson about the law of Moses not being the law of sin and death. But let's hear from noted theologian Father Ted Crilly on the matter. 

Ah, Philippine Fails, me lad... puts the teacup down with a heavy sigh and rubs his temples

I’ve read Tim’s Week 19 Foundations lesson on “What is the Law of Sin and Death?” and I have to say — this one is particularly slippery.What Tim is trying to doHe’s attempting to rescue the Law of Moses from any negative association. His main points:

• The “Law of Sin and Death” (Romans 8:2) is not the Law of Moses.
• Paul calls the Law of Moses “holy, just, and good” (Romans 7:12).
• The real problem is the “law of sin” that works in our flesh.
• Keeping the Law of Moses is actually the opposite of the law of sin and death — it’s walking in the Spirit.
• Therefore, Christians should still keep the Torah (Sabbath, feasts, etc.).

On the surface it sounds like he’s defending the goodness of God’s Law. But this is classic Tim — he’s using half-truths to smuggle the whole Mosaic system back into the New Covenant.Where he goes wrong

1. He creates a false dilemma
   
   
   No serious Christian says the Law of Moses is evil or sinful in itself. Paul rightly calls it holy. The issue is not whether the Law is good — the issue is whether believers today are under that Law as a covenant. Paul’s clear answer is no:
   • “You are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)
   • “We are not under the law” (Galatians 5:18)
   • The Law was a tutor to bring us to Christ. Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the tutor. (Galatians 3:24-25)
2. He minimizes the finished work — again
   
   
   Tim keeps treating the Law of Moses as the ongoing standard for Christian living. He never lets the cross be the decisive turning point. He never lets “It is finished” actually finish anything when it comes to the old covenant system.
3. The same pattern continues
   
   
   Every single Foundations lesson ends up in the same place:
   • The Law is good, holy, perfect, still binding.
   • Grace helps us keep it.
   • Obedience to Torah is how we show we’re really saved / in relationship / walking in the Spirit.
   This is not the gospel of grace. This is law disguised as grace.

The Real Biblical Teaching

The Law of Moses is holy — it reveals God’s character and our sin.

But for the believer, Christ has become the end of the Law for righteousness (Romans 10:4). We are now led by the Holy Spirit, not by the written code. The Spirit produces fruit in us that the Law could never produce (Galatians 5:22-23).

Paul’s whole argument in Romans 7–8 is that the Law is good, but it is powerless to change the flesh. Only the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus can set us free from the law of sin and death.

Tim wants the Law to still be the director.

Paul says the Holy Spirit is now the director.

Father Ted’s plain verdictThis is sophisticated legalism with better Bible references.
Tim is not restoring apostolic Christianity. He is restoring a Torah-observant system and calling it “walking in the Spirit.” He keeps the language of grace and the Spirit, but pours the old wine of law-keeping into new wineskins.
The real gospel says:

• The Law is good.
• The Law cannot save or sanctify.
• Christ has fulfilled it.
• We now live by the Spirit.

Down with this sort of thing, lad.

Very, very careful now.

The camel is not just in the tent anymore — it’s sitting in the best chair, drinking the tea, and Tim is calling it “covenant relationship.”
The true freedom of the gospel is so much better than what he’s offering.
...Right, I’m off to read Romans 8 again and thank the Lord for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that has set us free.
Go on, go on, go on — have a cuppa. You keep seeing the pattern. Tim’s “Foundations” are leading people back under the old yoke with new labels. The real foundation is Christ and the freedom of the Spirit. Keep holding fast to that. The gospel is far sweeter than Tim makes it out to be.

Don't forget 2 Corinthians where Paul calls the law of Moses the ministration of death

Ah, Philippine Fails, me lad... puts the teacup down firmly and leans forward
You're absolutely right to bring up 2 Corinthians 3. That chapter is devastating to Tim's latest teaching.Paul’s Clear WordsIn 2 Corinthians 3, Paul directly calls the Law of Moses the “ministration of death” (or “ministry of death”):

“But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious… how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?” (2 Corinthians 3:7–8)

He also calls it the “ministration of condemnation” (v.9).
Paul is not speaking in vague terms. He is explicitly talking about the Law written on stone tablets — the very Law of Moses that God gave at Sinai. He says this ministry brought death and condemnation, even though it had a certain glory. But that glory is fading because something far greater has come: the ministry of the Spiritunder the New Covenant.How This Destroys Tim’s ArgumentTim keeps insisting:

• The Law of Moses is not the law of sin and death.
• Paul calls it holy, just, and good.
• Therefore we should still keep it.

But Paul himself says the Law of Moses is a ministration of death and condemnation. He is not insulting the Law — he is showing its function under the old covenant: it reveals sin, brings awareness of guilt, and ultimately condemns those under it because no one can keep it perfectly.
That’s why the New Covenant is so much better. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6).Tim’s Consistent PatternThis latest post is just more of the same:

• He protects the Law of Moses at all costs.
• He redefines or minimizes any New Testament language that speaks negatively about the Law’s role.
• He keeps pushing the idea that the Law is still the main director for Christian living.

He cannot let the Law be what the apostles said it was after Christ came: a tutor that has done its job, a shadow that has been fulfilled, a ministry that brought death but has now been surpassed by the ministry of the Spirit.The Real Gospel ContrastPaul’s whole point in Romans 7–8 and 2 Corinthians 3 is this:

• The Law is holy and good.
• But it cannot give life. It can only show us our sin and bring death (because we break it).
• Christ has set us free from that law of sin and death by His death and resurrection.
• We now live by the Spirit, not by the written code.

Tim wants the best of both worlds: he wants to keep the Law as holy and binding while claiming we’re under grace. Paul says you can’t have it both ways.
Father Ted’s plain verdict:

This is sophisticated law-keeping dressed up as “rightly dividing the word.”

Tim is not restoring the apostolic faith. He is restoring a form of Torah Christianity that the apostles themselves moved beyond after the cross and the coming of the Spirit.

The camel is not just in the tent anymore. It’s wearing a yarmulke and Tim is calling it “walking in the Spirit.”

Down with this sort of thing.

Very careful now.

The real gospel sets us free from the law of sin and death — not by telling us to keep the Law of Moses better, but by giving us the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
...Right, I’m off to read 2 Corinthians 3 again and thank the Lord for the ministry of the Spirit that gives life instead of death.
Go on, go on, go on — have a cuppa. You’re seeing this clearly. Tim keeps defending the old ministry of death as if it’s still the Christian’s operating system. The apostles said something very different. Keep holding fast to the real gospel. It’s far better than what he’s selling.