Without the law, there is no sin.

[B-A-C]

Rom 5:13; for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Rom 7:7; What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."
Rom 7:8; But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.

Rom 7:9; I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;

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

Gal 3:24; Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

Without the law, there would be no sin. If God never gave us laws... we wouldn't even know what sin was.
We do not define sin. Society does not define what sin is. (Society says abortion and homosexuality aren't sins).

Lying is a sin... Stealing is a sin... Murdering is a sin.... Fornicating is a sin... Worshiping idols is a sin....
Having an affair with someone elses spouse is a sin.... Having sex if you aren't married is a sin....
Taking God's name in vain is a sin.... Telling a lie about your neighbor is a sin.... Coveting what belongs to
other people is a sin....

How do we know this.... instinct? Perhaps, God does say he will write His laws on our hearts. ( Heb 8:10; )
But even if it's instinctively knowing the law... it's still the law.

Now of course some people who call themselves Christians take these passages to mean now that they aren't under the law, they can no longer sin. But that isn't what these verses are saying. They are saying without the law, we wouldn't even no what sin was. There would be no definition of sin. None of us would be able to sin, because sin could not exist without the law.

Jesus goes a little further and adds to the law of the old covenant. He says that even looking a woman lustfully is the same as committing adultery. Even hating someone or calling them "good for nothing" is the same as murder.

Jesus has set us free of the "law" of sin.

Rom 8:2; For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Some Christians believe that Gentiles were never under the law. It's that's true then Gentiles could never sin.
If Gentiles can't sin, then there is no need for Jesus.

Jesus died to pay the price for our sins. He was lamb that was slain

John 1:29; The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Of course there are dozens of verses in the old testament that say not only Jews were under the law.
Even in the New testament you had to be circumcised to be "a Jew". In this case it didn't mean your were biologically a Jew, you were just a Gentile that followed Jewish law in order to follow Judaism.
If you didn't follow the Jewish Torah, you could not be of the Jewish faith, plain and simple.

Next.. scriptures in the old testament that say Gentiles were under the law.

 

[B-A-C]

Josh 8:30; Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,
Josh 8:31; just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
Josh 8:32; He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel.
Josh 8:33; All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel.
Josh 8:34; Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
Josh 8:35; There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.

The Jews finally made it out of the desert. They finally entered Canaan. They had conquered a few Canaanite cities right before this.
So who were the strangers living amongst the Jews at this time? Rahab would be a good example. She helped the spies, and the red cord
saved her life. ( Heb 11:31; ) Where did she go. Amongst the Jews of course. Her name is recorded a few places in the new testament. In fact, she is in
the ancestry of Jesus. ( Matt 1:5; )

She was a Gentile justified by works... ( James 2:25; )

Lev 17:8; "Then you shall say to them, 'Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,

The Gentiles living with the Jews were expected to offer sacrifices.

Lev 17:10; 'And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.

If Gentiles broke the law, God set His face against them just as much as if a Jew did it.

Ishmael had to be circumcised....
Gen 17:23; Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.
Gen 17:25; And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

But Ishmael was not Jewish.

Even in the new testament, non Jews were expected to be circumcised in order to follow the Jewish faith.

Gal 2:3; But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

Gen 34:21; "These men are friendly with us; therefore let them live in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage, and give our daughters to them.
Gen 34:22; "Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised.

It was expected that Gentiles living with the Jews would follow the law.

Rom 2:12; (NLT) When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.

... next, more scriptures about Gentiles and the law.

 

[B-A-C]

Acts 15:1; Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Acts 16:3; Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Gal 6:12; Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Gal 6:13; For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.

Even after Jesus was resurrected and ascended back to heaven, many Jews still wanted to practice circumcision for "new believers" even the Gentiles.
This had been the practice ever since the time of Abraham and Ishmael.

Paul calls himself the "apostle to the {u]Gentiles{/u]". That's you and me, unless you are Jewish. Acts 9!5; Acts 26:17; Rom 11:13; Rom 15:16;
Gal 1:16; Gal 2:2; Eph 3:1; 2 Tim 4:17;

All of the letters Paul were to the Gentiles. (the possible exception is Hebrews, which no one is sure who wrote it)
Rome is not part of Israel, neither is Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, or Thessalonica.

All of these letter are written to Gentiles. These places are hundreds of miles from Israel.

Rom 2:14; For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,
Rom 2:15; in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

Rom 5:13; for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Now of course there was sin in the world before the law came, but there was no standard to hold to.

Rom 5:20; The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Paul tells the church in Corinth...

1 Cor 14:34; The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.

He tells the Galatians...

Gal 4:4; But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
Gal 4:5; so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Why would he tells Gentiles Jesus redeems people under the law.... so that can becomes sons of God... if they were never under the law in the first place?

Gal 5:3; And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.

Why would he tell Gentiles that if they are depending on the law, they are obligated to keep the whole law.

Gal 5:18; But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

Why would he tell Gentiles they aren't under the... "IF" they are led by the Spirit. The obvious conclusion here is... if you aren't led by the Spirit,
you are still under the law.

Eph 6:2; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise),
Eph 6:3; SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.

Why would Paul give the church at Ephesus (Gentiles) a commandment to follow?

Gal 5:14; For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

Why would Paul give the Galatians a commandment to follow?

The point of all this is... those who say the Gentiles were never under the law, haven't read the Bible.

Jesus can't set us free from the law, if we are already free from the law. If we aren't under the law, we don't need Jesus.

 

[Lanolin]

Everyone was under the law but not everyone actually knew about the law...is that right BAC. The israelites were chosen by God to be ambassadors of the law and a holy people especially set apart. To show that Gods ways was holy and special and that others would want to follow this amazing God and be among His special people.

Well Jesus made a way for this law to be written on peoples hearts. You know how people say 'i know something by heart' meaning theyve memorised it and they just know it. This is how the law operates in christians who are given new hearts.

 

[B-A-C]

Isa 59:2; But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

It is our sin that separates us from God.

 

[Born Again 2004]

It is our sin that separates us from God.

And Jesus that bridges the gap!