----- Original Message ----- 
From: <malajaa@...>
> Chad.  When Terry challenged your citing the Word of God in Romans 6:14
> as a cliche, you responded that this isolated passage should not be taken
> out of the context of Romans 6 and surrounding.
>Terry then provided you
> and us with Romans 7 "dead to the Law", "discharged from the Law",  and
> Galatians 2, "through the law, I died to the law".  The other passages
> she provided not only support Romans 6, if anything they are stronger!
> The passage is not isolated.

I've provided an entire biblical theology from the entire canon showing why 
this *is* isolated (isolated to the word *Old*... which is the implication 
of that passage), specifically Leviticus, Deut. 29, 30, Psalm 40, Psalm 119, 
Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, John 1, 14, 15, 1 Thess. 4, 1 John 2, 3, 4, Gal. 6, 
James 2, and 2 Cor. 3 that not only speak of a law that is eternal (IOW, the 
New Covenant is not exempted from "eternal"), or laws given by Christ, or 
Christ as The New Torah, but also speak of a new law that is written on 
hearts, a new law that is organically connected to the old one (it doesn't 
make sense in the author's immediate context if there is not a *real* 
analogy).  That new law *really* exists.  It's not a metaphor.  As Jack 
said, the law written on our hearts is our union "in Christ".

We cannot get away from using legal terms merely because we are not under 
the *Old* law, which is what Paul meant in Romans 6, 7 and Gal. 2.  We are 
not under the *Old* law that kills.  We are slaves to the new law, Christ 
himself.

If I had to wager (while I drink my Pepsi), the fear in embracing the legal 
language of the biblical theology I've provided has less to do with being 
antinomian and more to do the fear of "the paedo hiding behind every rock". 
:-)  There's nothing to fear when we understand Christ as the ultimate 
fulfillment and final revelation of the *Old Law*.  And if we really 
understood grace and the incarnation, placing ourselves *under* Christ as a 
slave (what is "slave" but a legal term, not merely socio-economic) to the 
New Torah comes nowhere close to being the threat of the law in Romans 7. 
To quote Mel... it's "freedom!"

Chad Bresson
Xenia, OH