What does Romans 7:14 mean when it says the law is spiritual?
The law is spiritual because it is the very mind of God concerning mankind. Paul contrasts this with his own condition: he is carnal, a son of Adam, sold under the Adamic nature or sin. Adam's fall brought this condition upon the human race, requiring Christ's death to bring fallen mankind back to Himself.
Les explains that Romans 7:14 declares the law is spiritual, meaning it is the very mind of God so far as mankind is concerned. Paul then says, “I am carnal,” a son of Adam, sold under the old Adamic nature, or under sin. Les connects this to Adam’s fall: when Adam sinned, he plunged the whole human race into that condition, and consequently Christ had to die to bring fallen mankind back to Himself. Les also addresses the objection people raise: how could God call me a sinner because of what Adam did 6,000 years ago? He says he cannot answer that, but God’s mind is higher than our minds and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. God sovereignly set it all in motion, placing Adam and Eve in the garden and giving them one simple responsibility not to eat of that one tree. It was a means of testing obedience; the fruit itself was not wicked, but Adam flunked totally by eating. Because Adam sinned, all his offspring inherit that sin nature.
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
More Questions
What does Les say Paul is doing in Romans 7:14?
In Romans 7, beginning around verse 14, Paul is reconstructing how he had to deal with the old Adam after he met Christ on the road to Damascus.