Pastor Matney has been preaching through Galatians for the last month. The word Law is used by Paul multiple times in Galatians and Romans. Understanding this word and how Paul uses it in Galatians and Romans is necessary to understand Paul’s thought process truly.

In three ways, Paul uses the word Law (Torah, Tora in OT, Nomos in NT.).

The first definition is going to be our default definition. It is—the 600-plus commands and requirements given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. By extension, also the provisions added by scribes and teachers of the Law.

The following definition of the Law is a combination of two related ideas. The first is the first five books of the Torah—the Pentateuch. The second is Torah as a whole. Think of the phrase: Law and the Prophets.

The last definition of the Law is. A principle or a rule, think of the phrase of Paul—Law of Sin—or the laws of music.

I hope that this little essay will help you out when you study Paul’s teaching in Romans and Galatians.

– Johnnie Kirk