Law defined in the Bible is that which is. Law is a reality or set of realities. Law is the state of existence of that which God created and designed. Law is every aspect of creation as it is meant to be and as it interacts within itself.
The law of gravity states that a force in mass enables matter to attract itself to other matter. Simply put matter naturally always wants to hug other matter. An illustration of gravity is the mass of my body is attracted to the mass of the earth. So gravity ensures that my body remains attached to the earth.
Several laws of thermodynamics also exist. The laws of thermodynamics are a group of physical quantities of matter such as temperature, energy, and entropy. Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses hot and cold. Temperature is the manifestation of thermal energy present in all matter. Temperature is the source of the occurrence of heat, the flow of energy from matter to matter. An illustration of temperature is when I reach out my hand and touch a hot fire. The energy that flows from the fire to me is the transfer of heat from the fire to my hand.
Gravity and temperature are laws of matter. Laws exist for other things that God created. Laws exist in regards to human existence. Paul writes in these verses about the laws of human existence.
Paul writes about the law of sin. The law of sin is as much a part of human existence as gravity and temperature are a part of the existence of matter.
The law of sin is a powerful force in all humans (8). The force called sin lies dormant in all humans (9). All humans are slaves to sin (14) meaning we cannot resist nor stop the power of sin (17). Stopping the force of sin is as impossible as stopping a speeding train by standing in the middle of its tracks with only brute human physical strength.
The power of sin is released by God’s written and spoken law. God’s written and spoken law concern our interactions with God and other people (9). The 10 commandments are a part of the laws of human interaction. In other words, God’s written laws in the Bible are statements of facts of human existence as God created and designed. Law, as defined in this way, can be written and-or spoken. God’s laws naturally release the power of sin in all humans.
Another law in regards to human existence is the power of death (10-11, 13). The law of death is a powerful force in all humans. According to these verses, the power of death is released by the power of sin.
Thus, a chain reaction exists in all humans. God’s written and spoken laws regarding our interactions with others release the power of sin and sin releases the power of death. This chain reaction is unavoidable and always happens.
Another law in regards to humans’ existence is that we are made in the image of God. God’s character is good. Therefore, we are made with a good character (18). Good is a force, the expression and manifestation of God’s character. The good character in all humans strives to be good as God is good and we delight in doing good (22). Doing good can be felt by all.
So all humans exist with two opposing forces in our bodies (25b). We have the force of sin and we have the force of good in our bodies. “Although (we) want to do good, (sin) is right there with (us). For in (our) inner being (we) delight in God’s law; but (we experience) another law at work in (us), waging war against the law of (our) minds and making (us) a prisoner of the law of sin at work within (us).” (23) That is why and how all die.
Who can rescue a body destined to die? Jesus can (24-25).