Understanding Sin Before, During, and After the Law

What does the Bible mean when it speaks about sin—and did man’s relationship to sin remain exactly the same throughout biblical history?

One of the greatest difficulties in understanding the subject of sin comes from reading statements made before the Law, during the Law, and after the establishment of the New Covenant as though they all describe exactly the same covenantal situation.

In Understanding Sin Before, During, and After the Law, Sam Royalty takes readers through a careful biblical examination of sin across three important periods of Scripture.

Before the Law of Moses was given, sin was already in the world. During the period of the Law, commandments clearly identified transgression and exposed humanity’s inability to establish righteousness through human performance. But the Law was never God’s final answer to the problem of sin.

Jesus Christ was.

This book examines the purpose of the Law, the relationship between sin and transgression, the limitations of human effort, and the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It then directs readers to the realities of the New Covenant and the believer’s position in Christ.

Rather than mixing Law and grace or placing New Covenant believers back under an Old Covenant system, this study emphasizes the importance of understanding Scripture within its proper biblical and covenantal setting.

The purpose is not to minimize sin or provide an excuse for sinful living. Instead, the book seeks to establish believers upon what God has actually accomplished through Christ: righteousness as God’s gift, freedom from the dominion of sin, and a relationship with God founded upon the finished work of Jesus Christ rather than an attempt to establish righteousness through the Law.

Understanding Sin Before, During, and After the Law challenges readers to ask important questions when studying Scripture: When was this statement made? Under what covenant? To whom was it addressed? What changed through the cross? And what is now true of the believer who is in Christ?

Before the Law, we see the reality of sin.

During the Law, we see sin exposed and man’s inability revealed.

In Christ and the New Covenant, we see God’s answer.

For believers seeking to understand sin, Law, grace, righteousness, and the finished work of Christ without confusing different biblical periods, this book provides a thought-provoking, Scripture-centered study.