Sure, I did not say that the law become death to us, it will be against Romans 7:12, 13. What I have in mind is that without the law, God has no legal right to execute the death upon men. The Law gave the legal right to God because under the law, no man is righteous.

I think this isn't a good way to consider this. It makes it sound like things would have been fine, if it weren't for God, and His unfortunate deed of giving the law. But if you think about it, introducing the law cannot make sin bad. Sin is bad of itself. Sin is selfishness, and selfishness is bad. Even if God hadn't given the law, selfishness would be bad, because it's contrary to the principles of love.

So why did God give the law? Galatians goes into the argument in more detail than Romans, but Romans deals with it too. God gave us the law to help us know about sin, so that we would feel the need for His help to be delivered from it.

Here's an analogy. If you drive too fast, you may get in an accident. So for the good of society, laws are put into place governing how fast you can drive. If you drive faster than that, you may have an accident. Even if the law were not put in place, driving too fast would still lead to accidents. Adding the law did not make driving fast any more or less dangerous than it already was. But the posting of the speed limit helps the driver to know what a safe driving speed is.

Similarly God gave us His law to help us understand the principles of His government, the principles of life, and to better understand the principles contrary to His government, contrary to love, contrary to life. He did this *for our benefit*. Certainly not to have the right to kill us! God forbid! God brings us life, not death.

I think what I've written here covers the rest of your post, James, so I'll stop here.

Sin causes death?

At the coroner’s table, death is identified as damage of the brain. The cause of it; a bullet that was shot through the head of the dead man.

Where does sin causes death here fits in?

The caused of the death: brain damage and all vital organs stop its functions.
The caused of the brain damage: Pistol shot to the head that blows the brain.

Maybe we can state further;
The caused of shooting: revenge, war, robbery, self defense, murder, etc, etc.

What is the caused of death of the Egyptian’s first born? Exodus 12:29.

Where does sin causes death fits in?

But I understand that at the end, sin is the indirect cause of the misery, the pain, the death, etc.

In His love

James S.

Sin causes the second death. The first death is only possible because God puts the second death on hold. John B. went into this in detail in his posts.

Did the analogy of the speed limit make sense to you? Does it make sense that the law that God added did not make sin any worse than it already was, just like the law does not make speeding any worse? The law clarifies sin for us, makes it know to us, so that we will deal with it. Does this make sense?

James, in my mind the answers to the questions you are asking are plain and simple. 1) God saves us from sin and death as we behold Christ and Him crucified. 2) God will punish and destroy in the lake of fire those who reject salvation in Christ.

Concerning 1 Cor 13, I usually understood it as a whole that should not be choped up into smal parts. In its context of the gifts of the Spirit, reminding the corinthians that while these gifts are from God and a blessing when used in an orderly way, they are nothing at all if the person lacks love.
The particular verse you brought attention to is translated "resentment" in other versions which backs up your understanding of it (though the wording used in your quote is not at all clear that this is what it means). In the way you used it, making a point that: 'love ~ God, keeps no record of evil, which would mean that the book that is to be/was opened with the records of all humans evil actions will be a rather thin book'. Of course there could always be a judgement based on the good things done and recorded, or not done, but thats not really what is teached is it?

/Thomas

No, when it says it keeps no record of wrong, it means in the sense of not being offended by someone, of not holding it against them. It's the same thing 2 Cor. 5:19 says, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them.

It's the same thing Jesus demonstrated in His life. For example, to the woman caught in adultery He said, "Neither do I condemn you." For those who were crucifying Him, He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." He washed Judas' feet. He told Simon a story that noone but he would understand. He looked at Peter with compassion and forgiveness in his eyes, winning him back. Everything in Jesus' life demonstrates One who keeps no record of wrong. When we've seen Jesus, we've seen the Father.

The books of the investigative judgement are just referring to things which are in God's memory, things which God knows. Not keeping a record of wrongs is not talking about bookkeeping. It's talking about motive, about intent. God does nothing with the intention of hurting them.

Quote.
Sin causes the second death. The first death is only possible because God puts the second death on hold. John B. went into this in detail in his posts.
Unquote.

Sin causes the second death.

Second death happened because there is a resurrection to life from the first death. If Christ didn’t come, there is only eternal death. And this death happened because:

1. Of sin?
2. Adam’s choice?
3. Stop eating the fruit of life?
4. God is involved?

Seems that most of us here prefer to say that God is involved!

Whether death is his creation, whether men was created mortal and subject to die, whether men was cut off from the tree of life, whether God sent his angle to kill, as happened to those first born of the Egyptians, as that happened to the world at the flood; At the end, God used death as a means to eradicate sin and sinners from his universe forever.

In His love

James S.

Quote.
Did the analogy of the speed limit make sense to you? Does it make sense that the law that God added did not make sin any worse than it already was, just like the law does not make speeding any worse? The law clarifies sin for us, makes it know to us, so that we will deal with it. Does this make sense?
Unquote.

Yes, indeed it is but isn’t one of the many function of the law is to justify God’s action in using death as a means of eradicating sin and sinners forever from his universe? Without it he would be blamed as a Tyrant and Dictator.

God knew that his law could justify no man for their righteousness in keeping it, but he still give it to men. Not only to get to know what sin is and guide people to Christ, but also to justify his action against men in using death as a means to clean his universe from sin and sinners and last but not least to justify Christ for his righteousness and award him with life, as according what had been said: “Those who keep My law would live” (Leviticus 18:4,5), repeated thousand years later by Jesus: “And I know that his commandments is life everlasting” (John 12:50) and Paul agrees with it: “For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them” (Romans 10:5).

So, the law justifies a man to live for his righteousness when he kept the law perfectly, but to those who didn’t they come under condemnation; which justifies God action in using death as a means to annihilate sin and sinners forever from his universe.

In His love

James S

Quote.
James, in my mind the answers to the questions you are asking are plain and simple. 1) God saves us from sin and death as we behold Christ and Him crucified. 2) God will punish and destroy in the lake of fire those who reject salvation in Christ.
Unquote.

Simple and clear!

In His love

James S

James, there's two possibilities.

1.Sin will kill us, and God is seeking to save us from it, because it is deadly.
2.God is warning us that if we sin, He will kill us.

You are suggesting that the purpose of the law is so that God can legally kill us. This is very ironic, given that the law says "Thou shalt not kill." But leaving that aside, I think the points John B. has made are well taken. The law was not ordained for death, but for life! It is sin, working unlawfully, that causes death. This is explained very clearly by Paul in Romans, as John pointed out.

God is life, and those who unite themselves to God live. To know God is life eternal. Those who choose to separate themselves from God will die, not because God will kill them, but because it is not possible to be disconnected from the only source of life and live.