What is the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2)?

from the old testament

• The Law was given to set the Israelites apart as God's holy people (Exodus 19:5–6).
• The Law was given to teach holiness and consecration to God (Leviticus 11:44–45).
• The Law was given to make the Israelites a wise and understanding nation and reveal God to the nations around them (Deuteronomy 4:5–6).
• The Law was given as part of God’s covenant with His people (Deuteronomy 7:12–13). The laws revealed how God wanted His people to live.
• The Law was given for the good of the people, to guide them in loving and serving God (Deuteronomy 10:12–13).
• The Law was given to provide a choice between life and death, guiding the people toward life through obedience to God (Deuteronomy 30:19–20).
• Psalm 19:7–9 describes the Law as perfect, reviving the soul and bringing wisdom, joy, and clarity: "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether."
• Proverbs 3:1–2 and Proverbs 4:4 show us that following God’s commandments brings life.
• God's precepts are trustworthy and righteous, established for all time. Psalm 111:7–8 says: "The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness."

from the new testament

• Paul calls the Law “the law of sin and death” because under the Old Testament Law, breaking the Law is sin and the only just end for any one of us is death; it is impossible for us to keep the Law perfectly (Romans 7:10–11; cf. Romans 3:23; 6:23). The Law exposes the fact that we are sinners.
• "But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code" (Romans 7:6; see also verses 22–25). Jesus fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17–18). Having no sin in Himself (Hebrews 4:15), Jesus’ death paid the penalty for our sin (Colossians 2:13–15). His resurrection demonstrates the validity of the payment and the reality that Jesus has conquered sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:54–57). The Spirit, since Christ’s ascension, indwells believers to allow us to live for the things of God and not just to follow the law of God. Believers fulfill the law of Christ by loving God and loving others (Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21).
• The apostle Paul states that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). All who have trusted in Christ have been redeemed by Christ and are adopted into God's family (Romans 8:14–17).
• In Christ, we become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21) and we have the Spirit living within us empowering us for holy living (Philippians 2:12–13; Titus 2:11–14; 2 Peter 1:3–4).

implications for today

In reading the verses above, it's apparent that there are two different types of law that Paul is talking about—the "law of the Spirit of life" and the "law of sin and death." Since he says that the "law of the Spirit of life" sets us free from the "law of sin and death," we can gather that it is better to be under the law of the Spirit; but, what does this all mean? Jesus came to earth and perfectly fulfilled the Law, and He took the justly deserved punishment of the whole world on Himself when He died and was resurrected. Jesus' death and resurrection enables us to live under the law of the Spirit of life instead of the law of sin and death. This means that our faith is not about following a bunch of rules. We recognize the Law for what it is: it reveals God’s character and helps us recognize our sinfulness.

Instead of seeing God as a dictator who will punish us when we disobey, we see the Law as pointing us to Christ and living by what matters to God. As we live in the Spirit, we seek the things of God (Romans 8:5–6). We no longer live according to our fleshly thinking and desires. We no longer live chasing after the temporal pleasures of this world or no longer seek to make ourselves good on our own. Instead, we recognize the powerlessness we have without Christ. We now live in God’s ways through His power. Romans 8:9-11 says: "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you... If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." As we walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:4), the works of the flesh become less and the fruit of the Spirit grows (Galatians 5). When we are saved, we are freed from the law of sin and death—we are saved from eternal separation from God.

As we live in the law of the Spirit, the power of sin over us becomes less and less, practically speaking. Romans 8 begins from a place of thanksgiving—instead of being enslaved to our own fleshly self and trying (and inevitably failing) to fulfill the Law, we have been redeemed by Christ and are adopted into His family. We are no longer condemned to failure, but we live according to the law of the Spirit of life. The gospel has made all things new for those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38–39). We can rejoice, indeed, and live according to the life that the Spirit gives!