Paul's Conception Of The Law

Paul’s understanding of νόμος is at the center of scholarly disputes. Paul’s use of νόμος seems to have a contradiction because of negative use in some places(3:20, 28; 4:13; 5:20; 6:14; 7:4,5,6,7; 8:3; 10:4) and his positive use in other places(3:31; 7:10,12,14,16,25; 8:4; 13:8, 10). As a result, many scholars agree that there is a difficulty to understand Paul’s view of the Law. For instance, George Eldon Ladd confesses that Paul’s idea regarding the issue of the Law is difficult because he has made many seeming contradicting statements. Peter Stuhlmacher also conceives that Paul’s expression of the Law is difficult to have a synthesis on the issue. Still, Frank Thielman contends that “Paul’s use of the term law in the argument of Romans is perhaps the most perplexing element in a notoriously complex letter.”
Sanders’s book on “Paul and Palestinian Judaism” opened a new threshold of understanding on Paul and the Law. However, this led the rise of the new perspectives on Paul in contrast to the traditional viewpoint. One of the centers of debates in these two scholarly perspectives is Paul and the Law. Scholars have employed different methods on different texts and have differing meanings. Therefore, this study attempts to propose how Paul understands the Law and its significance interpreting and analyzing Romans 8:2-4 considering as an important text more than the other texts because this text contains two expressions of the Law. Besides, the Law is harmonized with the Spirit with the indication that the obedience of the Law is realized in believers’ life through the mission of