Commentary on "Justification and the Law"

PHIL HARRIS

 

Day 6: Thursday, July 29, 2010 - The Law and Sin

 

Overview

This is the quarterly lesson introduction for today’s lesson:

“We often hear folk say that in the New Covenant the law has been abolished and then they proceed to quote texts that they believe prove that point. The logic behind that statement, however, isn’t quite sound, nor is the theology.”

 

Observations

To settle the dispute over the relationship of the Mosaic Law for those who have been set free from the slave woman mentioned in Galatians 4:21-31, we need to understand the meaning of verse 31:

So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. (Gal. 4:31 ESV)

As has already been shown, the law was added because the transgressions of the Hebrew people and would only be in place until the coming of the promised Offspring of Abraham would be manifested, Gal. 3:19. As mentioned earlier, our utter failure to meet the righteous requirements portrayed in the law pointed to the coming Messiah who provides us the only hope of righteousness before a holy God.

As Paul states earlier in Galatians:

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Gal. 2:15-21 ESV)

 

Summary

1. Which is more logical? The straight forward reading of God’s word or how Ellen White modified and twisted it’s meaning? Where should any person turn to learn biblically sound doctrine?
2. Paul upholds the law because it points to Jesus Christ who is the only one who could meet and exhibit the holy righteousness of God. It means we can be righteous and justified in the sight of God only by having the imputed righteousness of our Savior.
3. Those who expect to stand before God in their own righteousness face a terrible consequence for their foolishness.
4. If righteousness were possible through our adherence to the law then Christ died for no purpose.

 

GO TO DAY 7

 

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