No, I think you're exactly right--you aren't in the place where I am, in forums hearing people use "faith" as a means of license, ie antinomianism. They say that "law" and "faith" are opposites, and that anything we "do" is a mistaken sense of guilt since we are not justified by what we "do."
Anyway, you're right that Paul has already pretty well defined "faith 101" in Romans and elsewhere. We should know that faith existed under the Law of Moses, and that grace is not antinomian. Here is a quick set of references to that effect, which is something I'm posting today on my forum...
What does Paul mean when he said that the Law amplifies Sin? I think this can be illustrated in the story of Abraham being asked, by God, to offer up his son Isaac as a Sin Offering, an offering designed to cover Abraham's sins. In the end, God stopped Abraham from offering his son because in doing so it was obviously a flawed offering. Abraham could not offer his son up as a sacrifice in a way that reflected the purity of God.
And so, God provided an offering for Abraham, instead of Isaac. And from that time forward Israel understood that in offering up animal sacrifices, the priesthood never offered sin sacrifices in the purity of God, but instead understood that God reckoned those sacrifices an adequate way of expressing God's own purity in providing His own sacrifice for sin.
Paul argued that from the time Adam and Eve fell into sin and rebellion in the garden of Eden, the entire race of humanity had become disqualified from eternal life with God, whether they committed sins similar to Adam and Eve or not.
Humanity had become spiritually tainted with rebellion. They were born with human spirits that had become contaminated with an independent, rebellious spirit, and this could only be finally eliminated by death, and not just by atonements man offered by himself. God had to provide an atonement that could forgive and mitigate sin, but the Law was designed to show that Man must die, because all have that contaminated nature.
So it is not man's own efforts that completely eliminate sin--they can only represent obedience that pleases God by showing our imitation of Gods' purity, and find acceptance in that by demonstrating trust that God alone can and will do the work of atonement. Man must trust in God to provide His own sacrifice, lest we suffer eternally the fate of separation from God, which sin requires.
This is what Paul meant by saying that the Law is not of faith. It was an acceptable imitation of what only God could do. But it still was a system based on man's contaminated performance in imitating God. To be a system based strictly on faith, it had to be based on trust that God would do what only He could do.
Rom 2.12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
Rom 3.20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Rom 5.20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
Gal 2.15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles* 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
Gal 3.12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”
Heb 7.27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Heb 10.1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins... 8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law.
Heb 11.4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings....
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death... 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
*When Paul speaks of "sinful Gentiles" he was not saying Israel was not sinful. Rather, he was speaking of Israel being chosen to live a life of obedience under the Law, imitating God's ways. "Sinful Gentiles" were raised in paganism not to imitate God, but rather, to rely strictly on their own justifications.
Anyway, you're right that Paul has already pretty well defined "faith 101" in Romans and elsewhere. We should know that faith existed under the Law of Moses, and that grace is not antinomian. Here is a quick set of references to that effect, which is something I'm posting today on my forum...
What does Paul mean when he said that the Law amplifies Sin? I think this can be illustrated in the story of Abraham being asked, by God, to offer up his son Isaac as a Sin Offering, an offering designed to cover Abraham's sins. In the end, God stopped Abraham from offering his son because in doing so it was obviously a flawed offering. Abraham could not offer his son up as a sacrifice in a way that reflected the purity of God.
And so, God provided an offering for Abraham, instead of Isaac. And from that time forward Israel understood that in offering up animal sacrifices, the priesthood never offered sin sacrifices in the purity of God, but instead understood that God reckoned those sacrifices an adequate way of expressing God's own purity in providing His own sacrifice for sin.
Paul argued that from the time Adam and Eve fell into sin and rebellion in the garden of Eden, the entire race of humanity had become disqualified from eternal life with God, whether they committed sins similar to Adam and Eve or not.
Humanity had become spiritually tainted with rebellion. They were born with human spirits that had become contaminated with an independent, rebellious spirit, and this could only be finally eliminated by death, and not just by atonements man offered by himself. God had to provide an atonement that could forgive and mitigate sin, but the Law was designed to show that Man must die, because all have that contaminated nature.
So it is not man's own efforts that completely eliminate sin--they can only represent obedience that pleases God by showing our imitation of Gods' purity, and find acceptance in that by demonstrating trust that God alone can and will do the work of atonement. Man must trust in God to provide His own sacrifice, lest we suffer eternally the fate of separation from God, which sin requires.
This is what Paul meant by saying that the Law is not of faith. It was an acceptable imitation of what only God could do. But it still was a system based on man's contaminated performance in imitating God. To be a system based strictly on faith, it had to be based on trust that God would do what only He could do.
Rom 2.12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
Rom 3.20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Rom 5.20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
Gal 2.15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles* 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
Gal 3.12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”
Heb 7.27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Heb 10.1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins... 8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law.
Heb 11.4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings....
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death... 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
*When Paul speaks of "sinful Gentiles" he was not saying Israel was not sinful. Rather, he was speaking of Israel being chosen to live a life of obedience under the Law, imitating God's ways. "Sinful Gentiles" were raised in paganism not to imitate God, but rather, to rely strictly on their own justifications.
