Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Are you now trying to finish in the flesh what you started in Faith? Paul was not getting onto them for sins, he was getting onto them because they were trying to mix in a little law with grace.
Actually, trying to perfect themselves by the law is sinning and falling from grace.
Gal_2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ,
we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
James was writing to Christians about something similar to what Peter was doing.
Jas_2:9 But if ye have respect to persons,
ye commit sin, and
are convinced (convicted, admonished)
of the law as transgressors.
So, they had actually fallen from grace and put themselves back under the law (walking in the flesh).
Paul characterizes the problem as being
“removed from Him that called you”
Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
We also see a similar statement in Gal 5:8.
This persuasion
cometh not of him that calleth you.
Sin is transgression of the law, but we are not under the law, we are under grace. So, how can we break a law that we don't have?
You’re under grace as long as you stay under grace. Obviously, Galatians shows us that you can decide to remove yourself from grace. You break the law when you put yourself back under it by walking in the flesh. You stop fulfilling the law when you stop walking in the Spirit.
All things are permissable but not all things are benifical.
Sin is never permissable. Perfecting ourselves in the flesh by keeping the law is not permissable. One will fall from grace and remove themselves from “Him that called you”.
Sin, apart from the law is dead (Romans 7:7).
I don’t know what kind of a statement that is and not sure you meant to write it? You are saying if someone sins apart from the law the sin is dead? What?
Sin is not counted against us when there is no law (Romans 5:13).
But there is law today, isn’t there. The Law has not died. So, you cannot tell people that sin is not counted against them because there is no law. If you continually walk in the flesh you will come face to face with the law and the curses of the law real quick.
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever (that means you or me)
committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
When you start walking in the flesh (under the law) you will be judged by the law and you also put yourself back under the curses of the law. For the Law is no law at all if it has no penalty/curses. No such thing as a law without penalties.
Gal_3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed
is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
The Law still exists and if you don’t want to be judged by it then don’t put yourself under it (sin) by trying to perfect in the flesh (by the law) what the Spirit has started in your life.
And here is the law that James was talking about in James 2:9 (that Christians were transgressing).
Lev 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty:
but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
The law was never given to anyone but the Jews. God didn't even want to give it to them, but because of their pride (all that God says we can do--yeah right) He gave them the law.
It was the purpose of God to bring the law. Paul tells in various ways why the law was given:
Gal_3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made;
and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Gal_3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Gal_3:23 But before faith came,
we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal_3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Rom_3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
First of all, "Law" can be any “moral” rule or regulation that one decides to keep to make himself righteous before God INSTEAD OF/IN PLACE of walking in the Spirit. Thus, perfecting ourselves in the FLESH. You can seek to perfect yourself in the flesh by a law of your very own making, even.
Under the Law covenant, they didn't have any use for faith, they just obeyed.
The people did not seem to have any use for faith that is true, but God was certainly looking for it, wasn’t He? But, I think you are saying there was no need for those under the law to have faith and God would not agree with that statement.
Deu_32:20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end
shall be: for they are a very forward (rebellious) generation, children in whom is no faith.
God was not happy with His people
BECAUSE they had NO FAITH. I think you know what the implication of that statement is. He was looking for and expecting faith. Why hide your face from someone and be wroth with them if they could not have faith to begin with. That would not be fair-minded of God. So, obviously He knew they could have faith. But they were rebellious.
Because of that one false premise I can't respond to the rest of your post which is built on that premise. Please reconsider that you think God was not looking for any faith from those under the law.
Axehead
Eternal security just as trinity is not in the Bible, but I believe both to be valid principles. The Bible is very specific about believers being God's workmanship. If it is God begins a work shall He not finish? Shall His word go out void? Never.
When it comes to matters of obedience it is for us to love and keep faith. If it is we are not walking in the Spirit it is evident of our fruit, yet we are not justified in our actions rather in our faith. Without faith there can be no righteous actions; these righteous actions are attributed to God. Indeed Abraham was justified by both, being faith and works, but without faith his actions would have been different.
What many people fail to understand is that God certainly knows that the walk of faith is fraught with many dangers, toils and snares. It has it's measure of discouragement and that is why He is always encouraging those who are following Him. So, you will see many statements of encouragement such as "...began a good work in you and He will finish it" or "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us"
", but when one turns away from Christ, there are also warnings:
Heb_10:38 Now the just shall live by faith:
but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Axehead
The Comforter comes to us after the tearing down of our old structures we cling so desperately to.
