19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to
those who are under the law, that every mouth may be
closed, and all the world may become accountable to God,
20 because by the works of the law no flesh will be justified
in His sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin."
Paul had just shown that "there is none righteous, not even one"
(vs. 10). Anyone who attaches his salvation upon his own
righteousness--that is, his ability to do what is right in the sight of
God--has a misplaced faith. His faith is in himself and his own
righteousness, not in Christ's righteousness. Paul says that all
have sinned, and that no man is righteous. In other words, all men
need some other method of achieving righteousness (salvation)
other than by their own self-discipline, learning, and ability.
In the course of this argument, he writes verses 19 and 20 above.
The law gives us a knowledge of sin. It identifies sin, because, as
1 John 3:4 says, "sin is lawlessness." But the law cannot give us
the ability to keep it. Only the Holy Spirit working in us can do that.
And so, Paul says, whatever the law says, it speaks to those who
are under the law.
To whom does the law speak? Which people does the law convict
of sin? "Every mouth" and "all the world." Here it is plainly said that
all the world is accountable to God because they are "under the law."
It is not just Israel, nor any other limited group of people. Paul goes
on to say in verse 22, "for there is no distinction" between Israel and
non-Israel when it comes to putting one's faith in Christ to get out
from "under the law."
So it is with us on the broader level. The whole world is "under the
law" because the law convicts them of sin. The whole world is
accountable to the law on some level, for "all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). The way to come "under grace"
is by faith in Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross pays the full
penalty for our sin. Faith applies His death as payment for our sin.
Once that debt is paid, we are not under the law, but under grace
(Rom. 6:14).
Does this mean we have the license to continue in sin that grace
may abound (Rom. 6:15)? Of course not. Just because the law no
longer condemns us does not give Christians a license to continue
sinning--that is, to continue violating the law. Just because we are
no longer under the law's penalty does not mean that the law has
no further use and purpose. In fact, those who continue in sin are
abusing grace, and their faith itself is called into question.
This problem was prevalent in Jeremiah's day, when he confronted
the people in Jer. 7:9, 10,
10 Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear
falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal, and walk after other
gods that you have not known,
11 then come and stand before Me in this house, which is
called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all
these abominations'?"
Did you get that fivesense? I'm not making this up...I'm trying to
explain how God deals with us who breaks His Law (sin) and
thinks somehow God overlooks what we have done because
we are under Grace.
There are Christians also who think they have a license to sin,
and who then go to Church and say, "We have been delivered
by Jesus Christ to do all these abominations." Jeremiah says
that this makes the temple a "den of robbers." A robbers' den
is a safe-haven from the law, a hide-out, where they can be
lawless with immunity.
God's righteous standard was not put away. Only the means by
which we attain that righteous standard changed. Under the Old
Covenant, the people were told to achieve it by the power of their
own works and self-discipline. Under the New Covenant, we
achieve it through the three steps laid out in the feast days. We
get an imputed righteousness up front through Passover, then
go through obedience training in Pentecost, and finally are made
actually righteous in the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.
It is not about doing away with all righteous standards, for God
is not satisfied to leave all men in their current condition and
simply label them "righteous." No, God will not be satisfied until
we all look like Jesus Christ.
Back in the Garden when Adam and Eve sinned, God could have
allowed them access to the tree of life after their sin. But the
mercy of God did not want them to be immortal sinners. What
could be worse than leaving men in their sinful condition for
eternity? So God drove them out of the Garden and set Cherubim
to guard the way of the tree of life. That was an act of merciful
judgment.
The same holds true under the New Covenant. God does not
intend to create immortal sinners today, any more than in the
Garden.
If you do a study of the New Testament word anomia, "lawlessness,"
you will be enlightened to find that such an attitude and practice is
nowhere condoned by any author. Jesus condemns it in Matt. 7:23,
saying to such people "depart from Me, you who practice anomia."
Paul exhorts us in Rom. 6:19 to cease from the lawless (anomia)
way of life that we practiced before coming to Christ. John says "sin
is anomia" and that those afflicted with this heart-attitude are "of the
devil" (1 John 2:8).
Paul took the Gospel beyond the borders of Judea and Judaism.
To him, the whole world was in need of a Savior because everyone
was accountable before the divine law. All had sinned, whether or
not they had even heard of the Ten Commandments. All were
condemned by the law impartially, and likewise, all were to be saved
through Christ impartially and in the same manner.
I was asked recently how God could judge the non-Israelite nations
for sin when they had not received the law. Read Psalm 19. The
heavens tell of the glory of God. Verse 4 says, "Their line has gone
out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world."
Everyone has some level of knowledge. Israel had MORE knowledge,
and this made them MORE accountable, and God certainly judges
according to one's level of knowledge, as Jesus tells us in Luke 12:
47, 48.
Hence, God judged the whole earth for its wickedness at the time of
Noah's flood. He judged Sodom and Gomorrah for their "sin" (Gen.
18:20). In Amos 1 and 2, God judged Damascus, Gaza, Edom, Ekron,
Philistia, Tyre, and Moab as well as Judah and Israel for their
"transgressions." Without a law to transgress, they would have had
no transgression for God to judge, for Paul says in Rom. 4:15 that
where there is no law, there is no transgression. God has always
held the nations accountable, or else His judgments would have
been unjust.
Hope I explained myself a little better.
Logabe