I was raised in Lutheran Doctrine, in which Luther placed Law and Grace in opposite camps. This left me wondering, "How can the Scriptures speak so glowingly of the Law, while at the same time Paul spoke with such hostility about the same thing?" Even Paul seemed to praise and curse the very same Law at the same time!
Rom 7.12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
Gal 3.10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
It seems apparent to me that Paul is describing what the Law was meant to be, a just judgment from God presenting a dilemma for sinful mankind. God pursues our obedience to His ways, while at the same time condemning us as failed human beings. How can God present to us a system that condemns us for all eternity, while at the same presenting to us a picture of His grace and love?
The simple answer is that God didn't quite do that. He did that only to produce an understanding of how He intended to resolve this dilemma. He would not recant His perfect standard of obedience to righteousness. But at the same time He would forgive man if he was willing to return to the standard of obedience God requires.
And that does not require sinlessness. It only requires adoption of God's standard of righteousness, which is dependent on Him, or on "faith," rather than on our own independent abilities and choices.
I think it is important here to understand what biblical "faith" really means, as opposed to how it is often portrayed. We are sometimes confused by how Paul, or the Bible, portrays things, and need to understand how they defined their words.
Biblical "faith" is not a simple believing in Christ for our forgiveness alone. Rather, it is acceptance of Christ's standard of forgiveness, which requires we adopt his system of righteousness, which comes through him, or through his Spirit dispensed at his will, rather than at our own independently-conceived will.
It is embracing a system of righteousness that he has displayed as coming through grace and forgiveness, and not by perfect obedience to his righteous standard. We accept him as our righteous standard, while at the same time embracing the idea of forgiveness of sin.
So leaving the system of Law was not a "Get Out Of Jail Free card" for those who wished to be forgiven apart from a standard of righteousness suggested by the Law. Rather, it was simply a call to return to righteous standards when it became clear that we regularly fail in a variety of ways.
The Law can be reduced to a simple example. In the garden of Eden Man chose to disobey God's law to choose to live by a knowledge apart form His own righteousness. Man wished to establish his own righteousness apart from the help of God's word.
The Law of Moses was intended to amplify this one central truth, that living apart from God's word is the same as choosing the tree of knowledge. And it cannot lead to true righteousness, nor can it result in fellowship with God.
This is, in a nutshell, what the Law was given to Israel to show, that we must live by faith, ie in conjunction with, or in partnership with, God in order to produce the true fruits of righteousness. Otherwise, we will be imitating God without true righteousness, or apart from God's word, the source of true righteousness. And we will find ourselves distant from God and producing evil.
John 15.4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
As such, the Law is not a bad system, but not intended to be a testimony we would wish to live under in perpetuity. It only illustrated the dilemma, and not the resolution. Living under it only showed that we need God, but cannot sustain that relationship indefinitely apart from God's act of Grace in providing Christ on a perennial basis. He brought righteousness that could not be cut off by our sins, as long as we are willing to repent in his name, ie in the name Christ, who owns the only way to the Tree of Life.
Rom 7.12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
Gal 3.10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
It seems apparent to me that Paul is describing what the Law was meant to be, a just judgment from God presenting a dilemma for sinful mankind. God pursues our obedience to His ways, while at the same time condemning us as failed human beings. How can God present to us a system that condemns us for all eternity, while at the same presenting to us a picture of His grace and love?
The simple answer is that God didn't quite do that. He did that only to produce an understanding of how He intended to resolve this dilemma. He would not recant His perfect standard of obedience to righteousness. But at the same time He would forgive man if he was willing to return to the standard of obedience God requires.
And that does not require sinlessness. It only requires adoption of God's standard of righteousness, which is dependent on Him, or on "faith," rather than on our own independent abilities and choices.
I think it is important here to understand what biblical "faith" really means, as opposed to how it is often portrayed. We are sometimes confused by how Paul, or the Bible, portrays things, and need to understand how they defined their words.
Biblical "faith" is not a simple believing in Christ for our forgiveness alone. Rather, it is acceptance of Christ's standard of forgiveness, which requires we adopt his system of righteousness, which comes through him, or through his Spirit dispensed at his will, rather than at our own independently-conceived will.
It is embracing a system of righteousness that he has displayed as coming through grace and forgiveness, and not by perfect obedience to his righteous standard. We accept him as our righteous standard, while at the same time embracing the idea of forgiveness of sin.
So leaving the system of Law was not a "Get Out Of Jail Free card" for those who wished to be forgiven apart from a standard of righteousness suggested by the Law. Rather, it was simply a call to return to righteous standards when it became clear that we regularly fail in a variety of ways.
The Law can be reduced to a simple example. In the garden of Eden Man chose to disobey God's law to choose to live by a knowledge apart form His own righteousness. Man wished to establish his own righteousness apart from the help of God's word.
The Law of Moses was intended to amplify this one central truth, that living apart from God's word is the same as choosing the tree of knowledge. And it cannot lead to true righteousness, nor can it result in fellowship with God.
This is, in a nutshell, what the Law was given to Israel to show, that we must live by faith, ie in conjunction with, or in partnership with, God in order to produce the true fruits of righteousness. Otherwise, we will be imitating God without true righteousness, or apart from God's word, the source of true righteousness. And we will find ourselves distant from God and producing evil.
John 15.4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
As such, the Law is not a bad system, but not intended to be a testimony we would wish to live under in perpetuity. It only illustrated the dilemma, and not the resolution. Living under it only showed that we need God, but cannot sustain that relationship indefinitely apart from God's act of Grace in providing Christ on a perennial basis. He brought righteousness that could not be cut off by our sins, as long as we are willing to repent in his name, ie in the name Christ, who owns the only way to the Tree of Life.
