If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
Summary: Keep up with Paul can be a challenge. In this passage he reflects on his personal journey with God’s law. The old covenant law is obsolete, and the “new law” is to trust in Jesus. If we try to mix the old with the new, we end up breaking the new law.
At times, Paul’s thoughts get to running so fast that it is hard to keep up with him. His last sentence, verse seventeen, was complex enough. Each step takes us farther out on the logical precipice Paul has constructed in his mind.
Paul argued that since the law defines what a “sin” is and logically sin can not exist without the law, some people might think that promoting the law is promoting sin. Of course, the intent of the law is to point people in the right direction, but when we fail to follow the “pointer,” we “sin.”
Today’s passage relies on the fact that Jesus no longer requires us to be subject to the law in order to be saved. If that is true, who are we to promote the law? Paul says, “If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.”
I find his thinking hard to follow in this verse, so I checked other translations, and I discovered that the Amplified version of the Bible helps explain the meaning of Paul’s words.
“For if I [or anyone else should] rebuild [through word or by practice] what I once tore down [the belief that observing the Law is essential for salvation], I prove myself to be a transgressor.” (Galatians 2:19 AMP)
Did Paul really “tear down” the law? In a sense, we all do when we put our hope in Jesus (the new covenant) and remove our hope from faith in the law. At the same time, we no longer trust the law for our salvation. Instead, we have to rely on Jesus. If I rely on keeping the law to “earn” my salvation, then I have to trust my own ability to keep every part of the law. If I slip up, I lose my salvation! If I imagine that I am keeping the law, then I am really trusting myself.
It is faith in our own ability to keep the law that we “destroy.”
According to Paul’s thinking, faith in Jesus and the new covenant in his blood is actually obeying the law. (Remember, the law is a pointer that shows us the way to fulfill God’s will.) If, after turning to Christ in faith, I decide to rely on a “law” again for my salvation, I have broken the law that says I should only put my faith in Jesus.
If you find all of this overly confusing, you are not alone. Just remember these words; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Application: Trust Jesus!
Food for Thought: When Paul says, “If I rebuild what I destroyed,” what is he rebuilding?
He would once again be observing the law for his salvation.
He would rebuild a false means of salvation that requires observing the law. Just as important, he would be denying Jesus as the sole means of salvation (or as the only Savior).
Thanks Rich!
I like your phrase, “a false means of salvation.”
When Paul says, “If I rebuild what I destroyed,” what is he rebuilding?
Romans 8:1-2, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
To return to life as it was before Jesus came into my heart, causes me to recall a Proverb.
Proverbs 26:11, As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
Great proverb, Ron!
I appreciate the Romans 8:1-2 passage as well. Paul delineates two “laws.” One is the “law of the Spirit,” and the other is the “law of sin and death.” These are important clues to his thinking.
Well, I think Rich really gave a fantastic response.
A thought that came to me as I read the devotion is being a slave to sin again. As followers of Christ, we put our faith in Him, not in our ability to follow rules. It doesnt mean there are no rules, but that obedience is to Christ, and He will guide us to a rightous life through His Holy Spirit. We are no longer slaves to sin, He will give us the strength to turn from sin. To return to observing the law as a means to obtain rightouness makes us a slave to sin again.
Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Thanks Chris!
Excellent observation!