What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
Summary: Paul restates his argument using a different tack. How are belief in God and faith in the law related?
Paul is deep into his arguments for relying on faith instead of a mixture of faith and law. His discussion about “seeds” as opposed to a “seed” is a complex way of tying God’s promise given to Abraham to Jesus Christ. Now, Paul restates his case using a timeline.
Paul has already explained that God came to Abraham with a promise. This promise is the foundation for the Old Testament. It was made to Abraham and his descendants, but more specifically, to one descendant, Jesus.
Paul makes the point that God’s promise to Abraham was made centuries before the law was given through Moses.
Centuries.
God’s promise to Abraham obviously could not have relied on the law! Instead, it was given because God considered Abraham righteous. That is not to say that Abraham was righteous in any way. He wasn’t. Abraham was a sinner just like every other person (except Jesus!) who ever walked the face of the earth. But Abraham had one quality that God liked: He believed.
The foundation of faith is belief (Hebrews 11:6). “Faith” is a word that has different meanings to different people, but to me, it is a word that means action (James 2:26). Without action, as James says, faith is dead.
We can learn a lot about faith from watching Abraham.
When God comes to Abraham and says, “you shall be circumcised” (Genesis 17:10), Abraham doesn’t stop to think. He obeys. Scripture says:
“On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.” (Genesis 17:23)
When God tells Abraham, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you” (Genesis 22:2), again, he doesn’t wait. Scripture says:
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” (Genesis 22:3)
The difference between “works” and “faith” is this: “Works” are things that originate with man and done according to man’s will. “Faith” is an instantaneous response to God’s will.
The “deeds” James refers to in his famous passage about faith are man’s response to God’s will. If we don’t respond to God’s will, but instead rely on our idea of “right” and “wrong” (the law), James says our faith is dead.
Perhaps now we can see why Paul was so terrified at the prospect of any believer turning away from faith and relying on the law.
Application: Be responsive to God’s will.
Food for Thought: How was people’s faith impacted by God’s law?
One way that people’s faith was impacted by the law – is that through the law people knew they had sinned and need help.
Romans 3: 19 – 20: Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 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.
The law shows us our need for faith in Christ. Then through faith in Christ and His work on the cross, we are made right with God.
Romans 3: 21 – 26: But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in h Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, i through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Thank you, Rich!
I just finished reading the Book of Joshua this morning. Joshua, an old man about to die, challenges the Israelites to be faithful to God. This is were we read his famous pledge, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
The first commandment, aka “law,” is “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
As Christians, we follow the same path. We learn about God, and then we learn about his laws. At some level, our first baby steps of faith are trying to follow God’s law. It is when we fail at that that we begin to understand our need for Jesus. Understanding our need for Jesus is the beginning of faith. Faith is a way of life. Like Abraham, the faithful walk with Jesus, filled with God’s Spirit, responding to God’s promptings because our will has been submitted to his will.
How was people’s faith impacted by God’s law?
Great sharing, thanks guy’s !
God’s laws provide a brief view of His character, and exactly why these are an impossibly high standard that fallen human beings can never meet. God’s Law is given to expose man’s sinfulness; it was never intended to make men righteous.
By declaring His Law, God is being gracious as He shows us our need for His righteousness which is not gained by our obedience to the Law, but is the righteousness that comes as a gift of grace through Jesus, by faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
The New Testament clearly teaches that those who have repented of their sin and placed their faith in Jesus Christ are not judged according to the Law. Christ came to fulfill the Law, and in Him, we are presented to God as perfect and holy. All our sin has been forgiven and covered by the sinless, sanctifying blood Jesus shed on the cross.
1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Galatians 1:4 who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.
1 John 2:2 He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Thank you, Ron!
I like this statement the best: “The New Testament clearly teaches that those who have repented of their sin and placed their faith in Jesus Christ are not judged according to the Law.”
To “repent” is to turn away from rebellion and disobedience and turn to God. When we turn to God, we see Jesus. When we see Jesus, we see Life! 🙂