Setting – Paul outlines that man is justified by Christ and not the works of the Law.
Content – Paul is making a clear argument that (v. 16), “…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus…” & “…since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” In regards to justification, our faith doesn’t allow us to ignore the law, but because of Christ death, we are seen has having fulfilled the law. The law condemns us, because we have violated its requirements, but God sees me through Christ. He sees me as living a perfect life because He is seeing my life through Christ, who did live out the law perfectly.
The obvious question is then, since we are still sinners then is Christ a justifier of sin (v. 17-NLT), “But what if we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then find out that we are still sinners? Has Christ led us into sin? Of course not!” Paul states that (v. 19-NLT), “…I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ.” We are dead to the law when we died with Christ. Even though the law still condemns all of creation, I no longer live condemned by the law, even though I am still a sinner. Romans 6:13 explains how we should be, “do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin {as} instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members {as} instruments of righteousness to God.” Since we have died to sin (Rom. 6:2), we are to no longer in sin.
Application – Paul presents the case that we are justified (i.e. made right with God) by our faith in Christ and not by the law. It’s not what we do, but what Christ has done, which is, become the sacrificial lamb to remove sin from us. We currently are seen by God a righteous, even though we are still sinners. But we are to live as slaves to righteousness and not to sin, since we have died to sin.
We must reminder ourselves, daily, that we are now dead to sin. As believers, we sure want to resurrect the ‘old-man’ (the sinner within us).
In addition to this, we can’t earn any more points with God by doing good things. We desire to do right because that’s who we now are and since we love God we agree with His commands because we know they are what we should be doing; and we do this in faith.
Content – Paul is making a clear argument that (v. 16), “…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus…” & “…since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” In regards to justification, our faith doesn’t allow us to ignore the law, but because of Christ death, we are seen has having fulfilled the law. The law condemns us, because we have violated its requirements, but God sees me through Christ. He sees me as living a perfect life because He is seeing my life through Christ, who did live out the law perfectly.
The obvious question is then, since we are still sinners then is Christ a justifier of sin (v. 17-NLT), “But what if we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then find out that we are still sinners? Has Christ led us into sin? Of course not!” Paul states that (v. 19-NLT), “…I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ.” We are dead to the law when we died with Christ. Even though the law still condemns all of creation, I no longer live condemned by the law, even though I am still a sinner. Romans 6:13 explains how we should be, “do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin {as} instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members {as} instruments of righteousness to God.” Since we have died to sin (Rom. 6:2), we are to no longer in sin.
Application – Paul presents the case that we are justified (i.e. made right with God) by our faith in Christ and not by the law. It’s not what we do, but what Christ has done, which is, become the sacrificial lamb to remove sin from us. We currently are seen by God a righteous, even though we are still sinners. But we are to live as slaves to righteousness and not to sin, since we have died to sin.
We must reminder ourselves, daily, that we are now dead to sin. As believers, we sure want to resurrect the ‘old-man’ (the sinner within us).
In addition to this, we can’t earn any more points with God by doing good things. We desire to do right because that’s who we now are and since we love God we agree with His commands because we know they are what we should be doing; and we do this in faith.
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