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NASB | Galatians 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Galatians 3:24 with the result that the Law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ, so that we may be justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] by faith. |
Subject: Is it possible to love God as commanded? |
Bible Note: I am sorry that I did not make my answer clearer. That is, I should have taken all that exposition on the purpose of the law and applied it specifically to your question. I'll try it again. The short answer: . . . In us, that is in our flesh, dwells no good thing. In ourselves, without Christ, we would find this command impossible to keep. But the Holy Spirit in us gives us the power to obey it. . . . Regarding the Mosaic Law, including Deut 6:4, "every unbeliever is still under its [the Law's] requirement of perfection and its condemnation, until he comes to Christ (Gal 3:23-25) and every believer still finds in it the the standard for behavior. . . . *fulfilled.* Although the believer is no longer in bondage to the moral law's condemnation and penalty (Rom 7:6), the law still reflects the moral character of God and His will for His creatures. But what the external, written code was unable to accomplish, the Spirit is able to do by writing the law on our hearts (Jer 31:33,34)and giving us the power to obey it" (p. 1707, MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997). . . . Consider Rom 8:3 and following: "that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfillled in us" -- IN us not just FOR us. . . . See also 1 John 3:4-9. Read this in the Amplified Bible, if possible. 1 John 3:9 Amplified Bible "No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God's nature abides in him...and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God." The key words are: "[deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin" and "he cannot practice sinning." This phrase once again conveys the idea of habitual sinning (see 1 John 3:4,6). The emphasis here is on the first part of v. 9: "No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God's nature abides in him." The application is that yes, it is possible for the believer to keep this command (see also Gal 2:20). As surely as I quote from 1 John 3, someone will write in accusing me of using that Scripture to prove this or that. To such a person I would say: I am not trying to prove anything. I merely point out WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS in this passage. Please don't try to tell me how I am interpreting 1 John 3. And you don't need to explain it away until the words no longer mean what they say. For once, just take bare words of Scripture, and accept them for what they say. |