Subject: Law or grace or both? |
Bible Note: I wish to thank you wholeheartedly for your response to my last note on this provoking field of interest. I am in agreement with you, while still adhering to my stance. My point was, "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." (NASB). So, how is one able to live in obedience to our Lord without obedience to the law? Since, I have begun an exciting excursion into the bk. of Gal. through (Back to the Bible.com)and cannot express my stimulation of awe and wonder of St. Paul. Paul, in consideration of his attempts at salvation (in his former way) by following the law saw it as a shadow (works) before the subject (Christ). By considering the law itself, he saw that justification was unobtainable through it, and that there was now no further need of the sacrifices and purifications of it, since they were done away in Christ, and therefore, the more he looked into the law, the more he saw the uselessness of obeying it for the purpose of salvation. But, though he was dead to the law, he did not look upon himself as without responsibility towards the law. He had renounced all hopes of justification by the works of it, and was unwilling any longer to continue under the bondage of it. But he was far from thinking himself released from his duty towards God; on the contrary, he was dead to the law, that he might live unto God. The teaching of the gospel, therefore, instead of weakening the duty placed upon him, strengthened and further confirmed it; and therefore, though he was dead to the law, it was only so he would be able to live a new and better life towards God, and that this new life would be more agreeable and acceptable to God than his observance of the Mosaic law could ever be. Thank you for your time and contemplation. For this idea, I was looking at Gal 2:20,21 and related some commentary of Matthew Henry's. "...For if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." |