CHRIST THE END OF LAW For Christ is the end of the law so that there may berighteousness for everyone who believes(Romans 10:4, NRSV).A well-known magazine ran a full-page ad with a headline thatread:Achieve Immortality! (were not kidding).In a sense they were kidding, because the ad went on to say,To find out how you can leave a charitable legacy that will make giftsin your name forever, contact us for our free booklet.Writers, scholars, philosophers, and theologians through the millennia have all wrestled with the question of death and what death does to the meaning of our lives. Hence, the ad was a clever, if ultimately unsuccessful, way to help people deal with their mortality.In contrast, all throughout the New Testament we have been shown the only way to achieve immortality, and that is through faith in Jesus as opposed to the keeping of the law-even though we are to keep it. Indeed, obeying the law is not in conflict with grace; on the contrary, its what were supposed to do as a result of receiving grace. Where Sin Abounded(Rom. 5:12-21) Though it points out sins, the law is powerless to save us from them. That very powerlessness, however, shows us our need for Jesus, the only solution for sin.ReadRomans 5:12-21. In what way is the message of Gods grace revealed in these texts?Notice in this passage the constant association between sin and death. Time and again they appear in immediate relationshipwith each other. And thats because sin, the violation of Gods law,leads to death.Now readRomans 5:20. When the lawentered,sin abounded, in the sense that the law clearly defined what sin was. However, instead of bringing in the natural result of sin, which is death, Paulsays this:But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more(NKJV). In other words, no matter how bad sin is, Gods grace is sufficient to cover it for those who claim His promises by faith.Influenced by the translation of1 John 3:4in the King James Version (sin is the transgression of the law), many restrict sin to the violation of the Ten Commandments alone. However, a more literal translation is:sin is lawlessness(NKJV)(anomia). Anything that goes against the principles of God is sin. Hence, although the Ten Commandments had not yet been formally revealed when Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he violated a command of God(Gen. 2:17)and was consequently guilty of sin. Indeed, it is through the sin of Adam that the curse of death has affected all generations of humanity(Rom. 5:12,17,21).In contrast to Adams unfaithfulness, Jesus loyalty to Gods law resulted in the hope of eternal life. Although tempted, Jesus never yielded to sin(Heb. 4:15). Here in Romans, Paul extols Jesus righteous obedience, which has resulted in eternal life(Rom. 5:18-21)for those who accept it. As the Second Adam, Jesus kept the law fully and broke the curse of death. His righteousness can now become that of the believers. A person condemned to death by inheriting the sin of the first Adam can now embrace the gift of life by accepting the righteousness of the Second one, Jesus.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 04:44:50 +0000
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