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Title: The Fulfillment of the Law
During Paul’s concluding statement on God’s judgement, he closes with this very interesting paragraph laden with rhetorical questions. In fact, he is so heavy in his use of rhetoric, some find it easier to see Paul’s argument develop if we break down this passage in terms of a running dialog between two people. I would like for us to do just that this morning. For the purposes of the excercise, we will divide this passage into two voices, Paul’s voice, shown in green, and the voice of the opposition, shown in red.
My hope is that in using this method we’d not only get the fullness of what Paul is preaching to us this morning, but that we’d also get a glimpse into how Paul crafts his arguments and develops his ideas with an anticipation of what objections may come.
O: Where is boasting then?
P: It is excluded.
O: By what Law is boasting excluded? By the Law of Works?
P: No, but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Point: Because both the Jew and Gentile are alike, and under the wrath of God because of sin, and because the Law doesn’t protect the Jews, but rather reveals that they are doomed as well, then no one, especially the Jews, have any right to boast because salvation is not a human achievement, but a gift given of God.
Application: Our Christian discipline earns us no right to boast. Our Christian Discipline does not make us right with God. The belief of God, put in our heart by God, is what makes us right with God.
O: Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles?
P: Yes, of the Gentiles also! There is one God, and that one God will justifiy the Jews by faith and the Gentiles by faith!
Point: The Jews belief, not their obedience, is what proved their heart. The Gentiles belief, not their obedience, is what proved their heart. Though their histories were different, God saved both the Gentiles and the Jews by the same method, through belief in the spilt blood of His only begotten son.
Application: God’s plan of salvation does not change from person to person. Or culture to culture. Or denomination to denomination. Or even believer to non-believer. We need to know that plan (The Gospel) and make that plan known to others.
O: Does our faith then make the Law useless?
P: Certainly not! On the contrary, the Law is established by those with faith!
Consider 1 John 3:7
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He (Christ) is righteous.
Word of the Day: “Antinomianism” (Opposed to the Law)
Essentially, the question asked is this “Should we then, having faith in Christ, be opposed to the Law?”
And it’s a great question.
The way to answer that question is to ask an even better question: “What is the point of the Law.”
I would boil all of the Law down to two things:
1. The reality of personal sin.
2. How to be righteous before God.
And when we take the 1 John passage into account we see that those of the faith are the very people who are fufilling and upholding the Law because they are the people who are aware of their personal sin and have repented of it, and because the blood of Jesus over their lives justifies them as righteous before God!
Therefore we see the completeness of what Paul is saying. I have always been troubled by the statement that Christ came to fufill the Law. I heared it all the time, but now, now I understand how Christ fufilled the Law. And, even more than that, I see how we, as believers, are the ones who are establishing and upholding the Law of God.
Wow.