Re-emphasis.
Previous blogs presented Paul’s repeated emphasis on what God has accomplished for sinful humankind. God had the sinful spirit of humankind die in the body of Jesus Christ on the cross at Golgotha. Humankind now has a new spirit, a new life, in Jesus Christ, the Second Adam. Jesus Christ is our righteousness from God. Paul clarified that our righteousness does not come through our works of the law. It does not result from perfect obedience to the written code. Sinful human beings could not render perfect obedience to the law. Moral Law demands perfect obedience, with no exceptions. Therefore, our righteousness came through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ only. It does not result from our faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith in Jesus is something we do. Therefore, if it were by our faith, it would be by works of the flesh. By trusting Jesus (or, as most translations have it, by our faith in Jesus), we accept righteousness by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit God gave us testifies to this truth to our new spirit in Jesus Christ. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:18, NET. Obedience to the Holy Spirit is required because we still have an old body, therefore, sinful biological nature. The sinful biological nature is in constant conflict with our new spirit in Jesus Christ.
Human righteousness could not come through obedience to the law because the law is not designed to bestow righteousness on the sinner. The Law only condemns disobedience and does not reward sinners for obedience. Therefore, sinful humankind needed to be freed from the law’s condemnation. Being free from the law’s dominion is being free from sin’s power. To continue in freedom from sin’s power, we must become slaves to God’s righteousness. The power of God’s righteousness has overcome the power of sin. The yielded believers could serve either the grace or the law, but not both,
“Humanly I speak on account of the weakness of your flesh. For as you yielded your body in slavery to the uncleanliness and the lawlessness unto sin, so now yield your parts unto slavery to the holiness.” Romans 6:19 (My translation). The yielded believers are convinced they could not serve two masters. Nevertheless, they are also convinced that the righteous requirements by the Law concerning human behavior are not abrogated by grace. Freedom from the Law’s dominion does not imply a license to serve the sin’s power. God’s selfless gift of grace destroyed sinful human inclinations. Isaiah 53:6. Therefore, freedom from the law’s dominion implies committed slavery to the universal principle of selfless love. Selfless love is the fulfillment of righteous requirements by the Law. The righteousness in Jesus Christ is not a license to sin willfully. Yielded believers do not sin deliberately and do not continue in sin. However, they will sin against the law. God, however, has forgiven all sins against the law, the past, present, and future sins. Only slavery to the righteousness of God can give us freedom from sin’s dominion.
To be continued in the next blog.
