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Romans 3:31
Considered in totality, Paul is in no way against God's law. However, he is very much against misapplying it, such as thinking we can approach the Father because we have never killed anyone or did not lie this week, etc. Instead, as he reasons, we must begin with the fact that we are sinners, and our best efforts can never justify us once we have transgressed. We can approach the Father only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Even so, that critical point does not mean the law is unnecessary. Indeed, the law is extremely valuable because it reveals where we are out of alignment with God so we can change course. Thus, God gives us His law as a lamp to our feet (see Psalm 119:105)—to teach us how to walk and live as He lives. Even if a man feels at peace with God in how he is living, it does not mean God has no controversy with him. Psalm 7:11 says, “God is angry with the wicked every day,” despite also sending rain and sun on the good/just and evil/unjust alike (Matthew 5:45). Psalm 50:21 describes how His silence can lead sinners to the assumption that He is on their side. Still, neither God's silence nor how a man feels are good indicators of what He thinks. Instead, His Word reveals what He thinks. Understanding the principle of justification by faith, we can work backward, step by step, and understand how faith confirms or upholds the law. The first step is that the faith Paul has in mind in Romans 3:31 is belief in Christ's sacrifice to pay for our sins. The second step is that, since there are sins that need to be atoned, a law—a definition of right and wrong—is still necessary. I John 3:4 teaches that sin is the transgression of the law, so a standard of conduct must exist to be transgressed. Such transgression triggers the death penalty and the sinner's need for a Redeemer. The conclusion, then, is that inherent within our belief that Christ's blood pays the death penalty is an acknowledgment that God's law has been broken. Rather than nullifying God's law through our belief, we implicitly confirm that God's law is still very much in effect and admit we still need to be saved from the death penalty when we break that law. If we have this faith, forgiveness is available when we repent, but repentance means turning from transgressing God's standards. In Romans 6:15, Paul is aghast at the thought of continuing in sin—of persisting in behaviors that activate the death penalty, which includes breaking the fourth commandment by not treating the seventh day as holy. Likewise, Jude 4 warns of those who turn God's grace into license, and Hebrews 10:26-27 contains a thunderous yet ignored declaration: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”
David C. Grabbe
How Does Faith Establish the Law? (Part Two)
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