Sorry for the late reply to this. Work is picking up and I can't hop on CC as I used to.
The law is not and has never been the issue. This is literally the notion I'm arguing against. It may seem like a small thing but it isn't. If we read Paul's letters this way it pits the law against grace, which doesn't work on any level. And then we need to work backward (logically) to try to extrapolate the Father's reason for giving it as "well He gave the law to us to show we could never obey it."
But such a notion is literally NOWHERE in scripture. Nowhere.
The law doesn't need to be dealt with. We need to be dealt with. The blood was shed to change US from the inside-out.
Why?
Because the law remains and demands either our death or our compliance.
His blood cleans "the inside of the cup". Matthew 23:26
Justified means "to be made clean" or "right".
Did you know that no law ANYWHERE...from ANY government or society...has the power to make you or me "right" in the eyes of the law once we have broken it? It isn't something unique to the kingdom of Heaven. Paul didn't state a fact unique to God's law. He was introducing an immutable fact about "law" and properly applying that fact to God's law. No law can make you "right" in the eyes of the law once broken because a law is created to show us what a crime is. Its created purpose - in any government - is to show us the boundary we're not to cross. Thus the mere existence of a law (any law) doesn't (ergo) make the citizens "right"; it does nothing to affect the internal qualities and character of a person.
----
^ This is what Paul was saying. He wasn't making an argument against the law but was clarifying its true scope and purpose. So we must stop reading Paul's words as if he is. When we are found guilty of breaking a law we need to go to the judge either to pay or to be forgiven of the crime. We can't immediately start obeying the law we broke to somehow make us "right" retroactively when we're already found guilty. No law works that way. So likewise with God's law. We must get forgiveness by going to the Heavenly Judge to be made "right" once again.
----
With this said, there is another issue that arises that Paul addresses when considering God's law in particular - The corrupt/evil flesh of man.
When GOD'S LAW is necessarily introduced (i.e. necessary because every kingdom or government has a law its citizens must abide by), we IMMEDIATELY want to disobey it. Why? Because God is good and we are not (our flesh). He tells us "do not" and immediately our flesh says "then I want to more".
Thus, something ELSE was needed...apart from the NECESSARY LAW (i.e. "apart from" simply means "outside of" and does NOT mean "in replacement of")...to affect this change of internal qualities and character, otherwise people would continue to break God's law, deserve to die, break His law, deserve to die, break the law, die, sin, die, sin, die...and on and on.
And that "something else" is the glorified Spirit (Holy Spirit) and personal strength of the Son to be obedient (Grace), which we must tap into and "listen to" in order to fulfill/satisfy the immutable, necessary law of God. And when we do, we will have the power to uphold the law as righteous citizens of heaven.
God forgives us of our sins (making us "right") and then gives us the tools and strength to obey (fulfilling the law).
^The New Covenant. The Gospel.
The law is not and has never been the issue. This is literally the notion I'm arguing against. It may seem like a small thing but it isn't. If we read Paul's letters this way it pits the law against grace, which doesn't work on any level. And then we need to work backward (logically) to try to extrapolate the Father's reason for giving it as "well He gave the law to us to show we could never obey it."
But such a notion is literally NOWHERE in scripture. Nowhere.
The law doesn't need to be dealt with. We need to be dealt with. The blood was shed to change US from the inside-out.
Why?
Because the law remains and demands either our death or our compliance.
His blood cleans "the inside of the cup". Matthew 23:26
Justified means "to be made clean" or "right".
Did you know that no law ANYWHERE...from ANY government or society...has the power to make you or me "right" in the eyes of the law once we have broken it? It isn't something unique to the kingdom of Heaven. Paul didn't state a fact unique to God's law. He was introducing an immutable fact about "law" and properly applying that fact to God's law. No law can make you "right" in the eyes of the law once broken because a law is created to show us what a crime is. Its created purpose - in any government - is to show us the boundary we're not to cross. Thus the mere existence of a law (any law) doesn't (ergo) make the citizens "right"; it does nothing to affect the internal qualities and character of a person.
----
^ This is what Paul was saying. He wasn't making an argument against the law but was clarifying its true scope and purpose. So we must stop reading Paul's words as if he is. When we are found guilty of breaking a law we need to go to the judge either to pay or to be forgiven of the crime. We can't immediately start obeying the law we broke to somehow make us "right" retroactively when we're already found guilty. No law works that way. So likewise with God's law. We must get forgiveness by going to the Heavenly Judge to be made "right" once again.
----
With this said, there is another issue that arises that Paul addresses when considering God's law in particular - The corrupt/evil flesh of man.
When GOD'S LAW is necessarily introduced (i.e. necessary because every kingdom or government has a law its citizens must abide by), we IMMEDIATELY want to disobey it. Why? Because God is good and we are not (our flesh). He tells us "do not" and immediately our flesh says "then I want to more".
Thus, something ELSE was needed...apart from the NECESSARY LAW (i.e. "apart from" simply means "outside of" and does NOT mean "in replacement of")...to affect this change of internal qualities and character, otherwise people would continue to break God's law, deserve to die, break His law, deserve to die, break the law, die, sin, die, sin, die...and on and on.
And that "something else" is the glorified Spirit (Holy Spirit) and personal strength of the Son to be obedient (Grace), which we must tap into and "listen to" in order to fulfill/satisfy the immutable, necessary law of God. And when we do, we will have the power to uphold the law as righteous citizens of heaven.
God forgives us of our sins (making us "right") and then gives us the tools and strength to obey (fulfilling the law).
^The New Covenant. The Gospel.
Sorry for the late reply to this. Work is picking up and I can't hop on CC as I used to.
The law is not and has never been the issue. This is literally the notion I'm arguing against. It may seem like a small thing but it isn't. If we read Paul's letters this way it pits the law against grace, which doesn't work on any level. And then we need to work backward (logically) to try to extrapolate the Father's reason for giving it as "well He gave the law to us to show we could never obey it."
But such a notion is literally NOWHERE in scripture. Nowhere.
The law doesn't need to be dealt with. We need to be dealt with. The blood was shed to change US from the inside-out.
Why?
Because the law remains and demands either our death or our compliance.
His blood cleans "the inside of the cup". Matthew 23:26
Justified means "to be made clean" or "right".
Did you know that no law ANYWHERE...from ANY government or society...has the power to make you or me "right" in the eyes of the law once we have broken it? It isn't something unique to the kingdom of Heaven. Paul didn't state a fact unique to God's law. He was introducing an immutable fact about "law" and properly applying that fact to God's law. No law can make you "right" in the eyes of the law once broken because a law is created to show us what a crime is. Its created purpose - in any government - is to show us the boundary we're not to cross. Thus the mere existence of a law (any law) doesn't (ergo) make the citizens "right"; it does nothing to affect the internal qualities and character of a person.
----
^ This is what Paul was saying. He wasn't making an argument against the law but was clarifying its true scope and purpose. So we must stop reading Paul's words as if he is. When we are found guilty of breaking a law we need to go to the judge either to pay or to be forgiven of the crime. We can't immediately start obeying the law we broke to somehow make us "right" retroactively when we're already found guilty. No law works that way. So likewise with God's law. We must get forgiveness by going to the Heavenly Judge to be made "right" once again.
----
With this said, there is another issue that arises that Paul addresses when considering God's law in particular - The corrupt/evil flesh of man.
When GOD'S LAW is necessarily introduced (i.e. necessary because every kingdom or government has a law its citizens must abide by), we IMMEDIATELY want to disobey it. Why? Because God is good and we are not (our flesh). He tells us "do not" and immediately our flesh says "then I want to more".
Thus, something ELSE was needed...apart from the NECESSARY LAW (i.e. "apart from" simply means "outside of" and does NOT mean "in replacement of")...to affect this change of internal qualities and character, otherwise people would continue to break God's law, deserve to die, break His law, deserve to die, break the law, die, sin, die, sin, die...and on and on.
And that "something else" is the glorified Spirit (Holy Spirit) and personal strength of the Son to be obedient (Grace), which we must tap into and "listen to" in order to fulfill/satisfy the immutable, necessary law of God. And when we do, we will have the power to uphold the law as righteous citizens of heaven.
God forgives us of our sins (making us "right") and then gives us the tools and strength to obey (fulfilling the law).
^The New Covenant. The Gospel.
The law is not and has never been the issue. This is literally the notion I'm arguing against. It may seem like a small thing but it isn't. If we read Paul's letters this way it pits the law against grace, which doesn't work on any level. And then we need to work backward (logically) to try to extrapolate the Father's reason for giving it as "well He gave the law to us to show we could never obey it."
But such a notion is literally NOWHERE in scripture. Nowhere.
The law doesn't need to be dealt with. We need to be dealt with. The blood was shed to change US from the inside-out.
Why?
Because the law remains and demands either our death or our compliance.
His blood cleans "the inside of the cup". Matthew 23:26
Justified means "to be made clean" or "right".
Did you know that no law ANYWHERE...from ANY government or society...has the power to make you or me "right" in the eyes of the law once we have broken it? It isn't something unique to the kingdom of Heaven. Paul didn't state a fact unique to God's law. He was introducing an immutable fact about "law" and properly applying that fact to God's law. No law can make you "right" in the eyes of the law once broken because a law is created to show us what a crime is. Its created purpose - in any government - is to show us the boundary we're not to cross. Thus the mere existence of a law (any law) doesn't (ergo) make the citizens "right"; it does nothing to affect the internal qualities and character of a person.
----
^ This is what Paul was saying. He wasn't making an argument against the law but was clarifying its true scope and purpose. So we must stop reading Paul's words as if he is. When we are found guilty of breaking a law we need to go to the judge either to pay or to be forgiven of the crime. We can't immediately start obeying the law we broke to somehow make us "right" retroactively when we're already found guilty. No law works that way. So likewise with God's law. We must get forgiveness by going to the Heavenly Judge to be made "right" once again.
----
With this said, there is another issue that arises that Paul addresses when considering God's law in particular - The corrupt/evil flesh of man.
When GOD'S LAW is necessarily introduced (i.e. necessary because every kingdom or government has a law its citizens must abide by), we IMMEDIATELY want to disobey it. Why? Because God is good and we are not (our flesh). He tells us "do not" and immediately our flesh says "then I want to more".
Thus, something ELSE was needed...apart from the NECESSARY LAW (i.e. "apart from" simply means "outside of" and does NOT mean "in replacement of")...to affect this change of internal qualities and character, otherwise people would continue to break God's law, deserve to die, break His law, deserve to die, break the law, die, sin, die, sin, die...and on and on.
And that "something else" is the glorified Spirit (Holy Spirit) and personal strength of the Son to be obedient (Grace), which we must tap into and "listen to" in order to fulfill/satisfy the immutable, necessary law of God. And when we do, we will have the power to uphold the law as righteous citizens of heaven.
God forgives us of our sins (making us "right") and then gives us the tools and strength to obey (fulfilling the law).
^The New Covenant. The Gospel.
