Law and Faith

Dear class,

Today's readings are taken from Genesis 7-9 and Romans 3.

The conclusion of Romans 3 highlights an often misunderstood concept.

Verses like Rom 3:20, 5:13; 6:14; 1Co 15:56, etc seem to cast the “law” (we’re talking about the old, mosaical law) in bad light. Paul even seemed to contradict himself when he declared “the law is not of faith” (Gal 3:12)!

So how do we make head and tails of this? Truth is, faith as defined and described by Paul through the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 11 is the foundation right from the very beginning.
We would go on to see in Gal 3 that the crux of the matter was that the old law had served its purpose. Faith was not dependent on it. Wherefore Paul declared in the concluding verse of Rom 3 that indeed through faith was the law established.

The problem was not in the law. Even as Paul waxed lyrical about the old law being not “faultless” (Heb 8:7), being “old”, “ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). It was "flawed" in the sense of incompleteness. As highlighted in Galatians 3, it was a means to the ultimate end as purposed by God. Just like mother's milk to a nursing child. Milk is the perfect food for an infant but as the child grows he needs to move on to other foods.
Again in Hebrews 11, we see how through the dispensations, godly men were counted for righteousness through faith. That was the key. That was how men were saved regardless of the dispensation. (But note of course also in Heb 11 what is really means to "have faith")

The problem was when men tried to focus on the form rather than the function of things or when men start to "mix and match" God's instructions. This was exactly what Jesus spoke of in Matthew 9:16,17 about mixing new and old. One of the main issues that Paul had to write about in Romans.

The underlying issue throughout the ages was disbelief. Disbelief was manifested in various ways. The world refused to believe the Word of God, which came through Noah and perished in the flood. The Jews constantly challenged God’s Word through the Law and the prophets by following the form of law without the function or by ignoring it altogether. Today, man continues to exhibit disbelief in the same manner and seem to wax even worse by having a semblance of righteousness but indeed are the works of Satan himself (c.f. 2Ti 3:5; 2Co 11:13-15).

Let us not be caught up in dissimulation but continue to abide in faith through the Word of God and as men and examples before us, be counted for righteousness, wherewith shall we be received up in eternal glory.

in Him
Paul


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But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: ~ Act 17:30