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 the issue that has to be dealt with in order to bring us into a right relationship with God.
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
Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified"
(
Galatians 2:16).
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
This passage reveals that the Law cannot justify or make righteous any man in God’s sight, which is why God sent His Son to completely fulfill the requirements of the Law for all those who would ever believe in Him.
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.
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^ 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.
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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.