Wednesday, February 3, 2016

The End of The Law, Jesus Christ

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:4-13 (ESV)
“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”  Paul expands on this, what it means to believe, and how it is that Christ has put an end to the law. The law never could give righteousness, the only man that ever fulfilled it was righteous from birth. The rest of us could only be condemned by it. But now Christ is the end of the law. Christ is our righteousness, Christ is our sanctification.

So Paul starts playing on Moses. Moses had spoken to the Israelites concerning the commandments. He explained what a privilege it was to have them, and what the responsibility was. He said it wasn’t far off, they should be in your heart and in your mouth so that you would live by them. They aren’t far off. Well neither is Christ far off. He isn’t up in heaven to be retrieved, he isn’t among the dead to be raised. He lives at the right hand of God. That is he now has all the power and authority of God even as a man. He lives. And he is at work through his word by which he takes up residence in your heart that your mouth would confess his name and call upon it. This is what it means that Jesus Christ is Lord. The oldest of the Christian creeds. It is a statement of faith that identifies Jesus with the name above all names, the name of God himself. It is his name that saves. It is his name that does what the law never could do for us. His name makes us righteous. 

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