So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. (NIV)
Upon conversion a person is immediately accepted by God as His child, and if that person died the next day, he or she would go to be with the Lord. So in that sense the person is immediately justified at the point of conversion. So what justification is Paul speaking of? Well he tells us in Romans 6:17-18: “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (NIV)
So we know the justification Paul is speaking of; when new converts come to Christ they seek to be changed from being slaves to sin (where sin dominates their lives) into people who become slaves of righteousness. Paul elaborates on this a little further in the chapter. He says that though the Romans used to offer themselves as slaves to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness, now they should offer themselves as slaves to righteousness, which leads to holiness. Importantly, he tells the Romans they cross over from one state to the other by following the pattern of teaching they have been given. We know this teaching is the Gospel of Grace we have been looking at.
Now Paul is not telling us we will be perfect in the flesh. Truth be told, we all have sin to mourn over all of our lives, for none of us is perfect. There are, however, sins that will utterly consume us because of their very nature if they are not dealt with, and keep us from crossing over to where Paul says we need to be. We need to be set free of these sins so we may follow a life of seeking to be led into holiness, rather than a life where we are enslaved by ungodliness.
Paul tells us in the text from Galatians that we seek this justification, not by
works of the law, but by faith in Christ. What does he mean by “works of the law”? Well let us first remember the definition of sin from the last chapter: “transgression of the law.” If we seek justification by works of the law, therefore, we seek it by striving ourselves to defeat the sin in us. We do the work to remove the sin. Then we have sought to be justified by works of the law. Paul tells us, however, we don’t do this. Rather we seek to be justified by faith in Christ. We trust in Christ, therefore, in order to cross over to where we need to be.
Now I wonder if some may think we should be making every effort to get rid of the sin ourselves because it doesn’t seem correct we do nothing apart from trust in Jesus. Some might think we are just being lazy and half-hearted, and not much committed to our new found life. But you see friend, do not forget what the Holy Spirit has done in us as converts. We are desperate to be rid of the sin. In fact, the last thing we want is for it to stay there. Remember, we have been born again. We are not after an easy ride at all, nor will Satan let us have one. Now many who come to Christ do indeed strive to defeat the sin and with all good intention, for they are desperate to be free of it. You see, however, this is where so many stumble at the first hurdle. It is what Christ can do in us when we trust in Him that is potent, not what we can do. Would we really think that we, by our own efforts, are better equipped than Jesus to deal with the sin we are a slave to? What happens in reality when we strive to defeat the sin? We are, in effect, seeking a justification under the law in our own strength. There is no power in such an approach, friend − I know there isn’t!
The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon said, when a person becomes a Christian, it is like approaching a very tall mountain. Most try to climb the mountain, but it is too steep; they cannot do it. They have to give up, exhausted by their efforts, and come back to the bottom, only to try again and again. But you see, each time they try to climb the mountain they are getting more and more weary and dispirited, until in the end they are worn out with their failed efforts. He likened that to the way of law. At the foot of the mountain, however, was a narrow gorge, so narrow most never saw it. He said it was the way of Jesus and led to the other side. My friend, let us not try to climb an impossible mountain.
Is it not inbuilt into us that we get what we earn, we get what we deserve, and we get what we strive for in our own efforts? That is not the way under the New Covenant, however. It is not what we can do, but what God will do in us through Christ if we put our faith in Him. We have to stop depending on ourselves and start depending on Jesus. You see, because the Holy Spirit has changed us into people who in our hearts want to obey, this is not a licence to just sit on our backsides and not let the sin bother us. We want to obey, and Christ wants to change us through the Spirit who sanctifies us. The Spirit and Christ work in harmony. If we want to interrupt their work with our own feeble efforts, we will not see the victory we seek.
Sadly, many Christians today see little improvement in their lives. They never seem to move forward, despite the huge efforts they have made. They wonder why this is, and often come to the conclusion it is because they are just too useless and weak. Well in truth they are too weak, and it is useless for them to try to change themselves. Because they see change must come, however, they automatically try to bring that change about by their own striving and efforts. My friend, in effect they are trying to justify their Christianity by works of the law, though I am sure they do not see it as such.
Getting back to the text we are discussing, Paul asks, “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin?” What does the Apostle mean by “doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin?”
Well, you see, new converts are standing in their one and only righteousness, faith in Christ, and trusting Jesus for the victory over the sin they are enslaved to. Now how would that look to someone who does not understand the Gospel? Such a person would instinctively think Christ must promote sin, would they not? They see people before them rejoicing in being saved, while still having glaring sin in their lives. However, though new converts can rejoice in their salvation, at the same time they hate the sin that exists in them. They desperately want to be free of it, but they are still entitled to rejoice, despite such imperfections. Otherwise they must wear sackcloth and ashes until they are as pure as the driven snow. It isn’t possible, friend. New converts who have been accepted by God through faith in Christ are entitled to rejoice in that fact, while at the same time hating the sin that still binds them.
Now after Paul asks the question, “Does Christ promote sin?” he immediately answers it: “Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed I really would be a lawbreaker.”
Now what has Paul destroyed? What has he consistently said cannot be regarding the law under the New Covenant? He has said we have a righteousness in God’s sight of faith in Christ, not one of obedience to the law; therefore, if he rebuilt that which he has destroyed, and once again lived under the law, he really would prove himself to be a lawbreaker, for sin is transgression of the law. In other words, if we live under the law, and seek to remove the sin ourselves in order to be justified before God, we will fail and simply prove we are lawbreakers.
