Faith Working Through Love: Not I...but Christ!

This Sunday we enter the second part of Paul’s argument. The first part is that obedience to the law does not help me become a Christian. "No one is justified by works of the law,” Paul says. His second argument is that the law of God doesn’t call us back now that we’re believers. Paul says, “I died to the law.” This means that once coming to faith, our relationship to the law of God has ended because the law only governs the living. Paul says that he’s died, and therefore the law no longer has jurisdiction over him. This message raised the accusation that Paul was preaching lawless living. The concern is that if Christians aren’t called back to the law of God they will live selfish indulgent lives. 

If Christians, justified by Christ, live selfish indulgent lives, isn’t Paul nullifying the grace of God? Even worse, doesn’t this make Christ the author of sin? Paul’s answer is, “Certainly not!” The life of the believer is joined to the person of Christ. Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” The love of Christ governs the heart of the believer not the law of God. The law of God, particularly the ten commandments, still functions to show us the way to love God, but the love of God constrains us. This is why Paul says, “the life I now live…I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me."

So come Sunday and hear more about the grace of God through Jesus Christ!