Rom
10:1-4 (NIV) Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites
is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous
for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness
that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to
God's righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be
righteousness for everyone who believes.
NOTE: Verse 4 says that Christ is the end of the
law, but Jesus said not one iota would pass away, so how does that fit? The Greek word for "end," telos,
means, a definite point or goal, the conclusion of an act or state, the
result. The law does not pass away,
rather it is fulfilled, brought to a conclusion by Christ. In this way it still exists still, but
fulfilled and without the demands any longer.
Jesus says in Matt 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish
the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." In this case the Greek word for
"fulfill," pleeroosai, can be translated as, to finish, complete,
end, fill up. He is not saying that the
law remains valid, rather that Jesus completes the law and its requirements on
our life. The law was against us, but
our new life of grace is for us. We are
under a new law completely, it is called the law of Christ, the law of grace,
and the law of righteousness. It
measures the heart and not obedience to a set of rules. Why oh why, do some Christians insist on
laying a burden upon themselves that Jesus and Paul said, even their
fore-fathers found overwhelming? Why can
we not choose peace and grace? Oh the
subtle tricks of the old nature to keep us in bondage ...
No comments:
Post a Comment