The Old Law: Romans And Galatians

Within the Christian life there is a freedom that is found in Christ’s work on the cross. He has saved his elect and has liberated them from the bondage of the old law. Christians often tote around phrases such as, “Christ has fulfilled the law!” And because of this, they believe that there is to be no weight of the law on believers. However, this is in direct contrast to passages such as Romans 3:15 that commands us to “uphold the law.” The confusion is rightfully understandable, as there are seemingly conflicting scripture passages throughout books such as Romans and Galatians. However, when the law is seen specifically through the lens of our salvation, the issue really remedies itself. The law must be understood in it’s relation to the

These will not be perfect definitions, but they will function as simple working definitions for the benefit of the rest of the argument. (1) Simply put, salvation is union with Christ. There are many elements that are contained within the work of salvation, such as election, adoption, and consummation. However, for the sake clarity, we are going to group the work of salvation into the work of justification and the work of sanctification for the believer. (2) The old law on the other hand, is a slightly more difficult concept to define. Specifically it is the means for redemption under the Old Covenant given for God’s people, Israel. The concept of the law can be seen specifically in scripture through the covenant given to Abraham and the law given to Moses. God promised to bring this nation of Israel to himself, if the people followed him. The law was given as a guide to follow God. (3) The new law is a contrast presented in Romans 8, as it is called “the law of the Spirit of life.” This is the covenant of grace that Christ extended to all who believe by his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. With each of these three definitions covered, the groundwork has been laid for the investigation of the two laws/covenants within the life of a

Because of sin, man is seen as guilty in the eyes of God; from this we have been cast out of God’s perfect presence and subjected to the pouring out of God’s wrath on us. Justification is the righting of man before God. The believer “is approved by God as free from guilt and it’s deserving punishment.” Justification is central to Christianity and is what takes place at the conversion of a non-believer. While this may seem basic, historically there has been a large debate about the doctrine of justification. Specifically Martin Luther brought this to light in the protestant reformation in his battle cry of Sola Fide. We are justified by faith alone. This is backed up in scripture, especially in Galatians when Paul says