T he apostle Paul asks, “Do we then make void the law through faith?” If we are justified apart from the Law, is the Law thus made void? He is asking, “Is the Law thus ineffective?” His answer – “God forbid: yea (yes), we establish the Law”. The phrase ‘God forbids’ (in Greek, me genioto ) means ‘absolutely not’ or ‘may it never be’. Paul declares we establish the Law. ‘Establish’ ( histemi ) is ‘to cause something or someone to stand’. What is justification? According to the answer of Westminster shorter Catechism, Question 33, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.” Justification (being declared right with God) is by faith in Christ alone, not by works. It is impossible to attain right standing with God by keeping the Law. The Law requires perfect obedience to every commandment, not only external behaviour, but also compliance on the heart level. We cannot be saved by keeping the Law. Neither is it the Law’s purpose to save us. Rather, it is to show us our sins so that we will despair of being saved by our inability to keep the Law and look to the Lord Jesus Christ instead. Justification by faith upholds the Law by showing that the punishment the Law demanded has been met by our Lord Jesus Christ [v. 25] shedding His blood as a propitiation of our sins. That means, when our Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sins, the wrath of God for our rebellion against Him fell on His Son instead. God imputed the righteousness of Christ to us. Thus today’s verse teaches us that the Law is vital and operative, but not as a means of salvation. The doctrine of justification is by grace through faith, and our Lord Jesus upholds the Law of God rather than subverts it.
LESSON
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
THOUGHT
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