About 2 weeks ago, on my way to a job interview, I had a strange encounter with a stranger in a matatu. As the bus was taking off from the stage, he asked me something very peculiar: “As a Christian when you commit murder, will you go to heaven or hell?” I did not know what to say as you can imagine, as I did not know on what basis he thought of asking me this question. Well, after much perusal from my Sunday school database, I said to Hell with utmost confidence. To my shock, he argued something different. He said ” Christ came to earth and died for our sins even before we committed them as we were not born yet. The whole point of God sacrificing his only son was for the sake of our sins for the love of his creation (us). Meaning we do not qualify to go heaven by our deads but by our acceptance of Christ through faith.” he continued “the bible says, John 14:6 Jesus answered “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 3:16 says” For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” This statement somehow “corrupted” everything I have ever learned. So I did some research on the bible.
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is, therefore, Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.Galatians 6:16-21 (You can read up to chapter 3)
Most Pauline theology (mis)uses proof texts to demonstrate that he ‘did away with the Law.’ Yet, Paul affirms the Torah over and over. If in some passages he overturns the Law and in others, he affirms the Law, then we have a schizophrenic Apostle on the loose!!
Paul talks about justification by faith in the books of Romans “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:19-31
So do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,
And whose sins have been covered.
“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” Romans 4:1-8 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
As we continue to study Romans, Corinthians and Galatians support the above theory but then again, we wonder isn’t the Law relevant? in 1 Timothy 1:1-7 Paul also warns Timothy about teaching the law as many of us don’t really understand it. He continues to say “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. in Verses 8-11We also see Matthew 23, where Jesus says condemns the Pharisee and calls them hypocrites for not upholding the laws.
in Matthew, Jesus’ words in 5:17-20 as a thesis statement for the whole of 5:21-48 which follows. Jesus essentially says, “Look, if you thought the law was tough, wait till you see this. If you really want to be my disciples, give me your hearts without reservation” (see 5:17).
This passage seems to suggest that an uncommitted Christian is not a Christian at all (see 5:20). Like other Jewish teachers, Jesus demanded whole obedience to the Scriptures (5:18-19); unlike most of his contemporaries, however, he was not satisfied with the performance of scribes and Pharisees, observing that this law observance fell short even of the demands of salvation (5:20). After grabbing his hearers’ attention with such a statement, Jesus goes on to define God’s law not simply in terms of how people behave but in terms of who they really are (5:21-48).
Jesus’ High View of Scripture (5:17-18)
First, when Jesus says that he came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them, he uses terms that in his culture would have conveyed his faithfulness to the Scriptures (v. 17).
We Will Be Judged by Our Response to God’s Word (5:19)
Jesus here provides a graphic example of the law’s authority. Jewish teachers typically depicted various persons as “greatest” before God; the emphasis was not on numerical precision but on praising worthy people. When Jesus speaks of the least of these commandments, he also reflects Jewish legal language. Jewish teachers regularly distinguished “light” and “heavy” commandments (Mt 23:23) and in fact, determined which commandments were the “least” and “greatest.” Noting that both the “greatest” commandment about honoring parents (Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16) and the “least” commandment about the bird’s nest (Deut 22:6-7) included the same promise, “Do this and you will live,” later rabbis decided that “live” meant “in the world to come” and concluded that God would reward equally for obedience of any commandment. One who kept the law regulating the bird’s nest merited eternal life, whereas one who broke it merited damnation. In the same way, those who merely honored the highest standards of their religion would fall short of entering the kingdom at all (Mt 5:20).
God has not given us the right to pick and choose among his commandments. As some teachers put it, one should be as “careful with regard to a light commandment as you would be with a heavy one since you do not know the allotment of the reward”.Critical thinking is important, but it functions best with the firm foundation of the fear of God (Prov 1:7).
Bible-Believing People Without Transformed Hearts Are Lost (5:20)
Like John the Baptist in 3:7-12, Jesus savages the false security of the religious establishment. To grasp the full impact in today’s language we might compare the scribes with ministers or religious educators and the Pharisees with the most pious, Bible-believing laypeople (although there was some overlap between the two groups).
It is possible to agree with everything Jesus taught in this sermon yet fail to live accordingly (Mt. 23:3). That is why Jesus indicates that the best of human piety is inadequate for salvation-whether it be Pharisaic or Christian. Nothing short of a radical transformation, what other early Christian writers called a new birth (Jn 3:3-6; 1 Pet 1:23), can enable one to live as a disciple (compare Mt 18:3).
In my research, Christine(A close friend of mine) also gave me her opinions ” When you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth we are saved/born again. Its true Jesus died for all our sins, the catch is you must confess Him otherwise His saving grace won’t work.” Everything that comes after acceptance is authored by God and as much as we are saved our free will wasn’t taken away. The Holy Spirit (remember no one can profess Jesus as Lord and Saviour except through the Holy Spirit) always guides, but it’s always up to you to choose to obey or not and that’s why its possible to sin while stillborn again. However, we are not to take advantage of the saving grace, for God is not to be mocked and as the bible says, We reap what you sow. ”
As I conclude to be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. (Romans5:13)
From this experience, I am convinced that Christ died for our sin but he came for the sake of our salvation an He taught us in Luke 13 that unless we repent of our sins we shall perish.This is a wide topic and I would love to hear from you.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
