The answer to your question is a resounding and emphatic - NO!Correct.
I don't know why you say for something to end it must have a beginning here. Sure the law had a beginning, but that is irrelevant to whether or not it should be enforced after God gave it, or if it has been abolished (rather saying that it has not been). I do see that Romans says that we establish the Law (faith). However, I must accept what you are saying here, though you may be misguided somehow (responding to a point like what is crime or a criminal justice system is admittedly difficult but maybe because we use these words but don't find them in scripture so much (crime is there)(transgression is there)). The reason I say that I must accept it is it is scripture. I can explain my reasoning, but your argument still wins out. End of the law. Period. No. It says end of the law for righteousness. Or, end of the LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. So, yes, it is the end of the law for righteousness, and a law for righteousness has an end or the end of the law is for righteousness. So maybe the law has another purpose. But no one should try to find righteousness in it for their own self. I admit the Law reveals my sin and need for a Savior, Jesus. But I do still want to obey God and therefore I want to obey His Law, His commandments, His commands. There may have been a time in my life where I started by wanting to observe His commands and did not enunciate that I want to observe His Law. Sure there are New Testament commands or commandments, and there is Jesus, without using the word Law. But to accept all of God's commands or commandments I am basically accepting His Law, or Torah. 613 commandments or mitzvot and so forth. But not for my righteousness. For my obedience maybe?
Luke 17:10 "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' "
Right?!?
Because salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. There is no boasting in the Law. But is there obedience to it? That is my question here now. I hope you don't give up on me or think that I am trying to squirm out of what you are saying. But I believe that I memorized your verse as a child.
Look, you are identified in Christ. You have been crucified with Christ and are hidden in Him. It is no longer you who live but Christ lives His life through you. The law executed you in Christ. What more does the law have to say to one whom it has executed? Can a dead man obey the law? Is a dead man even under the law? Certainly not! You cannot obey a law that has no authority over you.
Should we just do all kinds of evil since the law can do nothing to us? Certainly not! Why would we wish to undermine that which we have been given, namely life, indeed not just life but life from the dead!
But, as Paul has taught us, we are still in this flesh and so we find in us an enemy....
Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
So, it is not obedience to the law that you need to focus on, it is Christ! Your righteous will never be found in the law! All you will ever find in the law is frustration, condemnation and death, for that it it's purpose (Romans 7:7-10). Righteousness is found in Christ and in Him only. Christ's righteousness has been imputed to you by God, the Judge of all things. You have been declared righteous and therefore are righteous, whether you act that way or not in your flesh. The key for you is to believe it. Let me repeat that. The key for you is to believe it. The Christian life is not lived by effort but by faith. Faith in what? Faith in the biblical facts concerning your position in Christ. The bible tells us that Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us. Do you believe it or not? That is the question. The more real your position in Christ becomes in your mind, the more your effort to be righteous will end and Christ's life can be lived through you. God will not help you to be righteous. Only He is righteous. He is willing to live His life through you but will not share the glory with your flesh. You must crucify your flesh daily and every time you attempt to obey the law, you resurrect your flesh because the law only has anything to say to your flesh. This is why Paul says that if you permit yourself to become circumcised (i.e. place yourself under the law), Christ will profit you nothing.
The law has been nailed to the cross and taken out of the way. I strongly urge you to leave it there! You do not need the law, you need Christ!If a person is not transgressing the Law they may not need to know about it. Unless we are to obey all of it. Obey requires doing something, even if it requires not doing something.
It's two different topics.Good verse and exhortation, thank you. Do you support the criminal justice system until someone gets this point and then you can drop it? Or, do you stand by God's criminal justice system forever at all costs?
The law of Moses was not the beginning of criminal justice. It merely expanded and clarified it.
I say again, criminal justice is not about the atonement for sin. It is about proper human government and the just management of a civilized society. So long as human beings are rightly in charge of government, God's criminal justice system stands as the standard for criminal justice.
So, just because you are in Christ and are forgiven of all sin. If, in your flesh, you commit a crime, the government must punish you for that crime an eye for an eye. Christians commit crime all the time. Imagine if they were allowed to plied "forgiven in Christ" during the trial. Would there be a single criminal who would mouth such a plea?
I don't understand the question.Do you say this because someone ruled not to take care of a person's sins just criminal behavior or what has been deemed criminal?
Sometimes you'll get an answer as to the motive and sometime you will not. But the bible explicitly says not to take any ransom for his life. That would include information that one deemed valuable.YES. I don't know if there is anything that we need to know from the murderer, but he shouldn't get off by knowing a lot of things that he needs to reveal. However, you do not specify if the person is a believer.
Whether he is a believe or not is irrelevant to whether a murderer should be executed. God will deal with his soul. The government is only to deal with his crime.
I couldn't follow any of this. Sounds like a change of subject anyway.We could talk about the differences. One is from God and allows people to make decisions. The other guides man's decisions or makes it impossible to do anything called sin based on preventing anything they can do from being called sin using words or eliminating the things that a person can do that would be considered sin. Does it take care of the root problem, human nature or sinful behavior in the flesh, man's sin nature?
Just now you didn't? Or before? Because I don't know how to clarify or bring more clarity.
I believe they were talked about in the next sentence, maybe answered, twice. But I had read your post and then when I was responding I was reading what I was but was answering one ahead just because of how I was reading it. Sorry.
By "unresponsive" I simply mean that you didn't respond to the point being made from within the context in which is was made. It was as if you were discussing something else that was maybe somehow connected but not really the same thing.Thanks. That means a lot. I am sorry. I don't know what unresponsive means. But you are measuring something and have seen improvement. It may have had to do with my effort in response or maybe it doesn't or didn't.
Jacob
Clete