The law
was given through Moses on Mount
Sinai. The law was given so that sin might abound
and man might become conscious of sin. The law was not given in order to justify
man, therefore by the works of the law a man can’t be justified in the sight
of God. There is certainly a righteousness which is of the law and which says
that the man who does those things will live by them, therefore it is a
righteousness which is based on the works of the law, but all those who rely
on the works of the law are cursed, for it is written that cursed is everyone
who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law
to do them. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law has been made
known; that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to
all who believe; so, as many as believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are
justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law
of Moses, and therefore they have peace with God. Therefore a man is
justified by faith apart from the works of the law. All those who think that
they can be justified by the works of the law set aside the grace of God and
declare implicitly that Christ died in vain. Those who preach that a man is
justified by observing the law (or even just a part of it) want us, who were
redeemed from the curse of the law (through the sacrifice of Christ, who
became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the law), to fall under
the curse of the law again.
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Therefore,
let both the Jews and those who are not Jews by birth who think that they can
be justified by the law of Moses know assuredly that they are greatly
mistaken. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who
believes. Therefore a man is justified in the sight of God by the law of faith
and not by the law of works. What’s the law of faith? The law of faith is
this: if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart
one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. For the Scripture says that whoever believes on Him will not be
put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same
Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. That’s the Good News of the grace of the blessed
God.
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