by Kent Leslie ✉️
In school, Paul studied Greco-Roman rhetoric, the art of speech and debate. Most of us don’t know how the Romans practiced rhetoric, so sometimes we struggle to follow Paul. And sometimes we come to some very different conclusions than he was trying to make. This is nothing new; in
In this passage Paul’s doing a rhetoric thing: He’s quoting what other Christians have said, then responding,
- Thing other Christians were saying: “Since we ourselves are also found to be ‘sinners’ while seeking to be justified by Christ, Christ is then a promoter of sin.”
- Paul’s proper response: “Don’t say that!” Absolutely not!
No it’s not okay to sin. Jesus doesn’t say that; Paul didn’t write that. Sin is still evil and wrong. But the fact Jesus works with and through sinful humans, does not mean he endorses sin, nor overlooks sin, nor did some behind-the-scenes jiggery-pokery which nullifies the Law and means nothing’s a sin anymore.
What Jesus did do, is kill our sin. Killed it on the cross with himself. Our penalties are paid for. Our debts are paid. Now follow Jesus.!
The rest is Paul’s rhetorical argument; his reasoning which proves what other Christians were saying is wrong, and what the truth of the gospel is.
“If I rebuild those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.” If it was right for me to break Pharisee custom, but I walk it back like Peter did because of peer pressure, either I was wrong to break custom, or I was wrong to walk it back. Either way I’ve messed up somewhere. Either way I’m a lawbreaker. And sinner.
“For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God.” The natural consequence of lawbreaking, of sin, is death. The wages of sin is death. [
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Paul is now part of the body of Christ. He identifies with Jesus so much, when Jesus died, in a very real sense Paul also died. (As did you, and me, and every Christian.) Our head, our live-giver, our Lord, died. And when he died, he took the Law’s death penalty to the grave with him, because Jesus never sinned, and never deserved death. Jesus instead died as our sin-offering, [
So should we still do good deeds, and follow moral laws? Of course. But without fear. Without legalism. Without policing fellow Christians like a cult would. With, instead, loads of grace. Be good the way Jesus wants. Encourage it in others.
“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” If anyone could be justified by Law, all Jesus would have to do is say, “Okay kids, follow the Law. Got it? Great! I’m going to heaven now.” No getting whipped and crucified! Jesus would’ve loved that.
The grace of God is how his kingdom works. Legalism’s biggest problem is it doesn’t do grace. Doesn’t forgive, doesn’t act out of love, doesn’t have a good attitude about the people it’s judging, isn’t patient, isn’t kind, doesn’t put up with a thing. It’s entirely unlike God. It’s way more like Satan.
So when we obey moral laws, we’re not at all to do it legalistically. Any mindset where we think goodness makes us God’s favorites, or more holy, or more justified than other Christians—it’s all divisive, self-centered, and godless. We’re not practicing goodness to get an advantage! We’re being good because shouldn’t God, who is good, have followers who are also good?