The Freedom of the Christ: Freedom number two.

In Christ we are free from the law as a debt and curse. The law of God is good, but in our sin without Christ it is a weight greater than we can bear. It is a both a grace and a terror. A terror for it shows us we are not free after all, for we would not have known, “You shall not commit adultery,” except God’s law said so. But it is a grace even as it shows us that we can’t stand under it’s condemnation, but need Jesus Christ to save us. Jesus frees us from the debt and curse of God’s law. In him we don’t come to Mt. Sinai that burns with fire, swirls with judgment. But rather we come to Mt. Zion (Heb 12).

Paul’s point in Romans 5 is that when the law came to Israel, it did not mark the beginning of holiness in them, it accentually intensified the problem of the old Adam. The law intensified, drew attention to man’s sin (even in Israel), like an oven intensifies and makes us pay attention to heat. But the law by itself could and can do nothing to stop sin. Paul said this earlier in ch.3 and in Gal 3. And he said this to bring his fellow Jews to the free gospel of grace in Jesus.

Where sin abounds grace super abounds. The law intensifies sin, God’s grace is great than all sin and death for his answer is not the law, but the new Adam – Jesus. Yes, sin reigned in death. It destroyed slowly, seeking to lay waste man and creation. It raised it’s ugly head to grind men away from God. It stood up as some dumb king, to make all it’s subjects selfish, cruel, inhuman. BUT grace came in Christ…now grace reigns and there is a new kingdom, a new life, a world of God given possibility of a reign of righteousness, holiness, and love; all because of Jesus through whom sinners are justified, made righteous with God. For the curse of God is not directed to us, for Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
Status: Through Jesus we are justified by faith. We are in the new Adam. This was not accomplished by Torah, but by God’s grace through Jesus…so now grace reigns through Jesus’ faithfulness (righteousness), which leads to eternal life in him.