19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 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- Galatians 2: 19-20
Paul made a bold statement, saying that he had died to the law. If he was dead to the law, then it was impossible for the law to be the way that he stood accepted by God. Notice that it wasn’t the law that was dead. The law reflects, in its context, the holy heart and character of God. There was nothing wrong with the law. It wasn’t the law that died, but Paul died to the law.
How did Paul die to the law? The law itself “killed” Paul. It showed him that he never could live up to the law and fulfill its holy standard. For a long time before Paul knew Jesus, he thought God would accept him because of his law-keeping. But he came to the point where he really understood the law – understanding it in the way Jesus explained it in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) – and then Paul realized that the law made him guilty before God, not justified before God. This sense of guilt before God “killed” Paul, and made him see that keeping the law wasn’t the answer.
The problem with the certain men with James was that they were not thinking and living as if they were dead to the law. For them, they were still alive under the law and they believed keeping the law would make them accepted by God. Not only were they living under the law, but they also wanted the Gentiles to live under the law.
What laws are you still trying to live under? 30 years ago that law was perhaps church attire. A tie for decades was necessary for attending church, but do you see that how we dress isn’t indicative of our spiritual life? Perhaps, you believe you must eradicate a certain sin from your life before you can be free. I struggled with this as a young teenager. I remember delaying my baptism because I wanted to be a better person before I was baptized. This type of view is anti-Jesus.
Jesus did not come for us to become perfect under the law. He came for us to be perfect under Him. Jesus is the light and the life of our spiritual journey. Without Jesus, we are just dead under the law. Interestingly enough, we all seem to act as if we want to be dead under the law. Rid yourself of your self-righteousness. Submit to Jesus understanding that he fulfilled the law for you. Only physical life for Jesus leads to spiritual life for eternity.